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 OLIN 
 
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 1914a 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924102028465 
 
1924 102 028 465 
 
 In compliance with current 
 
 Copyright law, Cornell University 
 
 Library produced this 
 
 replacement volume on paper 
 
 that meets the ANSI Standard 
 
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 irreparably deteriorated original. 
 
 2006 
 
Huntington Free Library 
 
 Native American 
 Collection 
 
 !mma^0mm*iaati :;^ iJ/coKKIpifcte. ; 
 
 CORNELL UNIVERSITY 
 LIBRARY 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
£^: 
 
 Indian Legends and 
 Superstitions 
 
 As toM by Pupils of HaskeO 
 Institute 
 
MV^EVMoFTHEAMEItlCAN INDIAN! 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS. 
 
By Pupils of Haskell Institute, United 
 States Indian Training School. 
 
 LAWRENCE. KANS. 
 
 HASKELL PRINTING DBPT. 
 
 1914. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Like other primitive peoples, the Indian race has a 
 rich heritage of legendary lore. HaskeE Institute, a 
 Grovernment Indian School, located at Lawrence, Kan- 
 sas, has enrolled Indian young men and women from 28 
 different States, embracing aU those having Indian 
 inhabitants, from North Carolina and New York on the 
 the east to California and Alaska on the west. More 
 than eighty different tribes and bands have Jbeen repre" 
 sented, and practically every Indian locality and reser' 
 vation. 
 
 These students, in their childhood days, heard the 
 stories of their parents and grandparents, as they were 
 related about the camp fires or in the homes. They 
 have been encouraged by their teachers here to put 
 these into written form, and this booklet is the result 
 of an effort to select the best and most striking of their 
 
 products. 
 
 John R. Wise, 
 Superintendent. 
 
THE ORIGIN OF STONES. 
 
 By Katie Reed (Crow). 
 
 LXDNG time ago there were no stones on the 
 
 earth. The mountains, hills and valleys 
 
 were not rough and it was easy to walk on 
 
 the ground swiftly. There were no small 
 
 trees at that time. All the bushes and trees 
 
 were tall and straight and were at equal distances apart, 
 
 so that man could travel through without having to make 
 
 a path for himself. 
 
 There was a large bufEalo who roamed over this land. 
 He had power to change anything into different forms. 
 He got this power from the water. This power would 
 be his as long as he drank from the water at a certain 
 place. There was a large mountain over which the buf- 
 falo used to roam. The buffalo liked this mountain so one 
 day he asked if it would like to something else besides a 
 mountain. The mountain said it would hked to be turned 
 into something that no one would want to climb over. 
 The buffalo said, "I will change you into a hard mountain 
 which I wiU call a stone. You will be so hard that no 
 one will want to break you, and your sides will be so 
 smooth that no one will want to climb you." 
 
 So the mountain was changed into a large stone. The 
 buffalo told the stone that it could change itself into any- 
 thing so long as it remained unbroken. 
 
 In this part of the land there were no men; only 
 buffalo lived here. The buffaloes knew that there were 
 
8 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 men on the other side of the mountain who were cruel 
 and killed animals, so they kept as far away from them 
 as possible. But one day the buffalo thought he would 
 go on to the other side of the mountain and see man. He 
 wanted to make friends with him so that he would not 
 kill buffaloes. He went over the mountain and soon 
 came to a wigwam by a stream of water. In the wig- 
 wam lived an old woman and her grandson. When the 
 little boy saw the buffalo he was very glad and told his 
 grandmother to be good to him. The buffalo was pleased 
 with the the old woman and her grandson, so he told 
 them he would change them into anything they would 
 like to be The boy said he did not want to be changed 
 into anything, but he wanted to become a swift runner. 
 The grandmother said she wanted to be changed into 
 something so that she could be with her son wherever 
 he went. The buffalo said he would take the woman and 
 the boy to the home of the buffalo. He would ask the 
 buffaloes to teach the boy to become a swift runner, and 
 he would ask the water to change the old woman into 
 something which would enable her to be with her son 
 always. 
 
 So the buffalo, the old woman and the boy went over 
 the mountain to the land of the buffaloes. They said 
 they would teach the boy to run swiftly if he would prom- 
 ise to keep his people from hunting and killing them. 
 He promised that he would do so and the buffaloes 
 taught him how to run so swiftly that not one of them 
 could keep up with him. The water changed the old 
 woman into wind, so she could follow her boy wherever 
 he went. 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 9 
 
 The boy stayed with the bufEaloes till he grew to be a 
 man, and then he was permitted to go back to his own 
 people. The boy was made the leader of the hunters 
 because he was such a swift runner. One day the chief 
 told him to go and hunt buffaloes. The tribe had never 
 succeeded in killing buffaloes, because they could not 
 keep up with them, they ran so swiftly. The chief told 
 the boy that if he succeeded in getting some buffaloes 
 he would adopt him as his son and make him chief in his 
 place when he died. The boy's great ambition was to 
 become a chief so he determined to get the buffaloes. 
 
 He started out with his followers and climbed the 
 mountain so swiftly that he left his companions far be- 
 hind. When the buffaloes saw the hunters they were 
 frightened and began to run, but the boy kept up with 
 them and killed most of them. 
 
 Now it happened that the great buffalo who got his 
 power from the water was away, and while returning he 
 became so thirsty that he drank of some water on the 
 other side of the mountain. When he came back and 
 saw what the hunters had done he became very angry 
 and tried to turn them into grass so he could eat them, 
 but he had lost his power because of the other water. 
 He went to the stone and asked him what he could do to 
 punish man for what he had done. The stone said: "I 
 will ask the trees to entangle themselves together, so 
 that it vrtU be difficult for man to travel through them. 
 Then I wiU break myself into many pieces and scatter 
 myself all over the land so that the swift runner and 
 his followers cannot run over me without hurting their 
 feet." 
 
10 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 So the stone broke itself into many pieces and scat- 
 tered itself aU over the land, so that when the swift run- 
 ner^ and his followers tried to run over the mountain the 
 stone cut their feet and the brushes scratched and 
 bruised their bodies. 
 
 This is the Indians 's story of how there came to be 
 so many stones all over the earth. 
 
 A BLACKFOOT INDIAN STORY. 
 
 (By a former pupil.) 
 
 The Indians caU this story "What the Old Man Did." 
 I cannot express the Indian name of this story in 
 English. 
 
 Once upon a time the old man was walking along a 
 river. It was very hot and all he had was a buffalo robe. 
 So he said that he didn't need this buffalo blanket any 
 more because it was too hot to wear and too heavy to 
 carry. So he gave it to a big rock. He covered the rock 
 with this buffalo robe and went away. By and by he 
 saw the clouds getting black and that it was going to 
 storm. All that he had for a friend was a fox. He said 
 to this fox : ' 'Run over and get my blanket. It is on that 
 big rook where we were along the river." So the fox 
 ran over and told the rock that he came after the blan- 
 ket. "Who wants the blanket?" said the rock. The fox 
 said, "The old man." The rock told the fox "Anything 
 that was given me shall not be taken back again." 
 
 The fox told the old man what the rock said. The 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 11 
 
 old man got mad and said: "I need that robe; it is going 
 to rain; the rock doesn't need any blanket. " So he went 
 and got it. After he got about two miles he heard a 
 curious noise and looked back. Hef saw the rock rolling 
 after him. He ran up a high hUl. The rock went up the 
 hiU. Then he ran down and the rock came down after 
 him. He told the fox to run in a hole and the fox did. 
 Then the old man saw a big hole just his size and he 
 crawled in and the big rock came and blocked the hole. 
 The old man stayed in the hole for three days — till the fox 
 dug a hole big enough for the old man to crawl through. 
 So he was safe at last. Then he went up the river. As he 
 came near the stream he saw in the water some red ber- 
 ries. He was hungry; he had to have some; so he began 
 to dive for the berries but did not succeed in getting any, 
 so he said, "I have to have some." He went and got 
 some rocks and cut strings from the robe, tied the rocks 
 to his neck, legs and arms and plunged into the water. 
 After a long time he tried to come up to the surface but 
 the rocks kept him down. He struggled along tiU he 
 came to the top. His stomach was full of water. He 
 felt pretty sick; he laid down on his back and looked in 
 the trees and saw the berries on the boughs overhead. 
 The berries were over the water. He said to himself: 
 "I was diving after the shadow of the berries, and I am 
 nearly dead." 
 
