hi all, siyo when we get to the end of the ‘h’ stories ,I will have to start editing again, since I have never posted these stories. you can help me if you find errors that I miss. please tell me. so far I have posted some where around 5000 stories , we are not done yet. Blue panther

How Turtle Came ON the shores of a great water in Canada is a land where Indians once dwelt. In the days of French rule it was a garrisoned fort. The remains of the old moat and ramparts and stockade are still seen in the centre of what is now a large green meadow; but they are now overgrown with grass, and should you go there, on summer days you can see children playing upon them, picking wild flowers and making daisy chains, unmindful of the past fortunes of the spot on which they play. Behind you across the river which empties here is a city in modern dress. Before you is the sea with two little islands not far away resting in the summer haze upon its bosom. Moaning gas-buoys toss about in the gentle roll of the waters; by night red beacon lights lift their bright heads all about to light the sailor's road; summer cottages nestle on the beach before you; the hum of modern life is in your ears and the sight of it is in your eyes as you stand to-day upo n the cliff. But it was not always so. Long before the coming of the white race, before beacon lights and cities and summer cottages were known, this land was the home of Indians. Many of their descendants live there still, at peace with the white folk who took their lands and their forests. They are the remnants of Glooskap's people. It was here, on the beach in the little cove, that the Turtle was first created and where he first dwelt. Long ago, after the white men came, he fled from these waters; and although his descendants are still sometimes caught by fishermen off the coast, neither he nor his children nor any of his tribe ever went back to the place of his creation. But the place of his birth is still pointed out. It was in Glooskap's time that the Turtle came into being. There dwelt in the land an old Indian, a lazy, poor, and by no means beautiful man. As a hunter he had been of no value; he lived alone, and now he had come to the end of his life with little of the world's goods to his credit. But although he was poor, he was of a merry heart and a good nature, and he was well liked by all. Now, the chief of the tribe had three beautiful daughters who were much sought for by the young men of the village, all of whom wished to win their love. The eldest was the loveliest in the land; her name was Flower of the Corn. The old Indian would gladly have made one of these girls his wife for he was tired of living alone, but she on her part thought him worthless, and he on his part feared that if he wooed her, her many other suitors would be jealous and would perhaps take his life. So the old man kept his secret to himself and continued his sad existence. It happened that one day Glooskap came into the land to see his people. Of all the tents in the village he chose that of the old man as his resting place, for he had known him a long time and liked him because of his good nature and his merry heart. He was not with him long before he knew his secret, that he loved Flower of the Corn; and he also learned of his fear to woo her. Glooskap encouraged him and urged him to make his wishes known to the chief. But the old Indian said, "I am old and poor and I have no good clothes to wear, and I know that I should meet only with scorn." But Glooskap placed upon him his magic belt, and at once the old man became young and handsome; he also gave him fine clothes. Then he sent him to the chief's home. And the old man said, after the fashion of Indians when they wish to marry, "I am tired living alone. I have come for your eldest daughter." And the old chief, when he saw him so beautiful because of Glooskap's magic power , could not refuse his request and Flower of the Corn became his bride. As the old man had feared, the young men of the village were very angry because he had won so beautiful a wife, and they resolved to do him harm. At first they tried to take vengeance on Glooskap, for as they had seen little of him they did not know of his great power. A great wedding feast was held for the old man and his bride, to which all the young men were invited. Two of the most jealous sat next to Glooskap, one on each side, and during the feast they plotted to kill him. But Glooskap heard them plotting against his life and he knew that the time had come for him to show his strength. So at the end of the wedding feast, as he arose from the table he turned to each one and tapped him gently on the nose. When each rubbed the spot that Glooskap had touched, he found that his nose had disappeared. In great shame and anger they fled from the feast, and never afterwards dwelt among men. One of these was Toad; the other was Porcupine. And since that time nei ther Toad nor Porcupine has ever had a nose and their faces have always been flat because of Glooskap's touch at the banquet long ago. Some days after the wedding feast, a great festival was held in the village. Glooskap knew that here again an attempt would be made upon the old Indian's life by his jealous enemies. He feared too that after he had gone from the village his old friend would surely be treacherously killed, and, as the time of his going away was at hand, he resolved upon a plan to save him from danger. He told the old man that at the festival his enemies would try to trample him under their feet during a game of ball. And he gave him a magic root which, if he ate it before the game, would give him power to jump high when they crowded in upon him. Sure enough, in the game of ball the young men surrounded the old man and watched for a chance to crush him. Twice he jumped high over their heads and escaped unhurt. But the third time when he jumped he stuck upon the top of a tent and could not get down. Inside the tent sat Glooskap quietly smoking his pipe and waiting for this very thing to happen. He made a smouldering fire from which the smoke rose in great clouds and passed out at the top of the tent around the old man, and he smoked and smoked great pipefuls of tobacco until far into the night. And the old man hung to the tent poles, dangling in the smoke until midnight. He hung there so long that from the smoke of the smouldering fire and that of Glooskap's pipe, his old skin became as hard as a shell. And Glooskap said to him, "I have done this thing for your own good. I fear that if I leave you here, after I have gone your enemies will kill you. I make you now chief of the Tortoise race and your name shall be called Turtle; hereafter you may roll through a flame of fire and you will not be burned nor will you feel pain, and you may live in water or on land as you prefer. And you shall have a very long life; and although your head be cut off you shall live nine days afterwards. And when your enemies throw you into the fire or into the water you need have no fear." Then he took him down from the tent pole. The next day the old Indian's enemies, angry because he had escaped at the festival, built a great fire in the forest, and seizing him as he walked alone in the woods, they threw him upon it. But he went to sleep in the flame and when he awoke he called for more wood, telling them that he was very cold. They wondered greatly, and after plotting together they resolved to throw him into the sea. They carried him far out in a canoe and dropped him overboard, and went ashore well pleased with their work, for they believed that at last they had taken vengeance. The next day was a day of great heat. At low tide when some of his enemies looked out to sea they saw basking in the sun on a sand-bar far away a strange figure. They were curious, and they rowed out to see what it was that shone so brightly in the sun. When they reached the sand-bar after paddling a long time they saw that it was the old Indian. There he was, sunning himself on the sand-bar, his hard smok ed back shining in the bright light. As they came near, he said, "Good day," and grinning at them mischievously, he rolled lazily off the sand-bar and disappeared in the water. Glooskap before he left the island, used his magic power to change Flower of the Corn in the same way and he sent her into the sea to live with her husband. And he gave her power to lay eggs in the sand. And the two lived happily for many long years, and raised up a mighty race. But still the Turtle rolls sideways into the sea like his old ancestor if men come near him as he suns himself on the sand. And you can still see on his back the marks of Glooskap's smoke. When the white men came, he left the land of his creation, but his descendants to this day live to a great age and grow to a great size along the Atlantic coast. MacMillian, Cyrus. Canadian Wonder Tales. London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1918.

