January: The Cold Month
Jowiis and the Eagles
(Iroquois)
ONE day in the long time ago, Jowiis, an Indian lad, was hunting in the woods. It was cold and rainy weather, and the floods had wiped out all the trails. There was no Sun or Moon in the black Sky to guide him, and soon he lost his way. So he wandered for days, until hungry and faint, he fell upon a river-bank to die.
Then Donyondo, the
Bald Eagle, swift of flight and keen of eye, saw the lad lying on the bank.
Though the bird was proud, his heart throbbed with pity at the sight of the
dying Jowiis. Dropping down, and lifting him, he flew away to search for an
Indian village. As he looked down toward the Earth he discovered smoke rising
from some lodges. Alighting near them, he laid Jowiis on the ground, and slowly
winged away.
But the rain was
still falling, and no one saw the dying boy. Then Sagodaoh, the Hunting
Vulture, as he flew close to the Earth looking for prey, saw and pitied Jowiis.
The bird's heart was tender and his talons strong, and he gently lifted the
lad, and soared with him into the Land of the Sky Birds. And he carried him to
the lodge of Gadojih, the Golden Eagle, who was the Chief of all the birds.
Gadojih gave Jowiis
food and warmed his body, and grew to love him. And when the lad was restored
to health, Gadojih took him to the Council House of the Sky where all the birds
were celebrating the New Year feast.
They taught Jowiis
their dances, and the birdsongs, and they instructed him in the laws of the
birds—how to protect them in nesting-time, how to shelter and feed them during
the cold Winter when the snow lies deep on the ground. All this they taught
Jowiis while the Seven Star Brothers danced their New Year Dance above the
Council House of the Sky. And after that Gadojih, the Golden Eagle, bade
Sagadaoh, the Hunting Vulture, return Jowiis to the Earth. And the lad nestled
close under the wing of the bird while it flew swiftly downward.
Earth was sleeping
beneath her snow blanket when Jowiis returned. Her streams were frozen, and her
forests silent, except for the shrill voice of the wind as it moaned through
the bare branches. And the Indians were holding a feast in their Council House,
when Jowiis entered it.
They welcomed him
with joy, and he told them all his adventures. Then he taught them the dances
of the birds and all their laws. And while the white snow lay deep upon the
earth, Jowiis and the Indian lads daily scattered corn and grains for the
hungry birds. And when Summer came, Jowiis sang the joyous bird-songs in the
forest.
Shingebiss
(Chippewa)
ONCE Shingebiss, the Wild Duck, lived alone in a little lodge by the side
of a bay. It was cold Winter weather, and the ice lay thick on the water. But
Shingebiss did not fear the cold, for his lodge was snug and warm, and his fire
burned bright. He had four big logs, each of which would burn for a month.
So Shingebiss was
hardy and happy, and no matter how bad the weather was, he went each day out on
the ice, and, pulling up the rushes with his bill, dived through the hole he
had made. Thus he caught many Fish, and got plenty of food.
One day the
Northwest Wind came blustering from the Northland. He blew over the Earth, and
at the touch of his icy breath the forest creatures shivered and crept into
their holes. Then he blew across the bay, and around the lodge of Shingebiss.
But the little Wild Duck did not care. He went out on the ice just the same,
and pulling up the rushes, dived down and fished. And as he dragged a string of
Fish to his warm lodge, he sang:—
"O Northwest
Wind, I know your plan!
You are but
my fellow-man!"
"Hi! Ho!"
said the Northwest Wind; "but this is a brave Duck!" He does not seem
to mind the cold. But I'll blow my hardest and freeze his blood."
So he blew ten
times colder blasts, and piled up the drifting snow, and filled the air with
ice-needles that stung the face.
But Shingebiss did
not mind it at all, and he searched the ice for more rushes, and, diving
through the hole, caught many Fish. Then, as he went home dragging a bigger
string than usual, he sang:—
"Blow you may,
your coldest breeze,
Shingebiss
you cannot freeze!"
"Hi! Ho!"
said the Northwest Wind; "I will visit his lodge, and freeze his
fire." So he went to the door of Shingebiss's lodge, and blew a terrible
blast straight through it.
But Shingebiss only
stirred his fire the more, and the flames sprang up and cooked his Fish, and
made the lodge warmer. And as he did so, he sang:—
"Sweep the
strongest wind you can,
Shingebiss is
still your man!"
Then the Northwest Wind
grew very angry, and, entering the lodge, sat down and blew into the fire.