THE SEVEN HUNTERS. 
 
 By Ida Miller (Munsee. ) 
 
 There is a story told about seven Indian hunters 
 when our ancestors lived in the state of Indiana. Every 
 winter they used to go down the Mississippi River and 
 down to the southern states. 
 
 There were seven Indian hunters who loaded a 
 canoe with bows, arrows, flour, clothing, tents, axes and 
 such things as they might need for the four or five 
 months that they were to be gone. They got in their 
 canoes and paddled for the southern states. 
 
 When they got to the place where they were going, 
 they pitched their tents on a rise of ground. One or two 
 men were cooks at the camp for a week or two. Then 
 other two men took their places whUe the others hunted. 
 The men that were hunting were supposed to kill all the 
 game, skin it and dry all the meat, which was cut into 
 long strips. 
 
 One day the hunters went out to hunt again. They 
 saw a large turtle by the lake. They thou ght they would 
 have a little ride, so all got on the turtle's back. Their 
 feet stuck to the turtle so that when they tried to pull 
 loose they could not. The turtle crawled into the water 
 and the men were drowned. 
 
 In the evening the cooks had their supper prepared 
 but the hunters did not come. The cooks thought may- 
 be their game was too heavy to carry, so they waited for 
 two or three days and yet the hunters did not return. 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 13 
 
 The cooks took a canoe and sailed back to their homes and 
 told the people that the men were missing. There was 
 an old man who had power over the water and when 
 they told him he said he would find out. They took a canoe 
 and went to the southern land where they had camped. 
 The old man went to water's edge and called up a fish. 
 He cut a piece of its flesh off and burnt it. He put the 
 fish back into the water and said to it "You are not the 
 one that MRed the hunters." Then he called up the eel 
 and cut a piece off its flesh. He burned it and said 
 ' 'You did not kill the hunters, " so he let it go. He called 
 the snake. He heard the waters roar and saw a large 
 snake coming. He cut a piece of flesh off and burned it 
 and said, "You can go; you are not the one." Then he 
 called up the turtle which was guilty. It would not have 
 come, but it had to as the man had power over the waters. 
 So he cut a piece off its flesh and burned it. He said ' 'You 
 are the one that kiUed the hunters." Then he burned 
 the turtle up and saved all the ashes from the animals he 
 had burned. 
 
 Then they sailed back to their homes. When they got 
 back the people were very glad to see them. He called a 
 meeting of the people and put the ashes in small bags 
 and gave a bag to each person. Before he gave the bags 
 to them, he told them they could be whatever they 
 wanted to be. Some said they wanted to be rich. 
 Some said they wanted to be good looking. Some said 
 they wanted to be brave warriors. One man said he 
 wanted to rest.] 
 
 After he had given all the bags away they went home. 
 
14 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELiL PUPILS. 
 
 They became what they wanted to be. This man that 
 wanted to rest went to the camp and rested. The 
 people soon became tired of him, so about two years 
 after planned to take him to an island and leave him 
 there. One man went after him; he came and these 
 men told him they were going out camping and wanted 
 him to go along. 
 
 When these men got to the island they went out hunt- 
 ing, but this lazy man stayed and slept aU the time. The 
 other two men got in their canoe and left him. When 
 he awoke he saw nobody. Then a strange person ap- 
 peared to him and told him that these men had left him 
 and said "Tomorrow I wiU come after you in my own 
 form. You must not get scared." 
 
 The next day this lazy man heard the waters roar. 
 He went to the water and saw a large snake coming with 
 horns like the largest trees. He said to the lazy man, 
 "Get on the highest tops of my horns and I wUl take 
 you home. You will become smart and you can kill any 
 game you wish." He got on and the snake took him 
 home. When he got home the people were very surprised 
 to see him. He became the greatest hunter and warrior 
 of the tribe. The people hked him after that. Finally he 
 became chief of the tribe. 
 
ORIGIN OF THE PINE TI^EE. 
 
 (By an old-time pupil.) 
 
 Many years ago when there were no pine trees on 
 the land there lived an Indian who had a son. This little 
 fellow was good and kind to his parents and always was 
 willing to obey them. One day his father sent him into 
 the woods to gather up fuel that they might burn. The 
 youth was brave and strong and knew no fear. 
 
 As he was walking along in the thick woods he heard 
 a voice calling 'him by name, "La-kah," which means 
 ' 'pine. ' ' He stopped and listened but could not hear any- 
 thing but himself breathing. At last he started on again 
 until he came to a brook, and on looking over its bank 
 saw a toad. Stooping down to the toad the boy asked 
 the toad if he knew something about the voice which he 
 (the boy) heard in the woods. The toad told the boy that 
 if he heard it again he should answer it saying "Tsick- 
 in-im-mihoket," which is to say "Speak, my Good 
 Spirit." 
 
 So the boy went on gathering wood, and on his way 
 home he heard it again, and the little boy answered say- 
 ing "Tsick-in-im-mihoket." This is what the spirit said 
 to him: "In all the woodland that I have roved I have 
 never found a boy like you, so I wiU change your life and 
 make you live as a growing pine, but I wiU. make you 
 strong and large and each year you wiU grow until you 
 are tall and straight. You wUl be taller than all the rest 
 of the trees." 
 
16 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PU PILS. 
 
 The spirit took him and planted him in the forest and 
 the little tree grew and spread its arms and fingers up- 
 ward. Many years it grew, and an old man I walking 
 by and seeing the tree stopped and looked at it with 
 wonder. 
 
 The tree was tall, straight and large. It waved its 
 arms as it swayed back and forth. Soon the man 
 stepped closer and in his wonder said, "I wonder what 
 this is called. ' ' The tree whispered and said, "My name 
 is, 'La-kah. The Good Spirit planted me here and said 
 that after me there would be forests of taU pine, and that 
 there will be plenty of wood for the little dear red child- 
 ren." 
 
 For many years the pine tree grew, and many more 
 afterward. 
 
 WHY WE HAVE CYCLONES. 
 
 (By a former pupil.) 
 
 Once there were some Indians who wanted some- 
 thing to cool them off, so they discussed what to do. 
 Finally the Indians began to come together and they 
 camped in a place where they could have more room. 
 One day an old Indian said: "I wiU teU you what we can 
 do. Keep close to me and watch what I will do. Go, 
 some one, and get me some mud from the river." So 
 some women went and got some red mud from the river. 
 "Everybody look now and see what I am doing. First 
 
INdTAN' LEGENDS BY HA^EEtiti PTJPffi^. 17 
 
 thing is the red mud I have in my hand. We will make 
 it in a shape like this," and he made a very ugly ani- 
 mal, the head first, then put on four legs and a long tail. 
 "Nov? watch and see what I made. I will blow and after 
 that aU of you people blow. Now, look, everybody. 
 Use your muscles when I say, 'Be big now,' and do 
 what you can. ' ' Then the old man said : ' 'Red mud, show 
 us, please, what you can do on this earth. We are so 
 smothered. Now, go." 
 
 Up and up in the air he flew like a bird. People 
 began to cry, and everybody was running about. They 
 said: "Please, good cyclone, stay! Stop on the earth!" 
 
 He flew like a wUd, flerce horse. He jumped up 
 and down over again and said "Ah, ha! old man, see what 
 you have done." "See what you have done; you let the 
 ugly thing go," said those on earth. So the old man 
 called the ugly thing and said: "People are crying and 
 you tear down trees; you blow too much. Please come 
 to me. I wiU make you over again." So the ugly thing 
 came down and the clouds became as black as a crow. 
 
 "It is too windy on this earth," cry again the people. 
 "You are ugly; you are crazy and wild. We wiU make 
 you better than this," said the old man. So he made the 
 clay in the shape of a wild horse, then said: "Now cyclone, 
 again you go and let us see you." He went up in the air. 
 "Now we can be cool, hereafter," said the old Indian. 
 
 The people, still crying, called out: "Please, please, 
 cyclone, you can go now and do not ever come again; stay 
 up in the sky." 
 
 "AU right," said the cyclone. "I'U do what you tell 
 me." So up he flew. That is the reason we see in the 
 
18 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 clouds the head of a horse with a tail like a snake. To 
 this day you wiU see him in the sky just the way they 
 made him. When the Indians see him coming they run 
 out and cry: "Please jump over us and don't blow us 
 away with your breath." 
 
