Myths and Legends of the Great Plains Part 23

THE MILKY WAY

_Cherokee_

Now the Indians had a corn mill, in which they pounded the corn into meal. Several mornings when they came to the stone in which the corn was pounded, they saw that some of the meal had been stolen. Therefore they looked at the ground. They found the tracks of a dog.

The next night, the people watched, and when the dog came from the north, they saw him begin to eat meal out of the stone bowl. Then they sprang out and whipped him.

The dog ran howling back to the north, dropping the meal from his mouth as he ran. Therefore he left behind a white trail where we now see the Milky Way. But the Cherokees called it "Where-the-dog-ran."

COYOTE AND GRAY FOX

_Ponca_

Gray fox was very fat. Coyote said, "Younger brother, what has made you fat?" "Elder brother," said the Gray Fox, "I lie down on the trail in the way of those who carry crackers, and I pretend to be dead. When they throw me in the wagon, I lie there, kicking the crackers out.

Then I leap out and start home eating. It is the crackers which make me fat. Elder brother, I wish you would do likewise. Elder brother, you have large feet, so I think will knock out a great many crackers."

Coyote went to the place and lay down in the trail. When the white man came along, he threw Coyote into the wagon. The white man thought, "It is not the first time he has acted in this way," so he tied the feet of Coyote. Having put the Coyote in the wagon, the white man went to his house. He threw Coyote out near an old outhouse. Then the white man brought a knife, and cut the cords which bound Coyote's feet. He acted as if Coyote was dead, so he threw him over his back and started off for the house.

But Coyote managed to get loose and ran homeward. He went back to get even with Gray Fox.

"Oh, younger brother," said Coyote, "you have made me suffer."

"You yourself are to blame," said Gray Fox. "Be silent and listen to me. You brought the trouble on yourself as you lay down in the place where the white man came with his load of goods."

"Oh, younger brother, you tell the truth," said Coyote. But Gray Fox had tempted him.

ICTINIKE AND THE TURTLE

_Omaha_

Ictinike was journeying. When he came in sight at a bend of a stream, Big Turtle was sitting there in a sheltered place warmed by the sun.

Ictinike drew himself back out of sight, crouching at intervals as he retraced his steps, and ran down the hill to where Big Turtle was.

"Why! How is it that you continue to pay no attention to what is going on? It has been said that yonder stream is to dry up so that all the four-footed animals that frequent the water have kept close to the deep water," said Ictinike.

Big Turtle said, "Why! I have been coming here regularly, but I have not heard anything at all. I usually come and sit in this place when the sun gets as high as it is at present."

"Hurry!" said Ictinike, "for some of the young men died very soon for want of water. The young otters died, so did the young muskrats, the young beavers, and the young racc.o.o.ns."

"Come, let us go," said Big Turtle. So Ictinike departed with him. As he accompanied him, Ictinike sought for a dry bone. Having found one that would be good as a club, Ictinike said, "Friend, go on.

_Mingam._"

When he was alone, Ictinike seized the bone, and before long overtook Big Turtle, walking along beside him.

"Friend," said he, "when a person walks, he stretches his neck often."

So Big Turtle began to stretch his neck very far, and he was walking with his legs bent very much. As he was going thus, Ictinike gave him a hard blow on the neck, knocking him senseless, and he did not stop beating him until he had killed him.

"Ha, ha!" said Ictinike, as he carried Big Turtle away. "There are some days when I act thus for myself."

He kindled a fire and began to roast Big Turtle. Then he became very sleepy, and said, "Ho! I will sleep, but you, O, Ijaxe, must keep awake. Big Turtle, when you are cooked, you must say, '_Puff!_'"

So he went to sleep. Now Coyote came along, very cautiously. He seized Big Turtle, pulled one of the legs out of the fire, and sat there, biting off the meat. When he had eaten all the meat on all the legs, he pushed the bones back just as they had been before, arranged the fire over them, and left after putting everything just as he had found it.

At length Ictinike awoke. He pushed into the ashes to find Big Turtle, took hold of a leg, and pulled it out. Only that leg came out.

"Pshaw!" said he. Then he tried another leg, with a like result, and still another, but only the bones appeared. When he had pulled out the fourth leg, he was astonished. All at once he exclaimed, "Surprising!

I had already eaten the Turtle, but I had forgotten it."

ICTINIKE AND THE CREATORS

_Omaha_

Ictinike married and dwelt in a lodge. One day he said to his wife, "Hand me that tobacco pouch. I must go visit your grandfather, Beaver." So he departed.

As he was entering Beaver's lodge, Beaver said, "Ho, pa.s.s around to one side." And they seated Ictinike on a pillow. Beaver's wife said, "We have been without food. How can we give your grandfather anything to eat?" Now Beaver had four young ones.

The youngest Beaver said, "Father, let me serve for food." So the youngest Beaver served for food. Beaver's wife therefore gave some of the meat to Ictinike, who ate it. But before letting him eat it, Beaver said to him, "Be careful lest you break even a single bone by biting! Do not break a bone!" Yet Ictinike broke one of the toe bones.

After the meal, Beaver gathered the bones, put them in a skin, and plunged them beneath the water. In a moment the youngest Beaver came up from the water, alive again.

When the father said, "Is all right?" the son said, "Father, he broke one of my toes by biting." Therefore, from that time, every beaver has had one little toe (the next to the little one), which has seemingly been split by biting.

When Ictinike was about to go home, he pretended he had forgotten about his tobacco pouch, which he left behind. So Beaver said to one of the children, "Take that to him. Do not go near him, but throw it to him when you are at a great distance from him, as he is always very talkative."

Then the child took the tobacco pouch and started after Ictinike.

After getting in sight of the latter, Little Beaver was about to throw the pouch, when standing at a great distance; but Ictinike called to him, "Come closer! come closer!" When young Beaver took the pouch closer, Ictinike said, "Tell your father that he is to visit me."

When young Beaver reached home, he said, "Oh, father, he said you were to visit him."

Beaver replied, "As I feared that very thing, I said to you, 'Throw it to him while standing at a great distance from him.'"

Then Beaver went to visit Ictinike. When he arrived there, Ictinike wished to kill one of his own children, as Beaver had done, and was making him cry by hitting him often. Beaver was unwilling for him to act thus, so he said, "Let him alone! You are hurting him!" Then Beaver went to the stream where he found a young beaver that he took back to the lodge, and they ate it.