Part 2

The Badger began to dig upwards. He became tired, and said, “Mother, I am tired.” Then the Mole began to dig. The Mole became tired. Then the long-nosed Mouse came and dug until it became tired. It came back. The long-nosed Mouse said, “Mother, I am tired.” The Badger began to dig upward. When he became tired the Mole went up. The Mole said, “I was just about to go through when I became tired.” The long-nosed Mouse then ran up, and said, “I will try.” The long-nosed Mouse stuck its nose through the earth until it reached up to its ears, and it could see just a little light. It went back, and said, “Mother, I ran my nose through the earth, and it has made my nose small; all the people that I shall belong to shall have these long noses, just like mine, so that all the animals will know that it was I who dug through the earth first, making my nose small and pointed.”

The Mole was so glad that it tried again. It went up to the hole, dug through the hole and went through. The sun had come up from the east. It was so bright that it blinded the Mole. The Mole ran back, and said, “Mother, I have been blinded by the brightness of that sun. I can not live upon the earth any more. I must make my home under the earth. All the people who wish to be with me will be blind, so that they can not see in the daytime, but they can see in the night. They shall stay under the ground in the daytime.” The Mother-Corn said, “Very well.”

The Badger then dug through, making the hole larger, and, as it went out, the Badger closed its eyes, but, as he stuck his feet out, the rays of the sun struck him upon the face so that he got a streak of black upon it, and he got black legs. The Badger went back into the hole, and said, “Mother, I have received these black marks upon me, and I wish that I might remain this way, so that people will remember that I was one of those who helped to get your people out.” The Mother-Corn said, “Very well, let it be as you say.”

The Mother-Corn then led the way and the Mole followed, going out of the hole; but, as they were about to go out from the hole, there was a noise from the east, and thunder, which shook the earth, so that the earth opened. The people were put upon the top of the earth. There was wailing and crying, and, at the same time, the people were rejoicing that they were now out upon the open land. As the people stood upon the earth, the Mother-Corn said, “My people will now journey west. Before we start, any who wish to remain here, as Badgers, long-nosed Mice, or Moles, may remain.” This was then done. Some of the people turned back to the holes of the earth and turned into animals, whichever kind they wanted to be.

The journey was now begun. As they journeyed, there seemed to come up in front of them a mountainous country. There was a deep chasm. Here the people could not get down, and if they should get down there was, on the other side, another steep bank, and there was no way for the people to get up. Mother-Corn turned to the heavens, and cried for help, “Any of you gods, come, help.” But there was no one to come. Now there came from among the people a little bird, who said, “Mother-Corn, I will be the one to point out the way for you.” The bird was the Kingfisher. The bird flew to the other side of the steep bank, stuck its bill into the bank, going through the hill and going out on the other side, so that the earth fell into the chasm. The bird came back again, and flew into the side of the steep bank, where the people were and came out on this side, so that the earth fell into the chasm, so that by the bank’s falling there was formed a bridge. The people rejoiced, and the bird said, “All the people who want to join me may remain here, and we will stay and make our homes in these banks.” Some of the people went back, stopped and turned into this kind of bird.

Again the people journeyed, and again they came to an obstacle. This obstacle was the timber. The timber was somewhere near the sun. Mother-Corn turned to the gods and asked for help, for the timber before them was very thick. There were thorns all over the timber, so that even animals could not go through. The gods in the heavens had agreed to help Mother-Corn. They gave power to the Owl to clear a way through the timber for the people. The Owl came and stood before Mother-Corn, and said, “Mother, I will help to make a pathway for your people to go through this timber. Any of the people who wish to remain with me may become as I am, and we shall remain in this timber forever.” The Owl then flew up through the timber. As it waved its wings it removed the timber to one side, so that when it flew through the timber there was a pathway, so that the people could go through. Mother-Corn then led the people through the timber and passed onward.