But Shingebiss
stirred it again, and the flames leaped up and roared, and threw out a fearful
heat. And as he did so, he sang:—
"Hi! for life!
And ho! for bliss!
Who so free
as Shingebiss!"
The tears began to
flow down the cheeks of the Northwest Wind, and he felt that he was melting
away. "Hi! Ho!" said he; "I can't stand this!" So he flew
out of the door. In a great rage he rushed over the bay, and made the ice
thicker and piled the snow higher.
But all the happier
was Shingebiss! He searched the ice for rushes, and dived and fished. And as he
went back to his snug, warm lodge, he sang:—
"Northwest
Wind, I know your plan!
You are but
my fellow-man!
Blow you may,
your coldest breeze,
Shingebiss
you cannot freeze.
Sweep the
strongest wind you can,
Shingebiss is
still your man.
Hi! for life!
and ho! for bliss!
Who so free
as Shingebiss!"
"Hi! Ho!"
said the Northwest Wind; "he certainly is a wonderful Duck! I cannot
freeze nor starve him; so I'll let him alone." And he rushed blustering
back to his home in the Northland.
The Boy in the Jug
(Hopi)
ONCE, long ago, in a Hopi village, a beautiful maiden lived with her old
father. They had no one to hunt for them, or provide them with food, so the
good people of the tribe gave them what they could spare.
One day the maiden
saw the women making earthen jugs, and she said to herself, "I will make
one too." So she took some clay, and kneaded it, and shaped it into a
beautiful jug with two handles. Then she put it to bake. But when she went to
fetch it home, she heard something cry inside it. She looked in, and what did
she see but a little boy no bigger than her thumb.
She tried to take
him out of the jug, but it was a magic one, and she could not do so. She took
the boy in the jug home, and fed him on bits of food, and made him some pretty
little clothes, saying, "Now I am your mother, and my old father is your
grandfather."
The days passed and
the boy grew bigger until his head reached the top of the jug, and when he
wished to move about the house, he spun the jug around and around, and that is
the way he walked.
Well, a Winter came
when it was very cold, and the people had nothing to eat. So the young men of
the tribe took their bows and arrows and started out to hunt. When the boy saw
this, he said to his grandfather, "Give me a bow and arrows, for I want to
hunt."
So his grandfather
made him a fine red bow, and tied bright feathers to the arrows, and fastened
them to the handles of the jug. Then he lifted up the boy in the jug, and
carrying him outside the village, set him on the ground. "Now you may
hunt," said he, "and you will soon see many Rabbit tracks."
The boy began to
spin his jug, and he spun so fast that he left his grandfather far behind. Sure
enough, in a little while he saw some tracks, and there was a Rabbit running
away. The boy spun his jug harder, and it moved so fast that its mouth whistled
like the wind.
Soon the boy in the
jug caught up with the Rabbit, and the little creature, springing into the air,
leaped into a bush. The jug, also, rose in the air, to spring into the bush,
but fell to the ground with a crash. It split in two, and out bounced the boy—a
full-grown Hopi lad!
He unfastened the
bow and arrows from the handles of the jug, and following the Rabbit, killed
it. Then he shot a dozen more, and tying them together, carried them back to
the village.
When his mother saw
him coming, she could not believe her eyes for joy. She ran out to meet him,
and took the Rabbits, saying, "Now that I have this full-grown son, I
shall never be hungry again!"
The grandfather,
too, came hurrying to the door, as fast as his old legs could carry him. And
when he saw the Rabbits, he said: "Thank you, thank you! Now you may hunt
with the young men, and your mother and I will be glad!"
So after that, the
boy hunted with the others, and his mother and his old grandfather always had
plenty to eat.
The Brother and Sister
(Arapaho)
THERE were three streams all flowing east, and near them a tribe of Indians
was camping. A brother and sister were playing at a distance from the camp, and
a Chief passed by them. The children called him saucy names and he was very
angry. Going to the camp he bade all the people pack up, and move to another
camping-ground. Before moving away, the people took the two children who had
been saucy to the Chief, and tied them each to a pole. They leaned the poles against
some trees, and leaving the children to die, they took their goods, and went to
another place.
Well, the poor
children suffered hunger and thirst, and wept bitterly. At last an old Wolf,
the Chief of all the Wolves, saw them, and he said to himself, "How
pitiful these children are!" Then he cried out to the pack, "Come,
all ye Wolves, from all directions!"
In a minute Wolves
and Coyotes came running from every part of the Earth, and the old Wolf said to
them:—
"I pity these
children. Seize the poles and lower them slowly. Then chew off the ropes and
free the children."