 So to this day Indians are not afraid of cyclones 
 like the white people. 
 
 HOW A BOY GOT TO THE LAND OF SPIRITS. 
 
 By Ada Yellew Fish (Comanche). 
 
 An old man once lived in a little hut with his little 
 son. Every day his son would!go out hunting. One day 
 his son went to sleep by the river and he had a very nice 
 dream about how he became a chief and a good hunter. 
 So he went again the next morning and went toward the 
 east where he met a big snake. The snake told him if he 
 would get him some kind of animal to eat, he would let 
 him pass through the water which was very deep. So 
 the boy ran and kiUed a bird and gave it to the snake 
 who said he could pass. He went on and on until he came 
 to a little tent by the river. He was very tired and hun- 
 gry. He went in and made himself at home. He stayed 
 there all day and waited till some one might come. No- 
 body came and he thought he would stay there all night, 
 so he did. 
 
 The next morning he had his breakfast and thought 
 he would leave. As he was walking along the road he 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 19 
 
 heard some one calling him by his name. He stopped 
 to see who it was. He saw no one so he took a few steps, 
 then he heard the same word again. 
 
 He came back home again and told his father all 
 about what he did and what he had seen. His father 
 told him that he had been in the land of the spirits and 
 told him to go again and see if he could find his mother 
 there. 
 
 He went to try his luck again; he went in the same 
 road which he went before. He heard singing and danc- 
 ing and he thought he would sit down and listen to them. 
 He heard some one calling him; he looked around and saw 
 his mother standing beside him. She took him and 
 showed him all the things around there. When he went 
 back he told his father that he had seen his mother in 
 the land of spirits. So the Indians say to their children 
 and the men and women not to be afraid when they are 
 dying because they will be happy when they get to the 
 land of the spirits. 
 
 This is told by one of the old Indians and now the 
 old Indians are nearly all gone. Maybe they are now in 
 the land of the spirits. 
 
r-a>::^oaj -<■ 
 
 THE FOX AND THE BEAR. 
 
 By Amelia Stevens (Nez Perce). 
 
 When I was small my grandmother used to tell me 
 this story: The two chiefs, the fox and the bear, were 
 camping together with their companies. Each had a 
 company under his rule. 
 
 They were having good times while camping to- 
 gether; after a while the food began to get scarce. They 
 couldn't kill any game because they were animals them- 
 selves. They lived on roots and fruits. Fox was a wise 
 chief and the bear was lazy and didn't do any work; just 
 made announcements to his company telling them to look 
 for food. Pox had three wives. They were different 
 races or tribes. One of them was a duck, another was a 
 frog and the one he loved best was a cricket and had a 
 beautiful voice. Chief Bear had but one wife and he had 
 two children, or daughters. One early morning Chief 
 Pox went out hunting for food, but he couldn't find any- 
 thing. 
 
 One day Chief Bear made an announcement to all the 
 different kinds of animals. He said this; "Tomorrow 
 morning I want you young fellows to go hunting for 
 deer. The first fellow who brings me a deer can have 
 my daughters for his wives. ' ' Chief Pox heard this. In 
 the evening he went out hunting for deer for the next 
 morning so he could just come and' get it and be the first 
 fellow to bring a deer to the chief. He killed one and put 
 it in a certain place. When the next morning came he 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 21 
 
 was anxious. He went right straight to the place where 
 he had that deer. When he came to this place he could 
 not find it for a long time, until sunrise, then he found 
 it. He took it home, then went right to the Chief's place. 
 He passed his place. He wouldn't notice his three 
 wives. "When he came to the Chief's someone had 
 brought a deer already, and he took his back to his wives. 
 So they say "Cheating won't work." The rest I for- 
 get. 
 
 THE GIRL AND THE FOX. 
 
 By William Pirethunder, (Sioux). 
 
 A long time ago the Sioux used to travel from the 
 Missouri River to the Black HiUs. One time as they 
 were making this journey a young girl of sixteen was 
 lost in the Bad Lands. As they must go on they did 
 not take time to look for her. 
 
 After the people left the girl came back to the camp 
 ground and stayed around there wondering where she. 
 was going, to sleep that night. When night came she 
 went up on a hill. She met a number of coyotes and 
 among them, was a gray, y^olt. He vras the leader of 
 tlj.es^/ 8!,nimEilgi and they must obey him,, TVhen thi^. 
 ypujig giyj^ay? ;the -^qljshe wjentiup tohim and.fiskje^ hjin, 
 to save her. The wolf showed his sympathy by asking 
 
22 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 her to come to their den or house, and said that they 
 would take care of her. 
 
 She went along with them till they came to a big 
 rock on the side of the hiU. This was their home. The 
 animals went in and she followed them. There was a 
 big cave under this rock. The wolf told her to sleep in 
 the largest bed, which was a layer of rock on the side 
 wall of the cave. For quilts there was sage and tail 
 grass. 
 
 The next morning the coyotes went out hunting and 
 brought her back a young deer alive. Every day they 
 brought back something for her to eat and for the wolf 
 also. She would take the hide ofE of the buffaloes and 
 tan them. When winter came she had all she needed to 
 keep her comfortable. 
 
 The coyotes also brought her cooking utensils. 
 They brought in knives, buckets, and other things that 
 the people had lost. 
 
 She Uved vnth these animals for a long time. One 
 day a coyote came in and said to her: "Your people are 
 camped at the same place going east." The following 
 morning as she sat upon the great rock she saw a man 
 coming toward the cave. She got up and walked inside. 
 She said to herself quickly: "If those people should find 
 out where these animals live they might kill them." So 
 she went out to meet the man and asked him to save the 
 animals. She told him the story. 
 
 The man went back to the camp and told the people 
 what he had seen. So the people gathered around the 
 cave and prayed for these animals and gave offerings to 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELii PUPILS. 23 
 
 them. They took the girl back to her parents and she 
 lived with them once more. 
 
 This is a true story. The woman is stiU living on 
 the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota. 
 
 NI-NI-BO-SHO. 
 
 By Ethel Sullivan (Chippewa). 
 
 Once when Ni-ni-bo-sho was roamimg in the woods he 
 met a deer who had a bow and arrow. Said Ni-ni-bo-sho 
 "Let me see your fine bow and arrow." The deer hesi- 
 tated at first but finally let Ni-ni-bo-sho take the bow and 
 arrow. After looking at them for a few minutes he asked 
 the deer where was the softest part in his head. "My 
 forehead, of course," said the deer. In another instant 
 the deer laid at Ni-ni-bo-sho's feet. 
 
 Ni-ni-bo-sho built a fire and cooked his deer. When 
 he began to eat, a tree near by screamed so loud that Ni- 
 ni-bo-sho got so angry that he told the tree to keep still 
 while he ate. But the tree kept it up and finally Ni-ni- 
 bo-sho got up to hit the tree; but the tree held his hand 
 fast to the bough the moment he laid it there. While he 
 was hanging on the bough some hungry wolves ran close 
 by and Ni-ni-bo-sho shouted to them and said "My broth- 
 ers, don't go that way," while pointing towards where 
 
 the deer lay. 
 
 Wb^» the tree had given some advice to Ni-ni-bo-sho 
 
24 INDIAN I/E<3iEND9, BYi HASK53JU P/UEIiiS; 
 
 he let him go but told him to be careful lest he shoul(i 
 faU into trouble again. 
 
 When Ni- ni- bo-sho returned he found his meat all 
 gone (his brothers had eaten it all up). Only a few bones 
 lay here and there. Looking on he soon found the head, 
 but that as weU as the bones could not be eaten. After 
 much trouble he found that the wolves had not eaten the 
 brain, but how he was to get it he knew not. "When he 
 thought it over he changed himself into a little snake 
 and crawled through a hole into the head. But when he 
 tried to come out he found that he had grown larger 
 while he was eating. 
 
 What was he to do? He called aloud for help but 
 none came. By and by he raised himself up and found 
 that the head was very light. So he ran and after a 
 while he ran against a tree. "Who are you?" asked Ni- 
 ni-bo-sho. "I am Pine," said the tree, "and grow in the 
 thick woods." About five minutes later he ran against 
 another tree. "Who are you?" asked he again. "I am 
 Ash," the tree said, "and grow near the water." "A-ha!" 
 thought Ni-ni-bo-sho. "I'm near water," and no sooner 
 had he said it than he felt himself swinging in the air 
 and was soon getting wet. He had fallen from a high 
 and steep clifE and so he could not get on dry land again. 
 On and on he swam. 
 