As they were journeying through the country, all at once they came to a big lake. They looked around for help, but they could see none. They could not turn back, for Nesaru had instructed Mother-Corn to lead the people towards the west. A bird came and stood in front of Mother-Corn, and said, “I will make a pathway through this water. Let the people stop crying. I shall help them.” Mother-Corn looked at the bird, and said, “Make a pathway for us, and you shall have some of my people to remain with you here.” The bird flew and jumped into the water. The bird was so swift that it parted the waters wherever it went, and came out on the other side of the water and left the waters parted. This bird was the Loon. The people went over on dry land and crossed to the other side. Some of the people turned back, and as they went into the water they turned into Loons. The other people journeyed on.

When they had crossed the lake they had no implements, for the people at this time had no sense, as they were still animals. Here at this place some of the people were cut off, as the waters came together and left them on the other side of the big waters. At this place the people saw a man who was very tall and whose hair from his mouth reached down to his waist, and they exclaimed, “Wonderful!” And they were afraid of him. They thought that this man was from the heavens.

At this place Mother-Corn brought the people together and said, “I am Mother-Corn; you shall have my corn to plant, so that you, by eating it, will grow and also multiply.” Then Mother-Corn also said, “I will have to divide up things among you people,” for here at this place they had had their village for some time. Mother-Corn now returned to the heavens.

They made games at this place. The first game they played was the shinny ball and four sticks. The land was marked out by four sticks, which enclosed an oblong extending from east to west. Each side tried to force the ball through the other’s goal. When one side was beaten it immediately began to kill those of the other side. At other places they had long javelins to catch a ring with. The side that won began to kill the people who were on the other side, and whose language they could not understand. All this was done while Mother-Corn was away, up in the heavens.

When Mother-Corn returned from the heavens she brought with her a man who said that Nesaru was displeased with their doings; that now he was to give them rules and laws to go by; and that the people were to select a man whose name should be Nesaru, chief.

After a man had been selected as chief the man and Mother-Corn sat down and she commanded that all the animals and people should come to her. The man with Mother-Corn stood up, and said, “I shall go off. I am strong.” This man came back with a scalp. “This,” he said, “the chief must have, and this other bunch of hair, for the man who takes the most scalps and captures the most enemies shall become a chief. You must put the scalp on your right arm. The next scalp you take, put upon your left arm; the next scalp put on the right breast; the next put on the left breast; the next put on the right leg; and the next put on the left leg. Now, that man becomes a chief.”

Mother-Corn then made a bundle, made songs, made the ritual, and gave the people the ceremonies. The medicine-men were instructed by the man, and also were taught sleight-of-hand, and were told to make a village.

They did not stay long in the village, for Mother-Corn led them away on through the country to what is known as the Republican River, in Kansas, where there is only one mountain. Here they were to make their village, for Nesaru had placed roots and herbs for the medicine-men. All the people now moved on, and the Awaho people came last; for the others had gone on and had their ceremonies, but the Awaho people, coming last, received the ceremonies from Mother-Corn.

At this place, while the ceremonies were going on, Mother-Corn had the people offer smoke to the different gods in the heavens, and to all animal gods. Just as they were about to move on, a Dog came running into the village, frothing at the mouth, and fell down calling upon Mother-Corn, and saying that she had done wrong by leaving it behind; that Mother-Corn had remembered all the gods and all the animals, without remembering him, the Dog; that now he had caught up with the people; that he knew that not only himself, but the Whirlwind was left out; and that the Whirlwind was mad, and was coming to scatter the people; that the Dog had come from the Sun and that the Sun had given it curative powers; that the Dog would help them; that as the Whirlwind was coming to destroy the people, the Dog let them know that the Whirlwind was a disease, and wherever the wind touched the people, disease would be left; but if, when the Whirlwind should come, they would kill a dog and let the dog meat be the first to be offered as a sacrifice to the different gods in the heavens, then the gods would send a storm that would drive away the disease from the villages.

As the Whirlwind came the people cried to the Dog: “Let it be as you say. You shall be the first meat in all our offerings in our ceremonies, and you shall be meat for us to eat when there is disease in the villages, but let the Whirlwind stop.” The Whirlwind stopped blowing. Then the Dog appeased the gods, and said, “I shall always remain with the people. I shall be a guardian for all their belongings.”