The Wolves and the
Coyotes did as he told them to do, and loosed the children. But when the boy
and girl saw all the wild animals running about them, they were terribly
frightened, for they thought that they would surely be eaten. But the old Wolf
said:—
"Do not be
afraid! Stay with us, and we will care for you." After that he called four
big Wolves from the pack, and said: "You, Clouded Wolf, who are above all
others in daring deeds, provide food for this boy and girl. White Wolf, I want
you also to look for food for them. Black Coyote, go out and find meat. And you
also, Black Wolf, who are brave and cunning, provide meat for them."
Immediately the
four big Wolves ran away, and soon came back laden with the best parts of a
Buffalo; and piled all the meat in front of the children.
The brother and
sister ate, and were made strong again. Then the old Wolf told them to go into
the timber near by, and live there; and he said that he would stay with them.
It was now Winter.
The boy got together some poles and made a frame for a brush house; while his
sister gathered long reeds, and with them thatched the house. She made a door
of brush and sticks, and inside she put brush for two beds. They then made a
nice comfortable bed near the door where the old Wolf might sleep.
When the house was
finished, it began to snow. They all went in, and the old Wolf said, "I am
feeble, and suffer much from cold. I have no strength, no swiftness, no warmth.
If it were not for your kindness I should be out in the snow. Therefore I thank
you for letting me live with you in this comfortable house."
So that night the
Wolf slept by the door, the girl slept on the north side of the house, and the
boy at the back.
Well, in the
morning the boy was the first to get up to make the fire; and he looked out,
and the snow was over all the land. And what was his surprise to see great
herds of Elk near by. The whole snow was yellow with them as far as he could
see. In the timber, on the banks of the rivers, and everywhere, the Elk were
standing, walking, or lying down.
The boy shut the
door quickly, and said to his sister, "Get up! There are herds of Elk
close by."
"Why should I
get up?" said she; "I can't do anything."
But the boy answered,
"Just get up and look at them anyway."
"I can't do
anything by looking at them," said she.
"My
Grandchild," called the old Wolf, "get up and look at the Elk."
So she rose, and
opened the door; and as soon as she looked at an Elk, it fell down dead. Then
she gave her brother a flint knife with a bone handle, and he ran out into the
snow, and skinned the Elk as easily as if he had always known how to do it.
As soon as he had
skinned the animal, he threw its hide into the house, and the girl folded it
three times, and sat on it. Immediately the hide became a soft and beautiful
skin, all dressed ready for use. Then the girl looked at more Elk, and they
fell down dead; and the boy skinned them; and so she did until they had
thirty-six skins. They next sliced the meat, and hung it to dry on the trees
near the three streams.
After that the girl
took some of the thirty-six skins, and piling them one on the other, she sat on
them, saying, "I wish that all these skins may be sewed together for a
tent." And when she got up, and spread them out, they had become a tent
with a bird ornament on top, and four round ornaments on the sides, and rattles
over the door.
Then the girl said,
"I wish for twenty-nine straight tent poles." And when she went
outside, there were the tent poles made of otter-weeds. Soon the tent stood
covered, and was very handsome.
Then the girl
folded three skins, and sat on them, saying, "I wish for a wall-hanging
embroidered with Porcupine quills of every colour." And it was so, for
when she got up the Elk skins were changed into a beautiful hanging, which she
fastened behind her brother's bed. Then she folded three more skins, and sat on
them, and wished for an embroidered hanging for her bed, and she got it. After
that she did the same to more skins, and wished for an embroidered and
ornamented blanket, and she gave that to the old Wolf.
Well, after seven
days it snowed again, and when the boy got up to make the fire, he looked out
and saw the snow over all the land. And what was his surprise to see great
herds of Buffalo near by. The whole snow was black with them.
He waked his
sister, and bade her get up, but she said: "What can I do? You have broken
my sleep. Let me sleep longer."
"My
Grandchild," called the old Wolf, "get up and look at the
Buffalo."
So she rose, and
opened the door, and as soon as she looked at some of the Buffalo, they fell
down dead. The boy skinned the animals, and brought in their hides. The girl
took one, and folded it three times, saying, "I wish this to become a robe
with bird ornaments." Then it became an embroidered robe, and she gave it
to her brother. Then she took another skin and did the same, saying, "I
wish this to be a painted robe for myself." And it turned into a robe; and
when she spread it out the painting was seen bright and beautiful. Then she
took another skin, and, in the same manner, made it a robe with red and yellow
embroidery at the four corners, and eight lines of embroidery across it, and
between them black lines painted with charcoal. This she gave to the old Wolf.