 Some Indians were out hunting when they saw 
 something that looked more like a deer than anything 
 else. "Deer! Deer! Deer!" they all shouted and to- 
 wards the deer they steered their birch-bark canoes. 
 
 On and on swam Ni-ni-bo-sho and so hard was he 
 swingiiig that when he swam against a rock the head he 
 
INDIAK LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 25 
 
 was in broke and fell to pieces. Ni-ni-bo-sho changed 
 himself back into his own form and laughed at the In- 
 dians for their blindness. 
 
 "Let's go back," said they, "it was only Ni-ni- 
 bo-sho." 
 
 HOW LONELINESS CREATED PRAIRIE DOGS. 
 
 By Sherman Bourrassa (Potawatomie). 
 
 During the time I was in New Mexico, about a year 
 after I had come there, I went out hunting with some 
 boys. After we had hunted for a good while we came 
 into an Indian village. We went to a camp and got our 
 meals after which we began to teU stories. The owner of 
 that camp was a man named Augustean. He was an old 
 man and he is the one that told me this story: 
 
 Many, many summers ago before the white men 
 came there used to be a good man; the people did not 
 know where he came from. He was always hunting and 
 fishing, and liked to be alone. 
 
 One day while he was a long ways from home, a 
 little bear started out of the brush in front of him. He 
 chased the bear for a long time; finally it ran into a cave 
 by a spring. The man whose name was Loneliness 
 followed it, but just as he passed the spring a huge mon- 
 ster caught him and pulled him into the spring. He 
 stayed there a long time. After the people had mourned 
 him as dead, and had forgotten him, he came into 
 
26 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 camp and told them what had happened to him. The 
 people only laughed at him and called him a liar, and 
 said: "You are telling too much to believe." After they 
 had done him this way he told them he would pay them 
 back sometime, not with wickedness but goodness. 
 
 He then went away and was not seen again. He was 
 in the monster's control and so he had to go back to the 
 spring and go and study magic. 
 
 Many summers afterwards a great famine came. 
 There was nothing to eat. The Indians began to die off 
 and fade for the want of food. 
 
 This man saw this and he wondered how he could 
 save the people he loved. He thought he would ask the 
 monster, who was a magician, if he would help him. He 
 at least made up his mind that he would steal the ma- 
 gician's rolls of bark and find out how his friends could 
 be saved. 
 
 At night when the magician was sound asleep, the 
 Indian crept out of his lodge and into the magician's 
 camp. When he got there he took some roots and laid 
 them across the magician's mouth which would make it 
 impossible for him to wake up. 
 
 The Indian then got the roUs of bark and began to 
 study. At last he found out that the magician had 
 planned out aU of this and that it was he whom he had to 
 outwit in saving his friends. He looked closer and found 
 in the corner of a smaU piece of bark some writing which 
 said: "In my belt there is an arrow which when you 
 shoot it into the air will bring a lot of little animals." 
 The Indian then laid some more roots over the magician's 
 mouth and then took off his belt. He found a little arrow 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. " 27 
 
 about a foot long. He seized this and ran out into the 
 world. 
 
 He shot this arrow a good many times, then broke it 
 in pieces so that another spell could not be laid over him. 
 
 He then killed plenty of the little animals, which he 
 called the prairie dogs, because they sounded like real 
 dogs. He took the dogs to the dying Indians and so 
 saved them. After the Indian men had got stronger, 
 he took them to the place where the prairie dogs were 
 and showed them how to kiU them and keep them from 
 going into the holes in the ground. 
 
 So the men killed plenty for there were many, many 
 of them. When they got home the man. Loneliness, told 
 them his story. The Indians aU were glad and begged 
 forgiveness for the wickedness they had done him. 
 
 So the Indians now have the prairie dogs to eat and 
 are not in much danger of starving. The Indians still 
 remember that Loneliness created the prairie dogs. 
 
SUPERSTITIONS OF INDIANS. 
 
 Roy Hinman (Ponca). — Some Indians are very su- 
 perstitious in their beliefs. They say it isn't good to be 
 alone by yourself in a house where some one has died, 
 or where some one had been killed or lived long ago. 
 
 There was once a man who had just got through 
 eating at an Indian council and they were all going home. 
 This man went through a small creek and up the hill 
 through a com field. He thought he heard somebody 
 call his name in Indian. He looked around, but he didn't 
 see anybody, so he went on his way. About this time 
 the sun was away out in the west shining as bright as 
 could be. When he got over a fence there came a small 
 lump of dirt in front of him, but he Just kept on going. 
 Pretty soon there were lots of these lumps of dirt thrown 
 at him and he almost got hit, so he stopped and looked 
 around, but there wasn't anybody in sight. He thought 
 to himself and said in his mind, "What is the matter 
 with me; am I out of my head or what?" 
 
 Of course he wasn't afraid of this thing because it 
 was yet day, but the dirt came from every direction at 
 him so he ran. He got to a road and across this was a 
 house and barn. He ran to the house, but there wasn't 
 anybody there so he went in the barn. Just as he got in 
 two lumps of clay were thrown in, then the throwing 
 stopped. He thought over this thing, then he said he 
 was a man and he picked the two lumps of clay up and 
 went out and started for his home, 
 
 He told the story to some old chiefs and they said 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 29 
 
 the place he was crossing used to be a dancing or camp- 
 ing ground a long time ago. This is why some of the In- 
 dians don't like to travel in a place like this. 
 
 Nelson Wauls (Choctaw). — This is a story which 
 the old Indians used to tell me very often. A long time 
 ago when the water was dried up in the springs, or any- 
 where that they could not get any water, the Indians 
 used to whip these little frogs which live under the bark 
 of a tree — ^not the water frogs, but the little frogs which 
 are green looking and about the size of a man's finger. 
 When the weather is dry these frogs certainly do make 
 a noise under the bark of trees. It is said that means 
 it is going to rain within three days. If a person whips 
 too hard on these green frogs it is said a big storm will 
 come upon him and destroy his property or kill the i)er- 
 son who whipped the frog. Also the old Indians say if 
 you knock down the mud which these little green fellows 
 build along the swampy places it wiU bring a good rain 
 and hail. I have seen the mud along the swampy places 
 where the frogs built it up. This mud is about four or 
 five inches above the ground and built round and sharp- 
 pointed. 
 
 Another story our Indians tell is about a wolf. If a 
 person wants to raise lots of hogs they say he must call 
 the wolf "Good Uncle," and then the wolf wiU not try to 
 kill the hogs. It says "This is my good friend's hog," 
 and goes around the hog. But if the people call it "wolf," 
 the wolf will sure kill the hog at once, because wolves do 
 not like to be called by their names. So if people want 
 
30 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 to raise lots of hogs they must call the wolf ''Good 
 Uncle" and not say "Wolf, wolf, wolf." 
 
 JACX3B Spokogee (Creek).— Old people tell us when 
 we go out hunting we must be very careful and get what 
 is worth killing. Then when we bring what we killed 
 back home we are not allowed to eat it. We are allowed 
 to eat what we kiU after that, but not the first one we 
 kiU, because they say if we do we can never have any 
 luck in hunting. 
 
 Mary Horsechief (Ponca). — The Indians don't 
 believe in putting shoes on a dead body, because they say 
 they can not find their way into heaven, because of their 
 shoes. They don't bury them with their heads to the 
 east because they say they ought to rise with the sun the 
 first morning after death, and go to the land of the 
 hereafter. 
 
 Abbie McDonald (Ponca). — The Indians say that 
 if a family is in mourning they should not cry in the 
 house but cry outside, because if they cry inside the 
 family wiU die off quickly. After death they put some- 
 thing to eat on the graves, because they think that the 
 dead ought to take along something to eat. If they don't 
 have anything to eat they wiU not go to the land of the 
 hereafter, but will stay around the house. When you 
 are asleep they say they will come around and teU you in 
 your dream that they are hungry, and they will not leave 
 unta they carry something to eat. The women cut off 
 their hair to show how dearly they love him or her. 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 31 
 
 They mourn for them for one year. Every now and then 
 things to eat are placed at the head of the graves. 
 
 Pablo Narcjha (Papago). — One of the superstitions 
 that I can plainly remember of being told many times 
 when I was a little boy was that I must eat a part of all 
 that nature provided for us. For instance if I did not 
 eat the fruit of giant cactus, onions and potatoes, I 
 would not be saved when we have another flood. 
 