After this was done, Nesaru had gathered in from his garden the crop of corn he had planted. Nesaru then gave three things to the people—Mother-Corn, the office of chief, and the medicine-men. Then Mother-Corn said, “The gods in the heavens are the four world-quarters, for they are jealous. If you forget to give smoke to them they will get mad and send storms.” Then she said, “Give smoke to me last. The Cedar-Tree that shall stand in front of your lodge shall be myself. I shall turn into a Cedar-Tree, to remind you that I am Mother-Corn, who gave you your life. It was I, Mother-Corn, who brought you from the east. I must become a Cedar-Tree to be with you. The stone that is placed at the right of the Cedar-Tree is the man who came and gave you order and established the office of chief. It is Nesaru, who still exists all the time, and is watching over you. It will keep you together and give you long life.”

FOOTNOTES:

[4] Told by Hand.

4. THE ORIGIN OF THE ARIKARA.[5]

A long time ago, people lived in the ground. Mother-Corn engaged the animals to help her to get these people out of the ground. The animals came, and said, “Mother-Corn, we will help.” There was a Badger, a Gopher, the long-nosed Mouse, and a Mole.

The Badger was the first to stand up, and he said, “Mother-Corn, I will be the first to dig.” So the Badger went to work digging through the earth. The Badger gave out. He came back, and said, “Mother-Corn, I am tired.” The next animal went and dug, became tired, and came back. The Mole then went to work, but the long-nosed Mouse was the last to go. He dug through the earth with his nose. Then the Mole asked to see the light, and it went through and was blinded. The Mole went back, and said, “Mother-Corn, I will stay under ground always.”

The next animal to try was a Gopher. He went up, and tried to go out of the hole. It was late in the evening, so that this animal received only a black streak across his eyes. The Badger then went to work and dug the hole larger, and went out, and it was morning, for the sun was up. The sun burned the fore legs of the Badger, also around his face, but he was not blinded. The long-nosed Mouse stood up, and said, “Mother-Corn, in trying to open the doorway of the earth for the people, my nose was squeezed, and made pointed. My snout has been made small, and I shall keep this shape always, so that the people will know that I was the one that opened the doorway of the earth for the people.”

The Mole stood up, and said, “Mother-Corn, I am blinded. I can not go with you, and your people will have to allow me to remain here, that I may always stay under the ground.” Mother-Corn gave her consent, and that is why the Mole is in the ground. If it comes out, it will come out in the night, and if the sun comes up on it, it has to sit still all day, until the night comes, then it will travel again.

The people now came out from the ground and stood outside. They saw other pathways, where other people had gone out from the ground, by the help of the Buffalo.

Now the people started upon a journey. This journey was stopped; for the leaders said, “Here is an obstacle, a deep crevice. What shall we do, Mother-Corn?” Mother-Corn said, “Help! Hurry!” And she called upon the gods. The gods sent a Kingfisher, who said, “Mother-Corn, I will be the one to make a way for you and your people.” The Kingfisher flew and shot through the side of the bank, and the bank fell. The Kingfisher flew around to where the company of people were, and shot through the other bank, and this bank also fell, so that the two banks, meeting, formed a pathway. Some of the people who saw these banks torn up, turned to Mother-Corn, and said, “Mother-Corn, we want to stay here in the banks, as Worms.” So Mother-Corn allowed some of the people to remain in the banks as Worms. The people started, and when they got across this crevice they started on their journey.

Again they met another obstacle—thick timber—and Mother-Corn called on the gods, and said, “Hurry! Help!” So the gods sent the wonderful Owl to the people. This wonderful Owl flew and lighted by Mother-Corn, and said, “Mother, I will be the one to make a pathway.” The Owl flew through the timber, and there was a pathway. The people went through the timber, and some of them liked the timber, and they turned to Mother-Corn, and said, “Mother, we want to stay with the wonderful Owl.” So some of the people turned into animals and birds, and they stayed in the timber.