After that she made
three pillows for the beds. On the one for her brother was the picture of an
animal embroidered in yellow quills. The eye was dark with yellow quills around
it. On the throat were a hundred bars of yellow quills. The ear was a yellow
cross of quill-work. The head was round, and the tail and nose were bars of
yellow quills. All around the edge of the pillow were fifty bars of yellow
quills. The pillow for the girl was white, embroidered with an animal made of
black and white bars of quill-work; while the pillow for the old Wolf was very
beautiful, embroidered with red and yellow quills.
Well, after seven
days it snowed again, and when the boy got up in the morning to make the fire,
he looked out and saw the snow covering the land. And what was his surprise to
see more herds of Elk near by. The snow was yellow with them. He called his
sister, and the old Wolf bade her rise and look at the animals, and she did.
Immediately some of them fell down dead. Then as before, the girl folded, and
sat on their skins, and wished for a fine hunting-shirt for her brother,
embroidered in circles of red and yellow quills, with fringes along the edge,
and tufts of long hair hanging between the fringes. Then she wished for leggings
for him, and a pair of moccasins embroidered with birds. For herself she wished
for a woman's dress handsomely embroidered, and with four rows of fringes, also
for leggings and moccasins. As the old Wolf could not wear clothes, she of
course did not wish for any garment for him.
Then the boy said,
"I wish I could have for a Dog a Panther of yellow colour with white
sides." His sister went outside the tent, and called, "Come, Panther
of yellow colour with white sides!" And immediately the Panther came walking
through the timber, slowly twisting his tail. He entered the tent, and lay down
by the boy, and put his head on the boy's knee.
Then the boy said,
"I wish you could have for a Dog a Bear with white streaks down his fore
legs, and whose claws are white with black streaks." So his sister went
outside the tent, and called, "Come, Bear with white streaks down your
fore legs, and with claws white with black streaks." And immediately the
Bear came pacing through the timber, and sat down at the foot of the girl's
bed.
After that the
brother and sister lived very happily with the old Wolf, the Panther, and the
Bear. They had plenty to eat, for the dried meat was piled up before the door
of the tent, and there was meat still hanging from the trees.
One day two Indians
from the tribe that had deserted the children, happened to be hunting by the
streams, and they saw the handsome tent in the timber. They went toward it,
and, lo, there were the boy and girl beautifully dressed; while on one side of
the tent sat the Panther, and on the other side the Bear, and the old Wolf was
lying just in front of the door.
Well, when the
animals saw the men, the old Wolf rose up growling, the Panther crouched to spring,
and the Bear stiffened his hair. The men were very much frightened, but the boy
told the animals to lie down, and he invited the men into the tent. The girl
bade them be seated, and gave them pemmican in wooden bowls.
Now the men saw the
wonderful tent and all its fine furnishings, and they looked at the great pile
of dried meat before the door, and said to the children that they would return
at once to the tribe, and tell the people to come and see them. But the girl
said that if they came, they must camp down by the streams, and not approach
the tent, or the animals would kill them.
So the men went
back to the people, and the tribe came to the streams, and made their camp. And
though they could see the beautiful tent in the distance, they dared not
approach it for fear of the animals.
But the brother and
sister gave some of their meat to the people, and after that the two continued
to live happily in their tent, guarded by the faithful old Wolf, the Panther,
and the Bear.
The Snow Man
(Menominee)
ONCE there was a hunter who with his family lived in a lodge apart from the
other lodges of his village. And why he lived apart was this:—
One day in the
early Spring he was hunting in the woods. The Sun shone warmly, and the snow
was melting. As he walked along he heard the lumps of snow go "Snip!
Snap!" with a zipping sound.
"Ah! Ha!
Master Snow," laughed he, "so you are afraid of the Sun, are
you!"
Immediately a voice
replied: "Oh, you need not speak that way to me! I come because I am sent
by my master the North; he tells me to stay only a little while, and I must
obey him. The Sun helps me to disappear. But since you have made fun of me, I
will put you to a test. NEXT WINTER, BEWARE!"
The hunter stopped,
stared, and listened, but did not see any one. And as he turned to hurry away
from the spot, he heard the voice say again: "We shall see who is the
greater, you or I! NEXT WINTER, BEWARE!"