 Another superstition that all the children are careful 
 about is that they don't step in the track of a snake be- 
 cause they say that harm will come to you if you step in 
 the snake's track. Some say the same of the bear's 
 track. Never step in its tracks because it wiU harm you. 
 
 Zada Harris (Choctaw). — If a girl combs her hair 
 after the sun sets the Indians say she wiU have bad 
 luck. 
 
 They say if you MU the first snake you see in the 
 spring you have conquered your enemies. 
 
 They also think you wUl have bad luck if you mani- 
 cure your fingers nails on Sunday. 
 
 Peter Lena (Creek and Seminole). — The Indians 
 like to kill snakes on Sunday. When they kill a snake 
 they usually say "I wUl get credit for killing that snake 
 on Sunday." Whenever they see a snake they will try 
 their best to kiU it and not let it get away. They think 
 of snakes as being workers for the devil, and when you 
 km a snake on Sunday Indians think you have made up 
 
32 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 for what you have done wrong, or part of what you have 
 done wrong during your life. So killing snakes on Sun- 
 day is not wrong by any means, even if you do not get 
 credit for it. 
 
 Allen Hunt (Pueblo). — "Whenever Indians hear a 
 coyote barking at night, they say that it will rain soon. 
 
 Some day you want to look at the sun in the morning 
 and when you see a dusty ring around the sun the In- 
 dians say it wiU be a windy day. 
 
 The Indians think that killing of the frog is not good 
 at aU because they think they are some relation to the 
 water spirits by living in water. If you kill a frog you 
 are liable to be struck by the lightning. 
 
 My old grandma used to say that it was dangerous 
 to live in a new house. I don't know why. 
 
 The Indians say whenever it rains they believe that 
 there are people living on these clouds and when these 
 people start to play with water, throwing it at each other, 
 they make it rain. 
 
 They believe that when the Indians die they go to 
 the "Wae-ne-ma-chz," as they call the "land of the here- 
 after." They say it's a place where it wiU always be 
 summer and where there are forests for hunting. 
 
 Laura Murray (Sioux). — The old Indians believe 
 that whenever any person dreams about lightning and 
 thunder, that is a sign that he is going to get killed by 
 it some time soon. If he wishes to die some other way 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 33 
 
 he has to tell some great Indian about it — what persons 
 or things were there and also the place. 
 
 What I am writing about happened one afternoon 
 during a celebration. It was a middle-aged woman who 
 had dreamed about lightning and thunder, and this is 
 what I saw. There was an old woman and three men in 
 it. They had a tent put up on a little hill and fatted a 
 calf for this great occasion. The women were dressed 
 in their Indian costumes, and also the men. Their faces 
 and arms were painted with bright colors. They were 
 all in the tent except one of the men who built a fire the 
 way they used to before they ever saw matches. After 
 he built the fire he killed the calf; then he cleaned it and 
 put it in a kettle over the fire with meat in it. In the 
 meantime the people in the tent were dancing and sing- 
 ing. When the meat was done the men came out of the 
 camps and stuck their hands in the kettle, took out 
 pieces of meat and ran in all directions. The man that 
 came towards us had a long string tied back of him and a 
 little ball at the end of it and he said that the devil was 
 chasing him. He jumped over some men sitting on the 
 ground. While this was going on the first woman came 
 out of the tent and stood facing the sun and sang to it. 
 
 That was the last of it, so I don't know whether the 
 woman died in another way or not. 
 
 Whenever anyone is killed by lightning the old In- 
 dians believe that this person has dreamed about it, but 
 did not do his part. 
 
THE BOY WHO BECAME A SNAKE. 
 
 By Joseph McCombs (Creek). 
 
 The Indians tell a story of a sad thing that hap- 
 pened to an Indian boy. He and his brother was very 
 fond of hunting. One day the two boys asked their 
 father if they could go hunting for a week or two. 
 The good father let them go for a week and told them 
 to be sure and come back then. The boys promised 
 and went on their journey. 
 
 The next day one of the boys went out first to see 
 what he could find, but the other stayed at the camp till 
 in the afternoon. The other boy got back and told of all 
 the things he had seen. But this boy was very fond of 
 eggs and while he was out he saw an egg, but did not 
 touch it then. He intended to wait aud get it for him- 
 self. The older brother had seen this egg while out 
 hunting and he knew what it was. When he came back 
 to the camp he told about it. The younger brother said: 
 ' 'Let me get the egg and cook it, " but the other boy said, 
 "No; for it may be a snake egg." The little brother still 
 wanted the egg, so he thought the next time his brother 
 went out hunting he would get it, cook it and eat it be- 
 fore the other one knew anything about it. 
 
 One day the older brother went out hunting again, 
 but the little one said, "I will stay and rest a little while 
 before I go." After his brother was out of sight the 
 little boy said "Now for the egg." He went and got it, 
 cooked and ate it, and the big boy didn't know about it 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 35 
 
 and when he came home they went to bed just as usual. 
 
 The next morning the little boy began to change 
 into a snake, beginning with his feet. He called to his 
 brother to wake up and go home and tell his folks what 
 had happened to him. "But before you go," he said, 
 ' 'take me the to pond where there is water. When you 
 come back throw a stick into the water and I'll know 
 that you are all here to see me. ' ' Then the poor Uttle fel- 
 low told his brother to go and never look back tiU he 
 said so. 
 
 So the older brother went ahead and never looked 
 back tiU the little fellow said "Look back and see me." 
 When the older boy looked back he saw that his brother 
 was already changed into a snake. His body was like 
 that of a big snake; he had a horn like a goat, and a tail 
 so long that the hoy could not see the end of it. 
 
 "Goon, brother," said the snake, "and bring our 
 father and mother, and when you come I wiU be in the 
 water here." The big boy went on, feeling very lone- 
 some for his little brother whose fault had been pun- 
 ished in such a sad way. 
 
 When he got home and told his father and mother 
 the bad news they went weeping on their way to 
 the pond. When they got there they threw a stick in 
 the water and the snake -boy came with his long round 
 body and a horn on his head. The father and mother 
 wept, but could do nothing to help their son. 
 
 Prom that day up to this time the Indians believe 
 that any snake in the water that has a horn on his head 
 is the little boy and is the strongest snake in the world. 
 
36 INDIAN liEGENDS BY HASKJELL PUPILS. 
 
 But the Indians are not af ra,id of hini, because thfe snake 
 himself is an Indian. 
 
 This is what the Indians say about this snake: He 
 lives in the deepest water and has power ettough to 
 make the rise without rain. Haven't you ever noticed 
 a river rise without rain? This snake h^sa horn like a 
 goat. The end of the horn is blue, and when this snake 
 moves it around that causes iightning and "thunder. 
 
 THE ORIGIN OF THUNDER. 
 
 By Jesse Tibbetts (Chippewa). 
 
 This is the story told by some of the old Indians in 
 Minnesota about how thunder started. 
 
 Once upon a time three Indians went hunting. They 
 walked for three days and nights, but could see neither 
 game nor forests. They finally came to a tall tr^e and 
 one of the hunters climbed to the top of its branches in 
 order to look for game. Prom this trSetop an Indian 
 path led to a tepee in the clolids. He at once told his 
 companions to foUowhim, which they did. On arriving 
 at the tepee they entered and joined other IndiatLs who 
 were smoking pipes around a fire in the middle of the 
 tepee. 
 
 After talking for a while they had a, feast and then 
 all went out hunting together. They saw a lot of game 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 37 
 
 and MUed all they needed. They did a lot of shooting 
 that day and the Indians on the earth heard the report 
 of their guns. Even to-day the Indians believe when 
 they hear it thunder that those Indians are hunting 
 again in the "happy hunting ground." 
 
 One Indian on returning to earth told the other In- 
 dians that when it thunders if they wish it to stop they 
 must smoke during the time it thunders or put some 
 tobacco on the stump of a tree and mutter some words 
 in Indian. Some of the Indians of to-day do this every 
 time it rains or thunders. 
 
 The Chippewa Indians of northern Minnesota are 
 very superstitious, and the old Indians teU their grand- 
 children startUng stories of their younger days. 
 
 INDIAN AND WHITE MAN. 
 
 By John Bosin (Kiowa). 
 