Again the people started to journey, and they came to another difficulty. This time they came to a lake, whose banks were mountains, but they managed to get down to the lake. Then the people said, “Mother-Corn, what shall we do, for the lake is in the way?” Mother-Corn called upon the gods, and said, “Hurry! Help!” The gods sent a Loon. The Loon came down and stood by the people, and said, “Mother-Corn, I will help to make a pathway for your people.” The Loon flew down to the lake, and flew through the waters, and the waters opened, leaving the bottom of the lake dry so that the people could cross; some drank from the lake, turned into fish, and remained behind. When they had crossed the lake, some of the people said, “Mother-Corn, we want to stay with the wonderful bird, the Loon.” Mother-Corn gave her consent. Some of them turned into Loons, and they stayed behind. The obstacles were overcome.

It was now time for Mother-Corn to smoke to the gods. The smoke was ready. Animals and birds were sent out to find offerings.

When the pipe was made the animals and the birds went out to find the offering. The Prairie-chicken found a wild-cat and killed it. The Prairie-chicken brought the wild-cat to the people and laid it down outside of the camp. The Prairie-chicken then went to Mother-Corn, and said, “Mother, I have killed for the offering.” Mother-Corn said, “What kind of an animal is it that you have killed?” The Prairie-chicken said, “It is an animal that is speckled.” Mother-Corn said, “You have done right. The animal that is speckled represents the heavens, and the white spots represent the stars. So you will bring it and we will make an offering.” The Prairie-chicken went and brought the animal.

When it came time to offer the smoke the people found that they had not the pipe with which to form the smoke. There were three Stars in the heavens, and they saw the pipe was lacking. They said, “Mother-Corn, we will get you the pipe.” So the three Stars went and found a stone, and brought it to Mother-Corn. They said, “We are the three Stars that come up in the East. We know the pipe smoked to us.” They were Red-Star, Yellow-Star, and the Big-Black-Meteoric-Star. So Mother-Corn had the stone made into a pipe.

When the pipe was made and filled with native tobacco Mother-Corn called the Prairie-chicken, and said, “You must carry this pipe to the God in the Southeast.” So the Prairie-chicken took the pipe and flew to the Southeast. It was gone for some time, and when the Prairie-chicken came back it said, “The God in the Southeast received the pipe and smoked.” Mother-Corn again filled the pipe with native tobacco and called on the Prairie-chicken again, gave it the pipe, and told it to go to the God in the Southwest with it. The Prairie-chicken flew away again and was gone for some time. When it came back it said to Mother-Corn, “The God in the Southwest has received the pipe and smoked.” Then Mother-Corn took the pipe again and filled it with native tobacco, called the Prairie-chicken, and said, “Take this pipe to the God in the Northwest.” The Prairie-chicken took the pipe and flew away again to the Northwest. When it came back it told Mother-Corn that the God in the Northwest had received the pipe and smoked. Again Mother-Corn filled the pipe, gave it to the Prairie-chicken, and it flew away to the God in the Northeast. The Prairie-chicken came back, and said, “Mother-Corn, the God in the Northeast has received the pipe and smoked.” Then the pipe was filled again and the Prairie-chicken was called to carry it to Nesaru, which it did. The Prairie-chicken flew up into the heavens, and said, “Nesaru has received the pipe and smoked. Other animal gods also smoked with Nesaru.” Then Prairie-chicken said, “Mother-Corn, these journeys were very hard. The wind was blowing hard, sand-stones were thick, the little stones struck upon my feathers and made white spots upon them. Flying through these hard winds gave me power to fly through storms. The stones hit upon my feathers and made white spots upon them. I wish to remain as I am now.” Mother-Corn said, “It is well. You shall be as you are always.” (This is why the Prairie-chicken has white spots upon its feathers.) “As you have carried the pipes yourself to the gods, so it shall be to all people who shall make a sacrifice to the gods that they themselves must go through the smoke ceremony, that the gods may receive the smoke offering from the person himself who makes the offering.”