"How Turtle's Back was Cracked" - Cherokee as told by Gayle Ross Gayle is a direct descendant of Principal Chief John Ross of the Cherokee during the Trail of Tears, she can often be found at powwows and gatherings around Texas and Oklahoma. Ive been blessed with hearing her several times in the past and always look forward to hearing her again. This is what the old people told me when I was a child, about the days when the people and the animals still spoke the same language. Now, in those days Possum and Turtle were best friends. Many people thought it odd that two such very different creatures would be so close, but Possum and Turtle knew they had a lot in common. Neither of them liked to go anywhere in a hurry, and they both loved persimmons. Here is how they shared persimmons together. Possum would climb a persimmon tree, wrap his strong tail around a limb, and hang. Turtle would come and stand as the foot of the tree, and Possum would swing up and pick a persimmon for himself and eat it. Then he would swing up and pick another one, and Turtle would open his mouth as wide as it would go. Possum would take careful aim and drop the persimmon into Turtles mouth. They could do this for hours. They were sharing persimmons in this way one day when a wolf came along. The wolf watched the two friends for a while and he saw a way to play what he thought was a pretty funny joke and get a free lunch at the same time. He went and stood behind Turtle, and when Possum dropped a persimmon, the wolf leaped into the air and snatched it before it could land in Turtle's mouth. When Turtle opened his mouth, he closed his eyes, so he did not see the wolf, all he knew was that he saw Possum drop the persimmon, but it didn't land in his mouth. And after he saw many, many persimmons dropped that he did not eat, Turtle began to get angry. Possum, up in the tree saw the wolf and realized what was happening. Now if you have a best friend, and you're trying to make a present to him, and someone comes along and steals it, it can make you angry. And that's how it was with Possum. He decided to fix that wolf. He looked all around the tree and found the biggest, ripest persimmon he could find. Then instead of just dropping the persimmon down to Turtle, he threw it with all the strength he had, and the greedy wolf leaped into the air with his mouth wide open. The persimmon flew down his throat and stuck there, and he choked to death. Possum thought no more about it. He went back to eating persimmons. When Turtle opened hie eyes and saw the dead wolf, he realized where his persimmons had gone. And the more he thought about how the wolf had stolen his food, the angrier he became. He began to scold the wolf saying, "You were a very greedy wolf! You got what you deserved!" Then he said "Possum and I sure showed you! You wont be stealing any more persimmons." And then, "That was a very brave thing for me to do!" And finally he convinced himself that he alone, Turtle the Mighty Hunter, had slain the greedy wolf. Now it is a custom for a hunter to take what is call a tribute from an animal he has killed. In this way he captures a piece from the animals spirit, which then belongs to him. Turtle decided he had the right to take a tribute from the dead wolf, so he cut off the wolfs ears. He took them home and fixed them onto two long wooden sticks and made wolf-ear spoons. In the old days it was another custom to offer a visitor food to eat the very first thing. And there was a special dish that was usually kept cooking at all times just to offer a guest. This was a kind of thick corn soup. Turtle took his wolf-ear spoons and went visiting. First Turtle visited all his friends. Then he began visiting people he had met once or twice. And then he began to visit people he had not even been introduced to, just so they would offer him a bowl of corn soup, and he could pull out his wolf-ear spoons and eat with them. Pretty soon everyone was talking about what a mighty hunter Turtle must be if he ate corn soup with wolf-ear spoons. It wasn't long before word got back to the rest of the wolves, and they were angry. This was a terrible insult, for such an insignificant creature as Turtle to be eating corn soup with wolf-ear spoons. The wolves are faster than turtles, and they had no trouble catching Turtle. But then, in the manner of wolves everywhere, they began to argue over what to do with him. Turtle listened, and decided that the only thing he could do would be to keep his wits about him and be ready for any chance that he saw. Finally one wolf said, "I know what we'll do with you Turtle. We'll build a roaring fire, throw you in it, and burn you alive." Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh please do. I'd love it. You see these big strong feet? I could stamp out every spark of your fire before I even got warm." Well the wolves didn't like that and so they argued some more. Finally one of the wolves said, "I have a idea. Turtle, we'll build that roaring fire. We'll put a clay pot of water on the fire, throw you in, boil you, and make turtle soup!" Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh, please do. I'd love it. You see these big strong feet? I could stamp your pot to pieces before the water could get warm!" The wolves didn't like that either. They argued and argued and finally one wolf said, "Well then, Turtle, I know what we'll do with you. We'll carry you down to the deepest part of the river and throw you in. We'll stand on the bank and watch you drown!" And Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh, no, not the river! Anything but the river!" Well, as soon as the wolves heard that, of course they carried Turtle down to the riverbank. They threw him into the water as hard as they could, which should have been fine. Turtles live in the river. But Turtle didn't land in the water the way he thought he would. The wolves threw him so hard, he went spinning end over end as he fell. And landed on his back on a rock in the middle of the river, and then he bounced into the water. As Turtle swam to the other side of the river, he could feel his back shifting and moving. When he crawled out of the water and looked over his shoulder, he saw that his beautiful shiny shell had been cracked into a dozen pieces. Now, Turtle wasn't a mighty hunter, but he was a very good doctor. He knew many conjuring secrets. He knew the healing plants and how to prepare them. When he had gathered all the plants he need, he went about the business of doctoring himself, singing, "Gu`daye`wu, Gu`daye`wu (GUNH-dah-YAY-wunh), I have sewn myself together, I have sewn myself together." And over the time that has passed from that day to this, Turtle's shell has grown strong again. But if you look closely, you can still see the lines where Turtle's back was cracked, and you will never see another turtle eating corn soup from wolf-ear spoons.

How Turtle's Back Was Cracked - Haudenosaunee This is what the old people told me when I was a child, about the days when the people and the animals still spoke the same language. Now, in those days Possum and Turtle were best friends. Many people thought it odd that two such very different creatures would be so close, but Possum and Turtle knew they had a lot in common. Neither of them liked to go anywhere in a hurry, and they both loved persimmons. Here is how they shared persimmons together. Possum would climb a persimmon tree, wrap his strong tail around a limb, and hang. Turtle would come and stand as the foot of the tree, and Possum would swing up and pick a persimmon for himself and eat it. Then he would swing up and pick another one, and Turtle would open his mouth as wide as it would go. Possum would take careful aim and drop the persimmon into Turtles mouth. They could do this for hours. They were sharing persimmons in this way one day when a wolf came along. The wolf watched the two friends for a while and he saw a way to play what he thought was a pretty funny joke and get a free lunch at the same time. He went and stood behind Turtle, and when Possum dropped a persimmon, the wolf leaped into the air and snatched it before it could land in Turtle's mouth. When Turtle opened his mouth, he closed his eyes, so he did not see the wolf, all he knew was that he saw Possum drop the persimmon, but it didn't land in his mouth. And after he saw many, many persimmons dropped that he did not eat, Turtle began to get angry. Possum, up in the tree saw the wolf and realized what was happening. Now if you have a best friend, and you're trying to make a present to him, and someone comes along and steals it, it can make you angry. And that's how it was with Possum. He decided to fix that wolf. He looked all around the tree and found the biggest, ripest persimmon he could find. Then instead of just dropping the persimmon down to Turtle, he threw it with all the strength he had, and the greedy wolf leaped into the air with his mouth wide open. The persimmon flew down his throat and stuck there, and he choked to death. Possum thought no more about it. He went back to eating persimmons. When Turtle opened his eyes and saw the dead wolf, he realized where his persimmons had gone. And the more he thought about how the wolf had stolen his food, the angrier he became. He began to scold the wolf saying, "You were a very greedy wolf! You got what you deserved!" Then he said "Possum and I sure showed you! You wont be stealing any more persimmons." And then, "That was a very brave thing for me to do!" And finally he convinced himself that he alone, Turtle the Mighty Hunter, had slain the greedy wolf. Now it is a custom for a hunter to take what is called a tribute from an animal he has killed. In this way he captures a piece from the animal's spirit, which then belongs to him. Turtle decided he had the right to take a tribute from the dead wolf, so he cut off the wolf's ears. He took them home and fixed them onto two long wooden sticks and made wolf-ear spoons. In the old days it was another custom to offer a visitor food to eat the very first thing. And there was a special dish that was usually kept cooking at all times just to offer a guest; this was a kind of thick corn soup. Turtle took his wolf-ear spoons and went visiting. First Turtle visited all his friends, then he began visiting people he had met once or twice, and then he began to visit people he had not even been introduced to, just so they would offer him a bowl of corn soup, and he could pull out his wolf-ear spoons and eat with them. Pretty soon everyone was talking about what a mighty hunter Turtle must be if he ate corn soup with wolf-ear spoons. It wasn't long before word got back to the rest of the wolves, and they were angry. This was a terrible insult, for such an insignificant creature as Turtle to be eating corn soup with wolf-ear spoons. The wolves are so much faster than turtles, and they had no trouble catching Turtle. But then, in the manner of wolves everywhere, they began to argue over what to do with him. Turtle listened, and decided that the only thing he could do would be to keep his wits about him and be ready for any chance that he saw. Finally one wolf said, "I know what we'll do with you Turtle. We'll build a roaring fire, throw you in it, and burn you alive." Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh please do; I'd love it. You see these big strong feet? I could stamp out every spark of your fire before I even got warm." Well the wolves didn't like that and so they argued some more. Finally one of the wolves said, "I have a idea! Turtle, we'll build that roaring fire, then we'll put a clay pot of water on the fire, throw you in, boil you, and make turtle soup!" Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh, please do. I'd love it. You see these big strong feet? I could stamp your pot to pieces before the water could get warm!" The wolves didn't like that either. They argued and argued and finally one wolf said, "Well then, Turtle, I know what we'll do with you. We'll carry you down to the deepest part of the river and throw you in, then we'll stand on the bank and watch you drown!" Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh, no, not the river! Anything but the river!" Well as soon as the wolves heard that, they carried Turtle down to the riverbank and they threw him into the water as hard and as far as they could, which should have been fine; turtles live in the river. But Turtle didn't land in the water the way he thought he would. The wolves threw him so hard and so far, he went spinning end over end as e fell and landed on his back on a rock in the middle of the river, and then he bounced into the water. As Turtle swam to the other side of the river, he felt something very strange happening: he could feel his back shifting and moving. When he crawled out of the water and looked over his shoulder, he saw that his beautiful shiny shell had been cracked into a dozen pieces. Now Turtle was in truth not a mighty hunter, but he was a very good doctor. He knew many medicine secrets. He knew the healing plants and how to prepare them. When he had gathered all the plants he need, he went about the business of doctoring himself, singing, "Gu`daye`wu, Gu`daye`wu (GUNH-dah-YAY-wunh) - I have sewn myself together, I have sewn myself together." And over the time that has passed from that day to this, Turtle's shell has grown strong again. But if you look closely, you can still see the lines where Turtle's back was cracked, and you will never see another turtle eating corn soup from wolf-ear spoons.