 Once upon a time an Indian named Sane-day met a 
 white man. The white man said: "Sane-day, I hear you 
 can cheat anybody you want to. Now cheat me if you 
 can." But this Indian said: "No, no, my friend; I left 
 my cheating medicine over the third hill over there." 
 The white man said: "Cheat me without it;" but old 
 Sane-day said: "No, I can't." This white man kept on 
 saying it, so old Sane-day said: "I'll tell you what I'll do, 
 
38 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 my friend. Lend me your horse and I'll run over and 
 get it and come back; then I'll show you I can cheat." 
 
 At first he wouldn't do it, but finally consented to 
 let him ride his horse. The Indian started, but pulled 
 the rein on the other side where the white man couldn't 
 see, so the horse stopped. Then Sane-day said: "Lend 
 my your hat; he doesn't know me." So this white man 
 did. He started and did the same thing again, when he 
 asked him for his coat, then his shirt. In fact all his 
 clothes — his shoes and everything he had. Then the 
 Indian started, went a little ways, puUed the horse, 
 stopped a little while, started again, then he looked back, 
 smiled and said in a very polite way: "Mr. White Man, 
 see without my medicine I cheated you just the same." 
 
 He started again and never came back, and he never 
 returned what he borrowed to get his medicine. So the 
 white man got cheated. 
 
THE DIPPER. 
 
 By Baldwin Dautobi (Kiowa). 
 
 This story is one which my mother told me, and my 
 grandmother told it to her: 
 
 Once upon a time some Indians were camping in a 
 certain place. There were seven girls and one boy. 
 These eight children went off to play and forgot to tell 
 their father and mother where they were going. They 
 went quite a distance from the camp. Finally the oldest 
 sister said, "I know what we will play. We wiU play 
 the catching bear." One of the sisters said, "Who will 
 be the bear?" The little girl knew something was going 
 to hapi)ento her, so she said, "Let somebody else be 
 bear, I don't want to;" but they said, "Please be bear," 
 B^nally the little girl said, "I will be bear if none of you 
 can." The others said, "Do not bite us too hard when 
 you catch us." "Well, get ready," she replied. 
 
 Soon they got their little home ready and the play 
 started. At first the little girl did not bite them too 
 hard, but after a while they began to get scared. One 
 of the little sisters said, "Please do not bite us so hard." 
 By this time the little girl was turning into a real bear, 
 but they did not know it yet. The bear said, "When I 
 catch one of you I will bite you hard and you wiU die." 
 The others knew now that their sister was a real bear, 
 so they ran to teU their folks what had happened. Every 
 Indian in that valley was getting scared, for the bear 
 was getting worse and worse and no one could make her 
 
40 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 stop. They tried to kill her, but they could not, so the 
 bear destroyed everything in her way. She killed many 
 Indians and after a while everything in that part of the 
 world. She went to look for her sister and brother. 
 These sisters and brother, who were trembling with fear, 
 lay hiding in a rock cave near the mountain. They could 
 hear her roar. Finally the brother peeped out to see if 
 she was coming. They were so scared that for a while 
 they could not come out; then finally they came out. By 
 this time the bear was worse than ever and she said, 
 ' 'I know where you are hiding, ' ' and went straight where 
 they were. When they saw the bear coming they ran 
 up on top of the high mountain. The bear said, "You 
 are not going to live. It is aU your fault. I told you 
 before we started to play, and now see what you have 
 done." 
 
 But the children said, "Please donotkiUus. We 
 are your sisters and brother; please." The bear would 
 not listen to them, so they climbed up on the highest 
 mountain. Then they said, "Now you cannot kill us." 
 
 The bear ran a little farther from the mountain and 
 jumped up. She almost reached them. The second 
 time she jumped she got her paws on the edge of the 
 mountain, so they said, "We are all going to die now; 
 what shall we do?" Then the children said, "Good 
 mountain, help us to get away from this fierce bear. 
 She is going to km us." So the mountain said, "All 
 right;" and began to move. It got taller and taUer slow- 
 ly, tiU it reached the sky. Still the bear kept on jump- 
 ing and would almost reach them, though it was so high 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 41 
 
 that every time she jumped she fell from one side to the 
 other. 
 
 By and by the mountain reached the sky and the 
 children said, "What shall we do; are we going to stay 
 on top of this mountain? If we go, down there she will 
 kiU us." So the girls cried, but the brother said, "I 
 know where we will go. Let us see what is up here;" 
 and they all went into the sky, and if you look for 
 the stars called the "dipper" you wiU see the seven 
 children. 
 
 THE MAN WHO BECAME A FISH. 
 
 By Walter Carlin (Sioux). 
 
 Once upon a time along the banks of the Grand River 
 in Dakota there camped a large number of Indians for 
 the winter. As there was lots of wild game in that part 
 of the country the Indians had picked the place to make 
 their winter camp. In this encampment there was a 
 rather old man who was disliked by all his tribe. Al- 
 though he was kind and good-hearted he was shunned 
 by everyone except his relatives. One day as he was 
 thinking it over he decided to go and talk to the Great 
 Spirit. It was a custom in those days that when anyone 
 wanted to communicate with the spirits he would go 
 out some place by himself and fast for three days and 
 nights, and on the third night the spirits would come- 
 
42 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 This man went way out in the hills and stayed there the 
 three days and three nights. On the third night the 
 Spirit appeared in the form of a fish with legs and arms. 
 The Indian told his troubles to the Spirit. He asked the 
 Spirit to give him power to bring revenge on his tribe. 
 After a long talk the Spirit told him to go home and on 
 the seventh day after that night to be down at the river 
 before sunrise. He told this inan that he would meet him 
 there and he was to follow him into the river and he would 
 become a fish like him, then he could do as he wished. 
 
 The man went home and told his relatives what had 
 happened. He told them that he was going to destroy 
 all his tribe except his relatives, and for them to come 
 down to the river where he was to meet the Spirit and 
 he would save them. 
 
 Before sunrise on tbie seventh day he went down to 
 the river and there he saw the Spirit. He followed the 
 Spirit into the river and he also became a large fish 
 with legs. As he moved about he grew longer and longer 
 until he was very long. He crawled upon the bank 
 and when he bent his back his tail reached around the 
 encampment and back to his nose. When the people in 
 the camps saw this they became frightened, but they 
 could not get out. After some time his relatives came 
 to the river where he had told them to come, and as that 
 was where his head and tail met he let them pass out. 
 After all his relatives were out of danger he straightened 
 his back slowly, destroying everybody. After he had 
 straightened out he turned to rock, and there is now a 
 long rough ridge of stone where this is supposed to 
 have taken place. 
 
A PAPAGO TRADITION. 
 
 By a Former Papago Pupil. 
 
 Away back in the beginning of the world there was 
 but nothingness. AH was just darkness, and the same 
 darkness became a thick mass in which a spirit formed 
 itself. It was afterwards called God, or Tei-as. There 
 was no place nor a thing on which the Spirit could hang 
 or stand still, but afterwards he did stand still by his 
 own power. He puUed out four of his hairs and made 
 a cross, pointing from east to west and from north to 
 south, and the other two he put midway between them. 
 He took a grain of dust from his person and put it in 
 the center and thus wrought the foundation of the 
 earth. 
 
 The Spirit created man in his likeness and called 
 him Earth Doctor, who increased the size of the world. 
 He went around and found the weak places of the earth, 
 so he made a spider and commanded him to weave a web 
 all around the world, which he did. Afterward he made 
 doUs of clay and mud and commanded them to become 
 alive, and they obeyed. 
 
 This was the first of the human race to be cre- 
 ated, but these doUs were much deformed. Some had 
 one leg, others had immense ears and others had flames 
 of fire in their knees. For a time he was dissatisfied 
 and burned them. He then made a second race of 
 people, which was more like men you see today. Their 
 number was increased, and in time there was not enough 
 
44 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 food for them to live on or water to drink, so God went 
 to the Earth Doctor and asked him what he thought 
 about the people. God gave his idea to the Earth Doc- 
 tor, saying that they would send sotne kind of disease 
 that would destroy some of them, to reduce their num- 
 ber, so they may live better. The Earth Doctor was 
 mad at the idea and made some insulting remarks to 
 God, but he went away with his idea of sending disease 
 among them and did so shortly afterwards, killing some 
 as he had planned, and there was great mourning. 
 