The man was
frightened out of his senses, and ran home with all speed, and when he reached
his lodge in the village, he told his wife and children all about it. After
that he went to the next lodge, where lived a very old man together with some
ancients, and told them what had happened.
"If you heard
the Snow Man speak," said the ancients, "what he said he will do,
that he will do!"
But the old man
said: "It is no wonder that the Snow Man was angry with you if you made
fun of his melting away. But since he has made a wager with you, my Grandson,
you must be ready to meet him next Winter. Indeed, all your time from now on
must be spent in getting ready."
"What shall I
do to get ready?" asked the hunter.
"You must
begin now," said the old man, "to kill Deer, Bear, Buffalo, and all
other large creatures that you can find. You must press out their fat and oil,
and put it all in skin bags. You must also fill some bags with pitch. Then you must
cut and lay aside a great deal of gummy wood full of knots. After that you must
build yourself a lodge apart from every one, with a door to the south. Take
Pine pitch and fill up all the cracks in the walls, and hang a closely braided
mat before the door, so that nothing can get through. Inside you must build a
fireplace with a small smoke-hole. Then carry into the lodge your supply of
wood and the skins full of fat, oil, and pitch. You will need all you can get,
for the contest will be long and hard."
"All right,
Grandfather," said the hunter. And the poor fellow immediately fell to
work, and spent the whole Summer and Autumn hunting by night, and cutting wood
and preparing the other things by day. He made a great quantity of grease and
tallow cakes and bars of all sizes, and filled skin bags with oil and pitch.
And he built his lodge as the old man had told him to do.
Well, as Winter
approached, the hunter trembled with fear, and bidding his family good-bye,
entered the lodge and shut himself in. At first he made only a little fire, but
by and by, as the cold increased, he heaped on more wood.
One night a fierce
wind arose, and tore around outside the lodge, shrieking, "Boo-oo-oo-oo!"
"He is coming,
now!" thought the hunter. But no one came.
Then the wind blew
and blew and blew,&$8212;"Boo-ooo-oo-oo-oo-oooooo!"—and the
hunter felt himself getting very cold, so he made a rousing fire. The trees and
bushes outside snapped and cracked louder and louder, as the wind tore through
them. "He is surely coming, now!" thought the hunter. But no one
came.
The hunter stirred
the fire, and the cold grew worse and worse, and the wind howled and shrieked,
and tore the trees apart. "I wonder what he looks like," thought the
hunter. But no one came.
The time seemed
very short, but it was already Mid-Winter, and the hunter did not know it!
Well, at last he saw him. In the tightly pitched and chinked lodge, with
its closely woven mat over the door, a Manlike-Object-of-Snow walked about. It
passed close to the hunter, and at the same moment its icy breath filled the
lodge, and the fire began to go out.
But the hunter rose
up, and threw on more wood keeping back the better sort. The Manlike-Object-of-Snow
sat down opposite him, and stared at him with its icy eyes. The lodge grew
colder and colder, and the hunter shook in every limb, and the fire shrank and
almost went out. But the hunter remembered what the old man had said, and he
piled on more wood.
The time seemed
very short, but the Winter was almost over, and the hunter did not know it!
After that he felt
his limbs getting numb, so he piled on the best wood, and stirred the fire, and
the flames sprang up and threw out heat. And the Snow Man groaned. Then the
hunter began to throw the grease and tallow on the flames, and they shot up and
blazed and sputtered, and threw out a fearful heat. And the Snow Man groaned
again, but still he sat there with his icy stare, and his breath numbed the hunter's
limbs.
The time seemed
very short, but Winter was just over, and the hunter did not know it!
At last the man
began to throw on the pitch, and piled up his largest logs, and the Snow Man
groaned horribly, and grew smaller and smaller, and gasped and groaned again.
Then the hunter poured on the oil, and soon only a little lump of ice lay where
the Snow Man had sat. At that a voice cried out:—
"Ho, my
Grandson! You have conquered! You are greater than I, so I give up to
you!"
But the man did not
stop. He continued to pour on his oil, and throw on the pitch, and heap on
wood; and the Snow Man cried:—
"Oh, stop, my
Grandson! I have spoken the truth. I will return to the North where I have
power. And you shall live in this lodge, and become a great hunter. Your wife
and children may always go barefooted in the snow, and I will not hurt them.
Your name from now on shall be 'The-Man-who-Mastered-the-Winter.' "
Then the Snow Man
disappeared, and the hunter lifted the mat at the door. And, lo, the Sun shone,
the grass was green, the flowers were blooming, the birds were singing, for
Winter was gone and the Springtime was there!
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