How Turtle's Back was Cracked - Cherokee This is what the old people told about the days when the people and the animals still spoke the same language. Now, in those days Possum and Turtle were best friends. Many people thought it odd that two such very different creatures would be so close, but Possum and Turtle knew they had a lot in common. Neither of them liked to go anywhere in a hurry, and they both loved persimmons. Here is how they shared persimmons together. Possum would climb a persimmon tree, wrap his strong tail around a limb, and hang. Turtle would come and stand as the foot of the tree, and Possum would swing up and pick a persimmon for himself and eat it. Then he would swing up and pick another one, and Turtle would open his mouth as wide as it would go. Possum would take careful aim and drop the persimmon into Turtles mouth. They could do this for hours. They were sharing persimmons in this way one day when a wolf came along. The wolf watched the two friends for a while and he saw a way to play what he thought was a pretty funny joke and get a free lunch at the same time. He went and stood behind Turtle, and when Possum dropped a persimmon, the wolf leaped into the air and snatched it before it could land in Turtle's mouth. When Turtle opened his mouth, he closed his eyes, so he did not see the wolf, all he knew was that he saw Possum drop the persimmon, but it didn't land in his mouth. And after he saw many, many persimmons dropped that he did not eat, Turtle began to get angry. Possum, up in the tree saw the wolf and realized what was happening. Now if you have a best friend, and you're trying to make a present to him, and someone comes along and steals it, it can make you angry. And that's how it was with Possum. He decided to fix that wolf. He looked all around the tree and found the biggest, ripest persimmon he could find. Then instead of just dropping the persimmon down to Turtle, he threw it with all the strength he had, and the greedy wolf leaped into the air with his mouth wide open. The persimmon flew down his throat and stuck there, and he choked to death. Possum thought no more about it. He went back to eating persimmons. When Turtle opened hie eyes and saw the dead wolf, he realized where his persimmons had gone. And the more he thought about how the wolf had stolen his food, the angrier he became. He began to scold the wolf saying, "You were a very greedy wolf! You got what you deserved!" Then he said "Possum and I sure showed you! You wont be stealing any more persimmons." And then, "That was a very brave thing for me to do!" And finally he convinced himself that he alone, Turtle the Mighty Hunter, had slain the greedy wolf. Now it is a custom for a hunter to take what is call a tribute from an animal he has killed. In this way he captures a piece from the animals spirit, which then belongs to him. Turtle decided he had the right to take a tribute from the dead wolf, so he cut off the wolfs ears. He took them home and fixed them onto two long wooden sticks and made wolf-ear spoons. In the old days it was another custom to offer a visitor food to eat the very first thing. And there was a special dish that was usually kept cooking at all times just to offer a guest. This was a kind of thick corn soup. Turtle took his wolf-ear spoons and went visiting. First Turtle visited all his friends. Then he began visiting people he had met once or twice. And then he began to visit people he had not even been introduced to, just so they would offer him a bowl of corn soup, and he could pull out his wolf-ear spoons and eat with them. Pretty soon everyone was talking about what a mighty hunter Turtle must be if he ate corn soup with wolf-ear spoons. It wasn't long before word got back to the rest of the wolves, and they were angry. This was a terrible insult, for such an insignificant creature as Turtle to be eating corn soup with wolf-ear spoons. The wolves are faster than turtles, and they had no trouble catching Turtle. But then, in the manner of wolves everywhere, they began to argue over what to do with him. Turtle listened, and decided that the only thing he could do would be to keep his wits about him and be ready for any chance that he saw. Finally one wolf said, "I know what we'll do with you Turtle. We'll build a roaring fire, throw you in it, and burn you alive." Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh please do. I'd love it. You see these big strong feet? I could stamp out every spark of your fire before I even got warm." Well the wolves didn't like that and so they argued some more. Finally one of the wolves said, "I have a idea. Turtle, we'll build that roaring fire. We'll put a clay pot of water on the fire, throw you in, boil you, and make turtle soup!" Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh, please do. I'd love it. You see these big strong feet? I could stamp your pot to pieces before the water could get warm!" The wolves didn't like that either. They argued and argued and finally one wolf said, "Well then, Turtle, I know what we'll do with you. We'll carry you down to the deepest part of the river and throw you in. We'll stand on the bank and watch you drown!" And Turtle thought very quickly and said, "Oh, no, not the river! Anything but the river!" Well, as soon as the wolves heard that, of course they carried Turtle down to the riverbank. They threw him into the water as hard as they could, which should have been fine. Turtles live in the river. But Turtle didn't land in the water the way he thought he would. The wolves threw him so hard, he went spinning end over end as he fell. And landed on his back on a rock in the middle of the river, and then he bounced into the water. As Turtle swam to the other side of the river, he could feel his back shifting and moving. When he crawled out of the water and looked over his shoulder, he saw that his beautiful shiny shell had been cracked into a dozen pieces. Now, Turtle wasn't a mighty hunter, but he was a very good doctor. He knew many conjuring secrets. He knew the healing plants and how to prepare them. When he had gathered all the plants he need, he went about the business of doctoring himself, singing, "Gu`daye`wu, Gu`daye`wu (GUNH-dah-YAY-wunh), I have sewn myself together, I have sewn myself together." And over the time that has passed from that day to this, Turtle's shell has grown strong again. But if you look closely, you can still see the lines where Turtle's back was cracked, and you will never see another turtle eating corn soup from wolf-ear spoons.

