Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 66

Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri 66

The children perceiving they were freed from their tormentor continued

their route more at leisure, and after traveling some days they arrived

at a large camp very hungry and very tired. It was the camp of their

father, and he was there as its chief. When he saw his children he

abused them for having a bad mother, would not let any person give

them food nor take them into their lodge. He brought cords, bound the

children’s hands, and taking them outside the camp raised them into

a tree, tied them both together and to the top limb of a large tree.

He then ordered the whole camp to move off and thus left his children

to perish. After all had gone he again looked that his children were

secure and examined the camp to see that no one remained behind, but

perceived nothing but a little old dog lying on an extinguished fire,

with his head in a large shell for a pillow, apparently sick. “Why do

you remain behind the camp?” inquired the man. “Because I am sick and

can not travel,” answered the dog. The man was enraged, told the dog to

begone, kicked it, but he only howled and would not raise his feet. The

chief after beating the old dog so that he thought him dead left and

followed his people. As soon as he departed and was out of sight the

dog rose and sought the tree where the children were, commenced gnawing

at the root of it, and in four days and nights it fell to the ground.

 

He then gnawed off their cords, which occupied two nights more, and

the children found themselves free but so very weak they could not

travel. The little old dog rambled through the ground where the camp

had been placed, discovered a piece of rotten wood afire, and brought

it to where the children were. He gathered other branches and made them

a comfortable fire, at which they warmed themselves. The little boy

covered his eyes with his hands and hung his head, his sister cried,

they were very hungry and very miserable. “Look, my brother, what a

fine herd of elk is near!” the girl exclaimed as about 50 of those

animals came walking toward them. The boy looked at them, wishing

they were dead so that they might have meat, and as soon as he looked

upon them they all fell dead. They went to them, and, having no knife

wherewith to skin them, the boy wished them skinned, and in a moment

they were so. He now began to see the power granted him, which was

to look upon and wish for anything he desired. By the same means he

produced the elk skins dressed and made into a large lodge, far larger

than any of his people, which was erected, and the meat of the elk

piled around the lodge on scaffolds outside. In the interior was an

apartment for the little old dog. They were now happy.

 

Day after day large herds of buffalo came near the lodge, and on

looking at them the boy killed them, skinned them, and placed the meat

on scaffolds, cut up and dried.

 

When he thought he had enough he made a feast to the magpies and

desired one of them to take along some fat meat and fly in the

direction of the camp to endeavor, if possible, to overtake them. The

bird left and after flying some days arrived at the camp. They were

all starving, having had no meat for a long time. Some of the men

were playing ball in the middle of the camp. The magpie advanced and

dropped a large depouille among them and all scrambled to get a share.

They inquired of the bird where he got the meat, and received the

information, together with the news, that a great deal of meat was on

scaffolds, enough to feed the whole camp. The father of the children

was the chief; he called a council and determined on going back to the

large supply of food, but knew it belonged to his children from the

description given of them by the magpie. In due time the camp arrived

at the boy’s lodge and placed their tents. The boy sat in his lodge,

his head down, and his eyes covered with his hands. All the camp with

his father at their head came around begging him for meat. But the boy

answered not a word, neither did he look up. The rest had no power to

take the meat, not even to approach the scaffolds. The second day after

their arrival his sister said, “Do, my brother, come out and look what

a fine camp of our people are here.” He went, looked, and all fell dead

in their lodges, or wherever they happened to be. At this the little

old dog began to cry and besought the boy to revive his (the dog’s)

relations, who fell with the others. “Show me them,” said the boy.

“They shall live.”

 

He went with the dog through the camp, who pointed out his sisters

and brothers, all lying dead. The boy revived them by looking upon

them.[59] After a short time the little girl said, “My brother, it is

a great pity so many fine men and women should die. Look upon them and

let them live again.” The boy did as desired and the whole camp was

again called to life and motion.

 

[59] In Chippewa and cognate Algonquian dialects the Life God,

Nanabozho (i. e., Inabi‘ōzio‘), was created, mythic tradition explains,

by a look of the Great Father Spirit in the heavens, gazing down

through the Sun as His shield. Such is the literal meaning of this

illuminating designation.

 

He then made a feast, called all of them together, distributed the

meat, and told them of the conduct of their father toward them. The boy

was made chief of the camp, the little old dog was transformed into a

man and became the first soldier, and the father was degraded to be a

scullion and bearer of burdens for the whole.

 

 

BY A WOMAN

 

An old woman lived in a lodge alone except her children, and raised

corn in a garden. One of her little boys was shooting birds with arrows

in the garden, when on a sudden appeared a sack full of rice, which,

dancing up and down before the boy, sung out, “My nephew, shoot me and

eat me, my nephew, shoot me and eat me.” (This part is sung by the

narrator.) The boy shot an arrow into the sack and all the rice spilled

on the ground. Here the story ends with a general laugh.