In the smoking Nesaru let the gods know that he had given his consent to Mother-Corn to have people upon the earth; and that the gods were also to give their power to the people and protect them. So it was the place of the gods to help Mother-Corn whenever she called upon them for help.

After they had smoked to the gods there came a Dog running into the camp and telling Mother-Corn that one of the gods, the Whirlwind, who stands a little to the southwest, had been slighted in the smoke ceremony and the Whirlwind was angry. Then the Dog said to Mother-Corn, “That God, the Whirlwind, is coming. Be quick and do something for the people, for the gods in the heavens promised you aid when the people should be in trouble.” Mother-Corn stood up and spoke, saying, “Nesaru and the gods, I want help, for the Whirlwind is coming to destroy my people!” A woman stepped in front, and said, “I will be the one to save the people.” She stood up and was turned into a Cedar-Tree. Then there was a noise in the heavens and a Rock fell by the Cedar-Tree. A voice spoke from the heavens, and said, “I am the Big-Black-Meteoric-Star. I shall assist the Cedar-Tree to save the people.” The people then ran up to the Cedar-Tree and around the rock. The Whirlwind came, and some of the people ran away, some going north, some west, some south and some east, and when the Whirlwind struck these people it changed their language. The people who stood upon the Cedar-Tree and the Rock remained as the Arikara. When the Whirlwind struck Mother-Corn she vomited red water, and after the water there came out a red ear of corn. Again she vomited and threw up yellow water, which was followed by a yellow ear of corn. Again she vomited, and there came up black water and a black ear of corn. Now she vomited and there came up white water and a white ear of corn. The Whirlwind passed the people and it turned back and came to Mother-Corn. It said to her: “You slighted me in your smoke. I became angry. I have left behind me diseases, so that the people will become sick and die. You wanted your people to live forever, but I have left sickness behind, so that it will fall upon the people who are proud and dress fine; but always remember when you offer smoke to the gods to give me smoke towards the last, so that I shall not visit the people very often.” The Whirlwind went on. The Cedar-Tree spoke, and said: “Mother-Corn, the Whirlwind twisted my body until, you see, it is bent in many places. Let me remain this way. Let the people know me as the ‘Wonderful Grandmother.’ They shall place me in front of their medicine-lodge and they shall have a ceremony that I shall give them when they place me in front of their lodge.” Then the Big-Black-Meteoric-Star said: “Mother-Corn, I wish to be known as the ‘Wonderful Grandfather.’ I shall sit by the Wonderful Grandmother, in front of the medicine-lodge, so that the people will always remember that it was I who saved them from the Whirlwind.” Then the Dog spoke, and said: “Mother-Corn, I brought the news. I followed up the people from where they came out from the ground. I am always to remain with the people, so that I may guard their camps and villages, and when enemies are approaching their camps or villages I shall let them know by my barking. My spirit is up to all the gods. My flesh is good to eat, and the grease of my body is curative for sores. Let the people in all their ceremonies kill me and offer my flesh to the different gods in the heavens. Let the medicine-men use my fat for their sores.” Mother-Corn was satisfied.

Mother-Corn then stood up and said: “My people, this corn is for you. They are seeds. You shall plant them, so that in time you can offer this corn to the gods also. This will be done to remind them that I was once Corn up in the heavens and was sent down to take you from the ground. These people who have scattered out shall be your enemies. The people who have gone to the Southwest you shall call ‘Sahe’ (Strike-Enemy); the people who have gone to the Northeast you shall call ‘Pichia’ (People-of-Cold-Country); the people who have gone to the East you shall call ‘Wooden-Faces’ (Iroquois), for they shall wear wooden-faces in their ceremonies. The people who have gone to the South you shall call ‘Witchcraft-People’, for they shall understand how to practice witchcraft. They will understand the mysteries of the Owl, Woodpecker, Turkey and the Snakes.” (These were the Wichita.) Other people also were named at this time.