How to Count to 100 - Omaha A young man wanted to become a respected elder, a member of the white shell society. An elder told him, "You must learn to count to 100." That is simple, the young man thought. One day a homeless, dirty, skinny old woman limped into town. Some people looked at her and hurried away. Some stared and whispered behind their hands about her. One old man had compassion for the old woman. "Grandmother, come in, rest," he said. He put his arm around her and took her into his home. He welcomed her in, offered her water. When she had rested and had some water, he gave her soup. He called to his wife and daughters, "Help Grandmother wash and change. Put her in that buckskin dress I beaded for the give-away. Give her those new moccasins." The wife and daughters bathed the old woman, washed her hair and braided it, dressed her in new clothes. Then the family invited her to live with them, to join the family. Later the young man saw the grandmother with her new family. "Is that the old homeless woman? Who did this?" "That's one," the elder said.

How Thunderbird Helped The People - Quillayute Long ago, there was a sad time in the land of the Quillayute. For days and days, great storms blew. Rain and hail and then sleet and snow came down upon the land. The hailstones were so large that many of the people were killed. The other Quillayute were driven from their coast villages to the great prairie, which was the highest part of their land. There the people grew thin and weak from hunger. The hailstones had beaten down the ferns, the camas and the berries. Ice locked the rivers so the men could not fish. Storms rocked the ocean so the fishermen could not go out in their canoes for deep-sea fishing. Soon, the people had eaten all the grass and roots on the prairie; there was no food left. As children died without food, even the strongest and bravest of their fathers could do nothing. They called upon the Great Spirit for help, but no help came. At last the Great Chief of the Quillayute called a meeting of his people. He was old and wise. "Take comfort, my people," the Chief said. "We will call again upon the Great Spirit for help. If no help comes, then we will know it is His will that we die. If it is not His will that we live, then we will die bravely, as brave Quillayute have always died. Let us talk with the Great Spirit." So the weak and hungry people sat in silence while the Chief talked with the Great Spirit who had looked kindly upon the Quillayute for hundreds of years. When his prayer had ended, the Chief turned again to his people. "Now we will wait for the will of the One who is wise and all-powerful." The people waited. No-one spoke. There was nothing but silence and darkness. Suddenly, there came a great noise, and flashes of lightning cut the darkness. A deep whirring sound, like giant wings beating, came from the place of the setting sun. All of the people turned to gaze toward the sky above the ocean as a huge, bird-shaped creature flew toward them. This bird was larger than any they had ever seen. Its wings, from tip to tip, were twice as long as a war canoe. It had a huge, curving beak, and its eyes glowed like fire. The people saw that its great claws held a living, giant whale. In silence, they watched while Thunderbird - for so the bird was named by everyone - carefully lowered the whale to the ground before them. Thunderbird then flew high in the sky, and went back to the thunder and lightning it had come from. Perhaps it flew back to its perch in the hunting grounds of the Great Spirit. Thunderbird and Whale saved the Quillayute from dying. The people knew that the Great Spirit had heard their prayer. Even today they never forget that visit from Thunderbird, never forget that it ended long days of hunger and death. For on the prairie near their village are big, round stones that the grandfathers say are the hardened hailstones of that storm long ago. Thunderbird is a very large bird, with feathers as long as a canoe paddle. When he flaps his wings, he makes thunder and the great winds. When he opens and shuts his eyes, he makes lightning. In stormy weather, he flies through the skies, flapping his wings and opening and closing his eyes. Thunderbird's home is a cave in the Olympic Mountains, and he wants no one to come near it. If hunters get close enough so he can smell them, he makes thunder noise, and he rolls ice out of his cave. The ice rolls down the mountainside, and when it reaches a rocky place, it breaks into many pieces. The pieces rattle as they roll farther down into the valley. All the hunters are so afraid of Thunderbird and his noise and rolling ice that they never stay long near his home. No one ever sleeps near his cave. Thunderbird keeps his food in a dark hole at the edge of a big field of ice and snow. His food is the whale. Thunderbird flies out of the ocean, catches a whale and hurries back to the mountains to eat it. One time Whale fought Thunderbird so hard that during the battle, trees were torn up by their roots. To this day there are no trees in Beaver Prairie because of the fight Whale and Thunderbird had that day. At the time of the Great Flood, Thunderbird fought a long, long battle with Killer Whale. He would catch Killer Whale in his claws and start with him to the cave in the mountains. Killer Whale would escape and return to the water. Thunderbird would catch him again, all the time flashing lightning from his eyes and flapping his wings to create thunder. Mountains were shaken by the noise, and trees were uprooted in their struggle. Again and again Killer Whale escaped. Again and again Thunderbird seized him. Many times they fought, in different places in the mountains. At last Killer Whale escaped to the middle of the ocean, and Thunderbird gave up the fight. That is why Killer Whales live in the deep oceans today, and that is why There are many prairies in the midst of the forests on the Olympic Peninsula. Adapted from Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest by Ella E. Clark, University of California Press, 1953.

How Thunder and Earthquake Made Ocean – Yurok Taken from the book Keepers of the Earth Thunder lived at Sumig. One day he said, "How shall the people live there is just prairie there? Let us place the ocean there." He said to Earthquake, "I want to have water there, there so that the people may live. Otherwise they will have nothing to live on." He said to Earthquake, "What do you think?" Earthquake thought. "That is true," he said. "There should be water there. Far off I see it. I see the water. It is at Opis. There are salmon there and water." "Go," said Thunder. "Go with Kingfisher, the one who sits there by the water. Go and get water at Opis. Get water that is to come here." Then the two of them went. Kingfisher and Earthquake went to see the water. They went to get the water at Opis. They had two abalone shells that Thunder had given to them. "Take these shells," Thunder had said. "Collect the water in them." First Kingfisher and Earthquake went to the north end of the world. There Earthquake looked around. "This will be easy," he said. "It will be easy for me to sink the land." Then Earthquake ran around. He ran around and the ground sank. It sank there at the north end of the world. Then Kingfisher and Earthquake started for Opis. They went to the place at the end of the water. They made the ground sink behind them as they went. At the Opis they saw all kinds of animals and fish that could be eaten there in the water at Opis. Then they took water in the abalone shells. "No we will go to the south end of the world," said Earthquake. "We will go there and look for water. Thunder, who was at Sumig, will help us breaking down the trees. The water will extend all the way to the south end of the world. There will be salmon and fish of all kinds and seals in the water." Now Kingfisher and Earthquake came back to Sumig. They saw that Thunder had broken down the trees Together the three of them went north. As they went together they kept sinking the ground. The Earth quaked and quaked water flowed over it as Kingfisher and Earthquake poured it from their abalone shells. Kingfisher emptied his shell and it filled the ocean halfway to the north end of the world. Earthquake emptied his shell and it filled the ocean the rest of the way. As they filled in the ocean, the creatures which would be food swarmed into the water. The seals came as if they were thrown in handfuls. Into the water they came, swimming toward shore. Earthquake sank the land deeper to make gullies and the whales came swimming through the gullies where the water was deep enough for them to travel. The salmon came running through the water. Now all the land animals, the deer and elk, the foxes and minks, the bear and others had gone inland. Now the water creatures were there. Now Thunder and Kingfisher and Earthquake looked at the ocean. "This is enough," They said. "Now the people will have enough to live on. Everything that is needed is in water." So it is that the prairie became ocean. It is so because Thunder wished it so. It is so because Earthquake wished it so. All kinds of creatures are in the ocean before us because Thunder and Earthquake wished the people to live.