 

 

BY TAH-TUN-GAH-HOO-HOO-SA-CHAH, OR “THE BULL’S DRY BONES,” AN OLD AND

FAMED PRIEST OF THE ASSINIBOIN

 

The whole surface of the earth was at a time covered with water; in

fact, no land existed but at the bottom of this great ocean. Seven

persons were on a raft, viz., five men and two women. These were the

first Gros Ventres, besides whom the only living objects visible were

a Frog, a Muskrat, a Crow, and a Spider. The men, wishing for land and

being informed in a dream how to act, told the Muskrat to dive to the

bottom of the water and try to bring up a portion of earth. The being

plunged, remained a long time under, but appeared without any. He was

ordered to try again, and dived still farther, remaining under a much

longer time, but reappeared with nothing. Again and again he plunged

and at last disappeared for such a length of time that all thought he

was drowned, but he rose to the surface, stretching out his claws to

those on the raft, saying, “I have brought it,” and immediately expired

from exhaustion. They drew in the being and scraped from between his

claws a small portion of earth which they made into a flat cake, set

it on the water, and behold it spread rapidly in every direction.

They then called the Crow, gave it directions to fly as far as the

earth extended. The bird departed but did not return, from which they

concluded it to be so extensive that the Crow could not come back.

 

Being in possession of land, and seeing all was damp and cold and

barren, they wished for spring to make something grow, and inquired

of the frog how many moons remained until spring would come. The Frog

said, “Seven,” but the Spider contradicted it, called him a liar, on

which a quarrel ensued, and the Spider beat the Frog to death with a

stick. The latter, on dying, stretched out his legs toward the men,

indicating seven by the claws thereon. The eldest of the party and head

of the whole, whom they called their father, not being certain whether

the Frog told the truth, started two of the others (brothers), both

very brave and venturesome, with orders to travel in quest of spring.

They set out eastward and in six months arrived at warm weather, where

they found spring bundled up and placed on a scaffold, the packages

consisting of flowers, seeds, turnips, roots, etc. Two large Cranes

were standing beneath the scaffold, which the brothers loaded with

the “spring season” and ordered them to fly back to their people. The

birds started, and in another month arrived with their cargo safe, thus

verifying the predictions of the Frog, which so enraged the men against

the Spider that they put him to death, and he is to this day despised

and crushed by all, while the frogs every spring sing forth the praises

of their truthful ancestor.

 

The travelers, having accomplished their mission, bent their course

westward to explore the new country, and after a long time came to the

Rocky Mountains.

 

In one of the valleys between the mountains they perceived a motion

in the earth at a certain spot as though it was boiling or as though

some animal was endeavoring to get out. One of the brothers proposed

shooting an arrow into it, but the other objected and requested him

to let it alone. The former was, however, a very obstinate, reckless

man who never would listen to good advice, and shot an arrow into the

spot. A whirlwind gushed out, and rose up in the air in a round black

column, bearing the two men up along with it. Higher and higher they

rose until so far above the earth that they could not see it. The

wind now carried them eastward for several days, when at length they

descended to earth on the other side of the sea. Here they rambled

about some time and found an old woman working in a cornfield from

whom they begged something to eat. She gave them a mess of corn and

potatoes. After having eaten they inquired of her if she could inform

them how they could get back to their family. She said she could, but

they must implicitly follow her directions or some harm would befall

them. After they had made the required promises she took them to the

seashore, made a sacrifice of some corn to the water and invoked the

appearance of the Wau-wau-kah. Immediately afar off appeared an object

moving over the surface of the water, spouting it out high in the air,

and, approaching with great rapidity, soon arrived at the place where

the travelers stood. The being thus conjured up had the head of a man,

though of monstrous size, and out of which projected two horns as large

as the largest trees.

 

The body was that of a beast covered with long black hair, the tail

was like that of a very large fish and covered with scales, and it was

endowed with a spirit. To this monster the woman gave directions and

made two seats in its horns like large birds’ nests, one in either

antler, in each of which she placed a man, in one a sack of corn and

in the other a sack of potatoes. Spreading out her hands and invoking

the sun, the monster at her desire departed with its cargo and in a

great many days arrived at the opposite shore in safety. The old woman

had instructed the travelers that immediately on landing they should

sacrifice to the waters, by throwing in a little corn. One of them

did so, but the obstinate brother would not. Being reproached by the

monster for not following the advice of the woman he shot an arrow

into it and was immediately swallowed up by the beast. The remaining

brother was in great distress at this, and, recollecting the conduct of

the old woman, made a sacrifice of some corn. Stretching out his hands

he invoked the Sun to his aid. Immediately a dark round spot appeared

in the west which came forward with terrible velocity and a whistling

sound, increasing in size and speed as it approached. This was a

thunder stone, which, with an awful report and bright flash, struck the

monster on the back, separated it in two, and the man was liberated. A

terrible storm arose, the sea rolled, and the monster disappeared.