 The Earth Doctor did not Uke it and made a plan to 
 destroy them the second time. He told the people 
 there would be a flood that would destroy all the people. 
 People came to ask the Earth Doctor how they might do 
 that they might be saved and not drowned, but he re- 
 fused to save anybody; but when a coyote came he told 
 him that he might cut a reed and seal each end of it 
 after he got inside of it, which he did. They agreed 
 that whoever should first step out on the land after the 
 flood should be the ruler of the country. 
 
 The Earth Doctor made a jar in which he stayed dur- 
 ing the flood. When the water had gone down he came 
 out from the jar or olla and stepped on the land, there- 
 fore he was the ruler from that time. But though the 
 coyote came out last he claimed that he was the chief 
 ruler and made the Earth Doctor as his younger brother, 
 but the Earth Doctor showed him that he was the ruler. 
 Therefore the Earth Doctor from that time is brother or 
 Si-i-her which means Elder Brother. 
 
 With the coyote's help Si-i-her made a third race of 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 45 
 
 people who lived somewhere between Gila and Salt 
 Rivers. After a time the Earth Doctor talked to the 
 people saying that there will be some kind of destruc- 
 tion come upon them either by flood or some other way, 
 but if they would go to the top of Crooked Mountain they 
 might have a chance to be saved. This the people did. 
 
 The ocean rose and rivers and springs were rapidly 
 rising higher and higher. When the water was about 
 to go over the huge mountain the mountain raised itself 
 higher by the power of the Earth Doctor, who sang a 
 song every once in a while. 
 
 At last the Earth Doctor knowing that if the people 
 were destroyed the water would go down, told them that 
 he had no power whatever to save them and that they 
 must lose their lives. He told the dog to go and see 
 how far the tide of the water was coming. The dog went 
 and when he returned he spoke in a human voice, saying 
 that the water was very near to the top. At the same 
 time the people turned to stones. If anyone should 
 climb the Crooked Mountain he would see the stones in 
 the form of people and their attitude at the very moment 
 when the dog came having the voice of a human being. 
 
 After the water had gone down the Brother, or 
 Earth Doctor, found that aU the other people were 
 drowned, so he made a fourth race of people which stiU 
 exists today. 
 
 Note— Crooked Mountain is located near Sacatan, Arizona. 
 
THE CHIPMUNK. 
 
 By George Williams (Yakima). 
 Once upon a time there lived in a little Indian vil- 
 lage a chipmunk and his grandmother. This little chip- 
 munk was noisy and often his grandmother would tell 
 him not to make so much noise while in the woods alone. 
 But the little chipmunk would not obey, or rather could 
 not get along without making a noise. Every morning 
 in the summer time he would go out and roam around in 
 the woods and wherever he found berries of any kind 
 he would climb the tree. While eating the berries he 
 found it hard to keep quiet so he would sing and in this 
 way he enjoyed his berries a good deal better. 
 
 In the evenings he would go home and carry some 
 water to his grandmother so she could get him some 
 supper. After supper he made his grandmother tell 
 him some stories until he fell asleep. 
 
 One evening his grandmother was telling him a story 
 about some giants that lived in;the woods, but the chip- 
 munk did not believe her. He said "I've roamed around 
 in the woods two or three years and aU this time did not 
 see a giant nor hear of one." 
 
 This giant was supposed to always roam in the 
 woods. Once in awhile he would come into some little 
 village but would not bother anybody. The way this 
 story is told the giant always packed some kind of a bag 
 that was fireproof. In this bag there were some heated 
 rocks. The object of these heated rocks was to cook 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 47 
 
 his meals wherever he found them. This giant must 
 have had some kind of magic for he did not build a fire 
 to heat his rocks, but they were always hot. One day 
 the little chipmunk went out as happy and f uU of mis- 
 chief as ever before. While wandering in the woods he 
 thought that he would go a little further into the forest 
 and see if he could see any trace of giants for he longed 
 to see one. While going through the woods right close 
 to a high bluff he saw some fruit which looked very in- 
 viting to him so he climbed the tree. While eating the 
 fruit he made a louder noise than ever, partly for enjoy- 
 ment and partly to see if he could bring some giant 
 near him. 
 
 Now it happened that a giant lived in this bluft who 
 heard him and went to see who was making so much 
 noise near his home. The giant came slowly and noise- 
 lessly and the chipmunk did not know about his pres- 
 ence until the giant spoke to him and told him in a nice 
 and friendly way to get off the tree for fear he might 
 faU. But the little chipmunk saw him and knew that 
 it was one of the giants so did not obey him. He stayed 
 there a long time trying to coax the little chipmunk to 
 come down so he could catch him and have a good meal. 
 
 Along toward evening the chipmunk got tired of wait- 
 ing for him to go away so he made some kind of a plan to 
 get away. He broke some branches from the tree and 
 threw them into some bushes near by while the giant 
 was not looking. The giant sprang after them, but find- 
 ing it was not the chipmunk looked up and saw no trace 
 of Mr. Chipmunk. 
 
48 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKEfi, PUPILS. 
 
 Looking around he finally saw him running toward 
 his home. The giant took after him and was just about 
 to overtake him when the chipmunk reached his house 
 As he was running into his house the giant made a 
 grab for him. 
 
 The white marks on the chipmunk's back are finger 
 marks of the giant, and are there to this day. 
 
 WHY THE INDIAN DOES NOT SHOW 
 SUFFERING. 
 
 By James Sumpter (Choctaw). 
 
 My uncle has often told me this story, and told me 
 whatever I did to try to live up to it. 
 
 There once lived an Indian woman and man who had a 
 beautiful little baby. The baby was just learning to 
 walk and talk, and a very beautiful baby she was. One 
 day the father and mother were skinning a deer, and 
 while they were there they got into a dispute over 
 which one loved the child the most. After many days 
 of quarreling they decided to prove their love by cutting 
 themselves with their knives. And the one that could 
 stand the most was the one who loved the child the most. 
 So one day they took their knives and went into the 
 woods, where no one could see them. They then started 
 to cutting. They cut and cut, not knowing what dan- 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 49 
 
 ger they were in and neither one showed what pain they 
 were suffering. At last they fell dead. 
 
 This is why the Indians to this very day do not show 
 much, if any, suffering when they are in distress. 
 
 THE CHIEF'S DAUGHTER. 
 
 By a Pupil. 
 
 Once upon a time there lived a beautiful Indian lady. 
 She was the only girl they had in the family, and also 
 was a chief's daughter. As all the Indians lived in a cir- 
 cle they had her to live in the middle of the circle. 
 Every night a boy used to come to see her. One night he 
 asked her to go home with him and marry him the next 
 night. So she said she would; but she didn't tell her 
 folks she promised him that. 
 
 When the evening came, as she was sitting in her 
 tepee waiting for that boy, somebody called her from 
 outside. So she thought it was the boy that called her. 
 He was standing by her door, and when she went out he 
 asked her to go home with him. As she thought he 
 was that boy, she went with him. 
 
 She had a little young beaver for her pet, and 
 took him along with her. They went away after every- 
 body was asleep. They went quite a distance and 
 they came to a wide river. The man told the girl to get 
 on his back so he could carry her across the river, but 
 3he didn't want to get on his back or either cross the 
 
50 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 river. The man said if she didn't get on his back he 
 would drown her, so she said she would. When she got 
 on his back she saw another face on the back of his head. 
 This man was what they called "Anonk-ite," which 
 means "Two-face." These men were very cruel, and 
 everybody was afraid of them. 
 
 After the "Anonk-ite" and the girl crossed the river 
 they came to a big tepee where this man lived. When 
 they got home home the man told the girl to look in his 
 head. He had a few hairs but they were very long. 
 When she looked in his head she found some little toads. 
 As she found one she would kill it with two stones. 
 While she was looking in his head he went to sleep, 
 so she tied all his hair to aU the poles in his tepee. She 
 tied just a few hairs to one pole and a few on another 
 pole. She did this until she tied up all his hair. Then 
 she ran away from him. When she came to a wide 
 river — wider and deeper than the one they crossed first, 
 she saw the man coming after her. As she couldn't 
 cross the vdde river the little beaver made a bridge for 
 her. As soon as she went across the river the little 
 beaver took the bridge down. The man was half way 
 on the bridge when the little beaver took the bridge 
 down, and as the river was deep the man was drowned. 
 The lady and her pet, the little beaver, got home 
 safe. Her folks were very glad to see her as they did 
 not know where she had gone. She married that 
 other boy after she got home. Everybody was surprised 
 to see her when she arrived, as they didn't know what 
 had become of her. She was always happy after she 
 married that boy. 
 