Prayers on the wind to carry them safely to the waiting ancestors. "A nation of Sheep will beget a government of Wolves.: Edward R. Murrow On 6/13/2014 8:18 AM, Alli :) wrote: > Prayers are on the wind for Jerry England & his whole family > > Alli > > -----Original Message----- > From: cherokee-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:cherokee-bounces@rootsweb.com] > On Behalf Of Fran West-Powe > Sent: Friday, June 13, 2014 8:57 AM > To: cherokee@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [Cherokee Circle] crossing prayers > > Happy to do so. > > Chinkapin > > > On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 6:11 PM, Blue Panther <Blue_Panther@otelco.net> > wrote: > >> Siyo all . >> I come before you to ask for crossing prayers, for the family of jerry >> England, >> >> thanking you in advance >> blue panther >> ======*====== >> List archives >> http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> CHEROKEE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > ======*====== > List archives > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CHEROKEE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > ======*====== > List archives > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CHEROKEE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

How they got the Fire – Miwok THE first fire was made by the Doctor Birds at the birth of Wek'-wek. The next fire was made by Ke'-lok the North Giant. After Ke'-lok's death and after his fire had burnt up the world and had burnt itself out, there was no fire except that of the Hul-luk mi-yum'-ko, the Star-women, which was close by the elderberry tree, way off in the east where the Sun gets up. O-let'-te said to his grandson, Wek'-wek: "Now we have people, and elderberry music for the people, but we have no fire for them to cook with; the Star-women have it; we must steal it." "How?" asked Wek'-wek. "Send Koo-loo'-loo the Humming-bird; he is faster than you. Tell him to catch a little spark and bring it quickly," replied O-let'-te. "All right," answered Wek'-wek, and he sent Koo-loo'-loo to fetch the fire. Koo-loo'-loo shot out swiftly and soon reached the Star-women by the elderberry tree in the far east, in the place where the Sun gets up. Here he hid and watched and waited, and when he saw a little spark of fire, he darted in and seized it and brought it back quickly to Wek'-wek and O-let'-te. He held it tight under his chin, and to this day if you look under the Humming-bird's chin you will see the mark of the fire. Then Wek'-wek asked: "Where shall we put it?" O-let'-te answered, "Let us put it in oo'-noo, the buckeye tree, where all the people can get it." So they put it in oo'-noo, the buckeye tree, and even now whenever an Indian wants fire he goes to the oo'-noo tree and gets it. Fragment Of A Hoo'-Koo-E'-Ko Version I have discovered fragments of a similar myth among the nearly extinct Hoo'-koo-e'-ko north of San Francisco Bay. These people state that O'-ye the Coyote-man sent Koo-loo'-pis the Hummingbird far away to the east to steal the fire; that he brought it back to Coyote-man, and that Coyote-man put it into the buckeye tree. They state also that Wek'-wek once went a long way off and was killed, and that his grandfather, O'-ye the Coyote-man, went after him and restored him to life. The Dawn of the World; Myths and Weird Tales Told by the Mewan [Miwok] Indians of California; Collected and Edited by C. Hart Merriam; Cleveland: Arthur H. Clarke Co., [1910] ] and is now in the public domain.

Happy to do so. Chinkapin On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 6:11 PM, Blue Panther <Blue_Panther@otelco.net> wrote: > Siyo all . > I come before you to ask for crossing prayers, for the family of jerry > England, > > thanking you in advance > blue panther > ======*====== > List archives > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CHEROKEE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Prayers are on the wind for Jerry England & his whole family Alli -----Original Message----- From: cherokee-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:cherokee-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Fran West-Powe Sent: Friday, June 13, 2014 8:57 AM To: cherokee@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [Cherokee Circle] crossing prayers Happy to do so. Chinkapin On Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 6:11 PM, Blue Panther <Blue_Panther@otelco.net> wrote: > Siyo all . > I come before you to ask for crossing prayers, for the family of jerry > England, > > thanking you in advance > blue panther > ======*====== > List archives > http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CHEROKEE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ======*====== List archives http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/index?list=cherokee ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to CHEROKEE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

How They Came Down From The Mesa – Cochit Long ago the Cochiti Indians lived on the top of Cochiti Mesa. They had to carry all their water to the top of the mesa, and when they fought the Navaho, they had to come way down where Cochiti is now to have the battle. The women had to bring the bowls of food for their dinner way down to Kai'ati (up Bland Canyon) and then they had to return to the mesa, and this was very dangerous. They saw that this was too hard work for them, so they thought of moving down off the mesa. They all came down. They stayed two days, but they were not used to it so they went back to the mesa. Some said, "How can we make our living up here? We had better stay where we were (Cochiti)." "All right." They came down again. They said, "We will stay in the place where they put us, for we had a hard time coming so far to fight with the Navaho." The Navahos hid in the rocky places before the battle and that is why it was so dangerous for them. The medicine men prayed hard for their people, that they might get used to it in this place (by the river), but still they went back again. Again they made plans to come down again. They said that they were going to put a priest here for them in this place; they had not had a priest before, and that is why they were not contented to remain here. They sent the priests so that they would stay here. All the people were baptized. In a few days they were used to it here. They gave them a santu, our lady of Guadelupe, but still they did not like it here; they began to go back again to the mesa. They went into the church where the santu was and they broke it to bits and chewed it. It was sweet and they ate it all up. After they had done this they all ran back to the mesa. They brought them back again and said, "Do not go back any more. You know that you can not raise crops there." They came home (present site) and they put a priest in charge to teach them how to be Catholic. But still the people did not care about santus nor priests. They gave the priest a girl to be his housekeeper. The girl had a room in the place where the priest stayed. One night they had a meeting in the priest's house and she did not sleep that night in the church, but in her own house. The people said, "In the night we will go to the top of the house where the priest sleeps and throw chili seeds down the chimney to choke the father." They went to the roof and they threw seeds down the chimney. The priest coughed, but did not know what was the matter. He saw smoke coming out from the fireplace. He tried to get out, but the door was locked. Right there he died. So they killed that priest. They found him dead, but nobody knew who had done it. They sent another priest in his place, but again the people came back to the mesa, for that is where they were all born, and it was home to them. They put another woman in charge of the new priest's cooking. He began baptizing and they got used to living down here. The woman lived in his house and the priest had intercourse with her. He began to take very good care of her and bought her good shoes and food. He made her the best dressed woman in the village. But before her child was born the girl died. Afterwards she came back as a mule. (Now the saying is: "A girl who has intercourse with a Mexican comes back as a rooster or a hen.") The flesh on her legs was torn and swollen as if with hobbles (from the punishment she had received in the other world before she was reincarnated as a mule). Tales of the Cochiti Indians, by Ruth Benedict; U.S. Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin no. 98; US Government Printing Office; [1931] and is now in the public domain.

How They Brought Back The Tobacco – Cherokee In the beginning of the world, when people and animals were all the same, there was only one tobacco plant, to which they all came for their tobacco until the Dagûl`kû geese stole it and carried it far away to the south. The people were suffering without it, and there was one old woman who grew so thin and weak that everybody said she would soon die unless she could get tobacco to keep her alive. Different animals offered to go for it, one after another, the larger ones first and then the smaller ones, but the Dagûl`kû saw and killed every one before he could get to the plant. After the others the little Mole tried to reach it by going under the ground, but the Dagûl`kû saw his track and killed him as he came out. At last the Hummingbird offered, but the others said he was entirely too small and might as well stay at home. He begged them to let him try, so they showed him a plant in a field and told him to let them see how he would go about it. The next moment he was gone and they saw him sitting on the plant, and then in a moment he was back again, but no one had seen him going or coming, because he was so swift. "This is the way I'll do," said the Hummingbird, so they let him try. He flew off to the east, and when he came in sight of the tobacco the Dagûl`kû were watching all about it, but they could not see him because he was so small and flew so swiftly. He darted down on the plant--tsa!--and snatched off the top with the leaves and seeds, and was off again before the Dagûl`kû knew what had happened. Before he got home with the tobacco the old woman had fainted and they thought she was dead, but he blew the smoke into her nostrils, and with a cry of "Tsâ'lû! [Tobacco!]" she opened her eyes and was alive again. SECOND VERSION The people had tobacco in the beginning, but they had used it all, and there was great suffering for want of it. There was one old man so old that he had to be kept alive by smoking, and as his son did not want to see him die he decided to go himself to try and get some more. The tobacco country was far in the south, with high mountains all around it, and the passes were guarded, so that it was very hard to get into it, but the young man was a conjurer and was not afraid. He traveled southward until he came to the mountains on the border of the tobacco country. Then he opened his medicine bag and took out a hummingbird skin and put it over himself like a dress. Now he was a hummingbird and flew over the mountains to the tobacco field and pulled some of the leaves and seed and put them into his medicine bag. He was so small and swift that the guards, whoever they were, did not see him, and when he had taken as much as he could carry he flew back over the mountains in the same way. Then he took off the hummingbird skin and put it into his medicine bag, and was a man again. He started home, and on his way came to a tree that had a hole in the trunk, like a door, near the first branches, and a very pretty woman was looking out from it. He stopped and tried to climb the tree, but although he was a good climber he found that he always slipped back. He put on a pair of medicine moccasins from his pouch, and then he could climb the tree, but when he reached the first branches he looked up and the hole was still as far away as before. He climbed higher and higher, but every time he looked up the hole seemed to be farther than before, until at last he was tired and came down again. When he reached home he found his father very weak. but still alive, and one draw at the pipe made him strong again. The people planted the seed and have had tobacco ever since. Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. From the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology 1897-98, Part I. [1900] and is now in the public domain.

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How The Young Hunter Caught The Sun - Menomini The youngest brother had found their oldest brothers, so the sister made him a fine robe of beaver skins trimmed with beautifully colored porcupine quills. He wore the robe all the time. One day the oldest brothers went out hunting. The youngest was saddened because he could not join them. He had his bow and arrows and his beaver skin robe. The Sun rose high in the sky he laid down to weep, covering hisself with the robe to keep out the Sun. When the Sun was overhead, he sent down a ray which burned spots into the robe. The boy wept more. He felt the sun too, was treating him cruelly. He said to the Sun, "You have treated me cruelly and burned my robe, when I did not deserve it. Why do you punish me like this?" The Sun merely continued to smile, but said nothing. The boy gathered his bow and arrows and his burnt robe and returned to the wigwam.He laid down and wept again. His sister was not aware of his presence when she reentered the wigwam. She heard her younger brother crying in distress. She said to him, "My brother, why are you weeping?" He replied, "Look at me! I am sad because the Sun burned my beaverskin robe. I have been cruelly treated this day." Then he turned his face away and continued to weep. Even in his sleep he sobbed, because of his distress. When he awoke the next morning, he said to his sister,"My sister, give me a thread; I wish to use it." She handed him a sinew thread, but he said to her, "No, that is not what I want. I want a hair thread." She said to him, "Take this, this is strong." "No," he replied, "that is not the kind of a thread I want. I want a hair thread." She plucked a single hair from her head and handed it to him. He took the hair and smoothed the hair strand out. He then started on a journey to where the Sun's path touched the earth. When he reached the place where the Sun burned his robe, the little boy made a noose and stretched it across the path. So when the Sun came to that point the noose caught him around the neck and began to choke him until he almost lost his breath. It became dark, and the Sun called out to the mánidos, "Help me, my brothers, and cut this string before it kills me." The mánidos came, but the thread had so cut into the flesh of the Sun's neck that they could not sever it. When all but one had given up, the Sun called to the Koqkipikuqki (the mouse) to try to cut the string. The Mouse came up and gnawed through the string, it was difficult, because the string was hot and deeply embedded in the Sun's neck. When the Sun breathed again and the darkness disappeared. The mouse had saved the Sun's life. Then the boy said to the Sun, "For your cruelty I have punished you, now you may go." The boy then returned to his sister, satisfied with what he had done.

How The Yellow Corn-Ear Maiden Became A Bull Snake And Revenged Herself – Hopi A long time ago two maidens lived in Oraíbi. They were close friends and often used to grind corn together, one time at the house of one, at another time at the house of the other. But after a little while they both fell in love with a certain young man of the village, which led to disagreement and quarrels between them. The Yellow Corn-Ear maiden was possessed of supernatural powers and concluded to destroy her friend and rival. One time early in the morning they were both going to get some water from Spider Spring, which is located somewhat north-east of the village. They took their so-called maiden's jugs (mónwikurus) with them. When they were returning to the village they came to a sand hill, and the Yellow Corn-Ear maiden suggested that they rest there for a little while. After some time she said to her friend: ''Let us play here for a little while. You go down this hill and I shall throw something at you. You catch it and throw it back to me," whereupon she drew forth from her bosom a very pretty little wheel that showed all the colors of the rainbow. When her friend had reached the foot of the hill she threw this wheel at her, and when her friend caught it it was so heavy that it threw her down. When she rose she had been turned into a coyote. Her friend at the top of the hill laughed at her and said, "You have been quarreling with me about that young man, now that is what you get for it. Now, you go about that way." Whereupon she picked up her jug and went to the village. The other maiden, now a coyote, felt very sad and ascended the hill to her water jug, which she tried to carry but could not do so in her present form. She waited there until evening and was crying most of the time. After dark she tried to enter the village, but the dogs of the village immediately drove her away. She made a large circuit around the village and tried to enter it from another side, but was again driven away by the dogs. So she went westward, and having become very hungry by this time, she was thinking where she might find something to eat. It was in the fall of the year, and the people were watching their crops in the fields, so she thought she might perhaps find something in some of the sheds or temporary shelters in which the people were living, and approaching one of them she found on top of a shelter two roasted ears of corn that had been left there. These she ate. She then made another effort to enter the village but as soon as the dogs of the village smelled her presence she was again driven away. She then concluded that she could not get into the village and again went westward. She knew that somewhere west of Apóhnivi there was a place called Yungáchaiví, where some herders had also built temporary shelters and were staying while they were herding their sheep at that place. She thought that perhaps there she might find some shelter and food. By and by she arrived at a hut which belonged to two Qö'oqöqlöm Katcinas who were hunting in that region. In this but she found a great deal of rabbit meat, a good many rabbit skins and some entrails of rabbit. The latter and the meat were slightly baked. She was very hungry and ate a little of the entrails, which she did not like very much, however. It was about the time of the morning meal and the two hunters had had their early meat and had already left for the hunt. She was very tired, having spent all the night trying to get into the village and find shelter, and so concluded to remain and rest here all day. In the evening the two Qö'oqöqlöm hunters returned. When coming near their hut one of them said, "There is a coyote in our hut and has eaten some of our meat. Let us kill him." Whereupon he got ready his bow and arrows and was aiming at the intruder, when the other one said: "No, let us try to capture him alive and take him home to our grandmother, Spider Woman." Upon entering the hut they heard the coyote sob and saw tears trickling down his eyes. "Oh!" one of the hunters said, "This coyote is sad and has been crying. Let us feed him." So he took a large piece of meat, broke it in two and gave a portion of it to the visitor, who ate it with relish. Hereupon they concluded that they would go home that evening. They tied up the meat and the skins, and also tied the feet of the coyote, and loading everything upon their backs they returned to their home, which was at Katcina Gap (Katcínvala), a short distance northwest of Oraíbi. Arriving there they called to Spider Woman saying, "We have brought you an animal. Come and help us lift it off of our backs." She did so and expressed her satisfaction at the present that she had received. They then placed the coyote and the meat north of the fireplace. The woman looked closely at it and then said to the two hunters: "Alas! that poor one! That is no coyote. Thanks that you have not killed it. Where did you find it?" They told her that they had captured it in their but where they had been hunting, and related all the circumstances. She at once sent one into the village after some Tomóala, the other one she sent to the woods after some juniper branches. While they were gone she boiled some water, and when the man with the Tomóala returned, she poured the water into a vessel and put a hook from the pods of the Tomóala into the neck and another one into the back of the coyote. She then placed the latter into the water, covered it with a piece of native cloth (möchápu), then placed her hand upon the cover, took hold of the two hooks and kept twisting and turning them, by which operation she pulled off the skin of the coyote. Throwing aside the covering of the vessel she threw away the skin, and in the vessel was found the maiden whom she had thus restored. She still had her clothes on and her hair tied in whorls just as she had left the village. The woman asked her how she had met with this fate, and the maiden told her the whole story. Spider Woman comforted her saying, "You poor one. That Yellow Corn-Ear maiden is bad, but you will take revenge on her." Hereupon the other hunter returned with the juniper branches. She took the maiden, the branches, and the water into another room and there bathed the maiden, then gave her some corn which the maiden ground into meal. After a number of days Spider Woman told the maiden that she should go home now as her mother was very homesick after her child, but she said she would call somebody in first; so she ascended her housetop and cried out to her neighbors that they should come in. In response to her announcement a great many Katcinas who lived around there came into her house, asking her what she wanted of them. "Yes," she said, "there is this maiden here and I want you to return her to her house," and then told them the whole story. They were willing. She then dressed up the maiden nicely, putting her hair into new whorls and placing over her shoulders a new atö'ö, and then instructed her that she should have her father make two báhos and a number of nakwákwosis for the leader of the Katcinas and for the leader of the singing, and also told her how she should behave towards and get even with her enemy, the Yellow Corn-Ear maiden. Hereupon they went to the village, the maiden going in the rear of the line of Katcinas. Having arrived near the house of the village chief (Kík-mongwi), where the Pongówe kiva is at present situated, they performed their first dance, singing while they danced. This was at early dawn, the so-called white dawn (qöyángwunu). Their singing at once arrested the attention of some of the early risers, who hastened to the place where the Katcinas were dancing. Soon the news was whispered around that the Katcinas had brought a maiden to the village, and some soon recognized the girl and ran to the house of her parents. The latter, however, refused to believe the news, and four messengers had to be sent to them before they believed. They then went to the dancers, who in the meanwhile had arrived at the dancing plaza in the center of the village. "So you have come," the mother said, and began to cry and wanted to take her daughter with her, but the latter said, "Wait a little," and then told her father that he should take two báhos and a number of nakwákwosis, and while he did this the Katcinas continued their dancing and the mana remained waiting by their side. When finally the father brought the prayer-offerings he gave one báho to the leader, the other to his daughter. After the dancing was over, the daughter gave her báho to the leader of the singing. The nakwákwosis were distributed among the other Katcinas, and after the father had thanked the Katcinas for returning his child and had told them that he was very happy, they returned to their home, the parents taking with then] their daughter. She rested there during the whole day, but early the next morning went to grind corn, singing a little song which told about her recent adventures. Her friend, the Yellow Corn-Ear maiden, heard her sing and at once visited her, expressing her great delight at her return. She was treated cordially, the maiden just having returned not manifesting any ill-feeling towards her at all, according to the instructions of Spider Woman. She was biding her time. They ground corn together all day again as they had done formerly. In the evening they went after water again to the same spring where they had gotten water before. While they were filling their jugs the Yellow Corn-Ear maiden noticed that her friend was dipping her water with a peculiar little vessel (which Spider Woman had given to her) and that the water, as it was running into the jug, looked very beautiful, showing the different colors of the rainbow. She said to her friend: "What have you there? Let me see that little cup." "Yes," her friend said, "that is a very good cup, and the water tastes well from it, too." Hereupon she drank from it and handed it to her friend. She admired it very much and also drank from it. Immediately she fell down and was turned into a bull snake. "There! You remain that way now too," the Blue Corn-Ear maiden said; "you tried to destroy me, but you will now have to remain that way because no one will help you and restore you." She then laughed, picked up her jug and returned to the village. The bull snake left the place and wandered about. It often gets hungry, but as it cannot run very fast it has difficulty in getting its prey, hence it captures its prey by charming and drawing it towards it by its powerful inhalations, which is still frequently observed by the Hopi. It lives on little rabbits, mice, birds, squirrels, etc., which it charms by its inhalations and then kills them. This maiden in the form of a bull snake later on went to the village once and there was killed by her own parents, who of course did not know that they had killed their own daughter. Hereupon the maiden, or rather her soul, was liberated and could then go to the Skeleton House. Ever since some of the sorcerers (Pópwaktu) will occasionally leave their graves in the form of bull snakes. Bull snakes are often seen coming out of certain graves still wound in the yucca leaves with which the corpse was tied up when laid away. If such a bull snake in which a sorcerer is supposed to have entered happens to be killed, the soul of the sorcerer living in it is set free and then goes to the Skeleton House (Máski). Footnotes: A pû'hu (road or path) consists of one or more small feathers--usually eagle feathers-to the stub end of which are fastened a single and a twisted string. These feathers are placed near springs, in front of shrines, altars, on paths and near graves, as paths for clouds, spirits, deities, etc., Whom the Hopi wish to follow the paths. Told by Qöyáwaima (Oraíbi). Martyinia proboscidæ, Miller. Abstract: How The Yellow Corn-Ear Maiden Became A Bull-Snake. Two maidens, friends, fall in love with young man, which leads to quarrels between them. Yellow Corn-Ear maiden has supernatural powers. They go to spring, and on return she suggests, after resting, they shall play. Friend is to go down hill and Yellow Corn-Ear is to throw little colored wheel she has at her and friend is to throw it back again. Yellow Corn-Ear throws wheel, and when friend catches it, it is so heavy it throws her down. When she rises she has turned to coyote. Yellow Corn-Ear laughs at her and returns to village. Coyote maiden tries to carry jug and cannot. She waits, crying, until evening, and then tries to enter village, but dogs drive her away. She goes westward, and being hungry, goes to temporary shelter of people in field and eats two roasted corn-ears she finds. She again tries to enter village, but is driven away She then goes westward again and arrives at hut of two Qö'qöqlöm Katcinas, They are away hunting, and she remains there all day. In evening they return, and one prepares to kill co , vote, when other suggests they shall capture him alive and take him home to grandmother, Spider Woman. On entering hut they hear coyote sob, and see tears trickling down his eyes. They feed him, and loading meat, skins, and coyote on their backs, they return to their home. Spider Woman is pleased with present, but looking closely at it she says it is no coyote, and inquires where they found it. She sends one for some tomóala and other for juniper branches. When former returns she pours water into vessel and puts hook from tomóala pods into neck and another into back of coyote, which she places into water, covered with cloth. She twists and turns by hooks and then pulls off skin of coyote. She finds maiden in vessel, with clothes on and hair in curls. When juniper comes, she bathes maiden and then gives her corn to grind. Spider Woman tells maiden her mother is homesick after her. She then calls for Katcinas, and tells them maiden's story. Maiden is dressed up, and after Spider Woman has instructed her as to prayer-offerings for Katcinas and how to get even with Yellow Corn-Ear, she goes to village with Katcinas. Katcinas dance and sing. Parents hear they have brought daughter, but at first refuse to believe news. They go for her, but mána remains with Katcinas until father brings offerings. Maiden returns home, and next day she goes to grind corn and sings about her adventures. Yellow Corn-Ear maiden hears and visits her. She is treated cordially, and they grind corn together as formerly. In evening they go to spring for water. Yellow Corn-Ear maiden notices that friend uses peculiar little vessel (given her by Spider Woman), and that water running into jug shows different colors of rainbow. Friend drinks and says water tastes good. She hands jug to Yellow Corn-Ear maiden, who drinks and turns into bull-snake. Friend tells her to remain so, takes jug, and returns to village, Bull-snake maiden later on goes to village and is killed by her parents, who do not know her. Her soul goes to Skeleton House, and ever since sorcerers occasionally leave their graves in form of bull-snakes. Traditions of the Hopi, by H.R. Voth. Field Columbian Museum Publication 96, Anthropological Series Vol VIII. Chicago. [1905] and is now in the public domain’

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How the Worm Pipe Came to the Blackfoot – Blackfoot There was once a man who was very fond of his wife. After they had been married for some time they had a little boy. After that the woman fell sick and did not get well. The young man loved his wife so dearly that he did not wish to take a second wife. She grew worse and worse. Doctoring did not seem to do her any good, and at last she died. The man used to take his baby on his back and travel out from the camp, walking over the hills crying. He kept away from the village. After some time he said to his child, "My little boy, you will have to go and live with your grandmother. I am going to try to find your mother and bring her back." He took the baby to his mother's lodge and asked her to take care of him, and left it with her. Then he started off to look for his wife, not knowing where he was going nor what he was going to do. He traveled toward the land of the dead; and after long journeying, by the assistance of helpers who had spiritual power, he reached it. The old woman who helped him to get there told him how hard it was to penetrate to the ghosts' country, and made him understand that the shadows would try to scare him by making fearful noises and showing him strange and terrible things. At last he reached the ghosts' camp, and as he passed through it the ghosts tried to scare him by all kinds of fearful sights and sounds, but he kept up a brave heart. He reached a lodge, and the man who owned it came out and asked him where he was going. He said, "I am looking for my dead wife. I mourn for her so much that I cannot rest. My littleboy, too, keeps crying for his mother. They have offered to give me other wives, but I do not want them. I want only the one for whom I am searching." The ghost said to him: "It is a fearful thing that you have come here. It is very likely that you will never get away. There never was a person here before." But the ghost asked him to come into the lodge, and he entered. Then this chief ghost said to him: "You shall stay here for four nights, and you shall see your wife; but you must be very careful or you will never go back. You will die right here." Then the chief went outside and called for a feast, inviting this man's father-in-law and other relations who were in the camp, saying, "Your son-in-law invites you to a feast," as if to say that their son-in-law was dead, and had become a ghost, and had arrived at the ghosts' camp. Now when these invited people, the relations and some of the principal men of the camp, had reached the lodge, they did not like to go in. They called out, "There is a person here!" It seemed that there was something about him that they could not bear the smell of. The ghost chief burned sweet pine in the fire, which took away this smell, and the people came in and sat down. Then the host said to them: "Now pity this son-in-law of yours. He is seeking his wife. Neither the great distance nor the fearful sights that he has seen here have weakened his heart. You can see for yourselves he is tender-hearted. He not only mourns for his wife, but mourns also because his little boy is now alone, with no mother; so pity him and give him back his wife." After consultation the ghosts determined that they would give him back his wife, who should become alive again. They also gave him a sacred pipe. And at last, after many difficulties, the man and his wife reached their home. As told to anthropologist George Bird Grinnell, 1900

How The World Was Made – Cherokee The earth is a great island floating in a sea of water, and suspended at each of the four cardinal points by a cord hanging down from the sky vault, which is of solid rock. When the world grows old and worn out, the people will die and the cords will break and let the earth sink down into the ocean, and all will be water again. The Indians are afraid of this. When all was water, the animals were above in Gälûñ'lätï, beyond the arch; but it was very much crowded, and they were wanting more room. They wondered what was below the water, and at last Dâyuni'sï, "Beaver's Grandchild," the little Water-beetle, offered to go and see if it could learn. It darted in every direction over the surface of the water, but could find no firm place to rest. Then it dived to the bottom and came up with some soft mud, which began to grow and spread on every side until it became the island which we call the earth. It was afterward fastened to the sky with four cords, but no one remembers who did this. At first the earth was flat and very soft and wet. The animals were anxious to get down, and sent out different birds to see if it was yet dry, but they found no place to alight and came back again to Gälûñ'lätï. At last it seemed to be time, and they sent out the Buzzard and told him to go and make ready for them. This was the Great Buzzard, the father of all the buzzards we see now. He flew all over the earth, low down near the ground, and it was still soft. When he reached the Cherokee country, he was very tired, and his wings began to flap and strike the ground, and wherever they struck the earth there was a valley, and where they turned up again there was a mountain. When the animals above saw this, they were afraid that the whole world would be mountains, so they called him back, but the Cherokee country remains full of mountains to this day. When the earth was dry and the animals came down, it was still dark, so they got the sun and set it in a track to go every day across the island from east to west, just overhead. It was too hot this way, and Tsiska'gïlï', the Red Crawfish, had his shell scorched a bright red, so that his meat was spoiled; and the Cherokee do not eat it. The conjurers put the sun another hand-breadth higher in the air, but it was still too hot. They raised it another time, and another, until it was seven handbreadths high and just under the sky arch. Then it was right, and they left it so. This is why the conjurers call the highest place Gûlkwâ'gine Di'gälûñ'lätiyûñ', "the seventh height," because it is seven hand-breadths above the earth. Every day the sun goes along under this arch, and returns at night on the upper side to the starting place. There is another world under this, and it is like ours in everything--animals, plants, and people--save that the seasons are different. The streams that come down from the mountains are the trails by which we reach this underworld, and the springs at their heads are the doorways by which we enter, it, but to do this one must fast and, go to water and have one of the underground people for a guide. We know that the seasons in the underworld are different from ours, because the water in the springs is always warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the outer air. When the animals and plants were first made--we do not know by whom--they were told to watch and keep awake for seven nights, just as young men now fast and keep awake when they pray to their medicine. They tried to do this, and nearly all were awake through the first night, but the next night several dropped off to sleep, and the third night others were asleep, and then others, until, on the seventh night, of all the animals only the owl, the panther, and one or two more were still awake. To these were given the power to see and to go about in the dark, and to make prey of the birds and animals which must sleep at night. Of the trees only the cedar, the pine, the spruce, the holly, and the laurel were awake to the end, and to them it was given to be always green and to be greatest for medicine, but to the others it was said: "Because you have not endured to the end you shall lose your, hair every winter." Men came after the animals and plants. At first there were only a brother and sister until he struck her with a fish and told her to multiply, and so it was. In seven days a child was born to her, and thereafter every seven days another, and they increased very fast until there was danger that the world could not keep them. Then it was made that a woman should have only one child in a year, and it has been so ever since. Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. From the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology 1897-98, Part I. [1900] and is now in the public domain.