THE INDIAN AND THE ELEPHANT. 
 
 By Ben Stagner, (Sioux.) 
 
 I will try and tell a story that my dear mother told 
 me, although it has been a long time since she last told 
 it. At any rate I wiU try. 
 
 Once there was a man that was friendless, and all 
 he did was to rove. One day while traveling or looking 
 for something to eat, he came to a large and deep river. 
 He tried to cross it, but the force was so strong that he 
 found it impossible. So as the day was very hot he 
 found shade and rested under a large tree that grew by 
 the river bank. There he sat and cried, for the side he 
 was on had no food, while the other side was loaded with 
 fruit. As he was sobbing and wishing, a large elephant 
 happened to be coming that way and was to cross where 
 the man had tried in vain. When the elephant saw the 
 sad-looking man he offered to help him across. The man 
 asked the elephant where he could sit so as to be safe 
 while crossing. The elephant first asked the man to ride 
 on his back, but the man was afraid of slipping off. Then 
 the elephant told the man to ride on his trunk, but was 
 afraid that the elephant would put his head down to 
 drink and wash him off. Again the third time the ele- 
 phant told the man to hang on his tail. "No," said the 
 man, "for you will switch your tail and throw me into 
 the river." 
 
 So the elephant studied a long time and was about 
 to leave that man when the man thought of a smart plan. 
 
52 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 He said to the elephant: "You swallow me and when 
 you reach the other side just cough and I will come 
 out." So the elephant swallowed the man and went 
 across, but when he got on the bank he forgot to cough. 
 He went and laid down and went to sleep. The man be- 
 came angry. Having a knife of bone he cut the elephant 
 open and went to find food. He told some Indians his 
 story about about the elephant, then went on for he 
 never stayed with anybody. 
 
 While he was going through the bushes he saw a 
 lot of mice playing with their eyes. They would throw 
 them up and make them drop in place again, and were 
 trying to see which could throw them the highest. The 
 man liked the game and asked if he could join them. 
 So he joined the crowd and he wanted to throw his eyes 
 the highest. So they showed him how and he threw 
 them; they went a little too high and caught on a tree 
 limb, so that left him eyeless. He became lost and 
 wandered about, not knowing where he going. 
 
 One day the great spirit of ghosts spoke to the blind 
 man and told him that he should make a circle and that 
 he would stay in the circle and run around and if the 
 blind man touched him he would see again. The blind 
 man tried three days and at last did touch the spirit and 
 his sight was restored at once. Then the spirit told him 
 to go and teach aU of the Indians that game, and that is 
 the way the blindfold handkerchief game began. 
 
INDIAN CEREMONY OF ADOPTION. 
 
 By Lenora Blandin (Potawatomi). 
 
 The time of the year is here [spring] when the 
 Indians at home begin their yearly dances; or the gath- 
 ering together to worship God. 
 
 There are many Indians who leave their homes 
 and farms, to go and spend two or three weeks at the 
 dancing grounds to perform their religious duties; 
 while others will be making gardens or cultivating the 
 fields. Later, when the summer months approach and 
 the com is in fuU sized stalks, they have what is known 
 as the "Green corn dance." It is not that, but many 
 have the idea that that is what is called. 
 
 Sometimes at these meetings there are different 
 tribes from the south or north who come and join them 
 and afterwards return home. Perhaps some member 
 is given a drum, or a tom-tom as it is called. 
 
 Some years ago our Indians believed much in adopt- 
 ing children, men or women, after the death of someone 
 member or relative in their family. Supposing some 
 family lost a beloved daughter the mother in some 
 months past would be preparing clothing, and presents 
 of different sorts — aU Indian articles. When she has 
 everything all ready, some tobacco is sent to the parents 
 of the girl whom they are going to adopt. If they ac- 
 cept the tobacco, then the messenger will state the 
 place, and the time of the adoption. Generally it occurs 
 in about four or five days afterward at the home of 
 
54 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 those adopting. Invitations are sent to different people 
 to attend the adoption; not written invitations, but young 
 boys go on horseback, and take the word. Sometimes 
 an adoption takes place at the dancing ground; ever so 
 many people go to see it, but only those invited can go 
 into the ring, and hear the sermon and attend the feast. 
 
 After the arrival of the family for the adoption, a 
 whole day is spent in preparing for the big dinner the 
 next day. Dinner falls late, for in the morning in a 
 large wigwam or extended tent a sermon is preached 
 before and after the meal. The mother adopting seats 
 herself at one end of the wigwam, and then the girl with 
 her relatives, and friends walk in. The girl seats her- 
 self by her adopted parents. After a short talk given 
 by their elected speaker, generally an old man of good 
 reputation, they commence to dress the girl. Some- 
 times some very pretty clothes are given her, such as 
 beads, shawls, handkerchiefs, quilts, Indian bracelets, 
 Indian blaiikets, moccasins, and rings, a work bag, and 
 different kinds of goods for clothing, and ever so many 
 sacks of flour. After she is dressed, painted, and a 
 speech is given by the speaker, there is something like 
 giving vows to cherish one another in their new relation- 
 ship. After this the speaker smokes a long pipe, then 
 the girl, and then others smoke after her, having the 
 pipe passed to aU present. Then comes the big dinner. 
 
 After the dinner and sermon, the girl arises; the 
 women aid her to carry her belongings to her tent, 
 she leading the way with downcast eyes, and soberly 
 going into her wigwam. She gives many of her things 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 55 
 
 away, if she wishes, for the reason there is still another 
 feast coming later, known as the "Return Feast," so 
 by giving some things away, those to whom the pres- 
 ents are given generally at the next feast help to pro- 
 vide food or give mats, blankets or other things which 
 are to be given to the adopters. 
 
 All the pretty things the girls gets this time she 
 keeps. She is now a daughter of the family, though 
 she doesn't have to live with them. Should her parents 
 die they would be somewhat as her guardians. 
 
 When these feasts are given in the "Dancing Ring," 
 there is more done, for they can have dances in which 
 the women take part. 'Tis hard to describe how they 
 dance. The women take short steps, something like lit- 
 tle hops. Besides their dance they may perhaps have 
 their customary games or sports. 
 
 These adoptions are gradually being laid aside, but 
 I can remember when I was a little girl when there used 
 to be so many. Now, only the very old Indians who have 
 never been to school still give them, but not very often. 
 
 There is a feast known as the "Bean Dinner," 
 though I do not know what the object is of giving it. It 
 used to be the custom of the Indians to give it during 
 some part of the year, which I cannot remember. At 
 these feasts there are many little gem cakes made, and 
 in some of these cakes, generally in two, a pretty good 
 sized bean is placed. Different ways of icing the cakes 
 are used, but at the same time they all look alike. These 
 two little cakes are marked, and pains is taken in watch- 
 ing to see who gets them. Whoever does has to give a 
 bean dinner the next time. 
 
INDIAN BURIAL RITES. 
 
 By Julia Bongo (Chippewa). 
 
 The Indians before they ever knew anything about 
 the white people's ways of burial had their way of bury- 
 ing their dead. When any one is dying they sing a song 
 just as the person is drawing his last breath. One of 
 the members of the family goes out and shoots up in the 
 sky from time to time. They claim this is to show that 
 the soul of the dying person is starting on its journey to 
 the other life. 
 
 After death the body is taken and dressed. They 
 paint the face with red or yeUow powders and the hair 
 is parted on the forehead. On this parting the paint is 
 also daubed and then the body is wrapped in a blanket 
 which serves as a coffin. 
 
 Then they are ready for the body to be taken out; 
 the family of the dead are not allowed to take his body. 
 The body is not passed out through the door but through 
 the window, or they make an opening place for the body. 
 It is believed by the Indians that the passing of a dead 
 body through the door will bring death into that same 
 house again before long. 
 
 They dig a grave just as the white people do, but 
 the body is not laid out at fuU lenght in it, but it is set 
 up like any living person would sit. Then they put at 
 the feet a little pot or kettle, a drinking cup and some 
 food. The Indians say this is for his lunch to eat on his 
 way to the other world. A mat made of rushes serves 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 57 
 
 as a cover before the grave. Then the grave is covered 
 over with earth and a little hill is made over it so as to 
 show the grave. For a week or more his family goes to 
 this grave with food and eats there. The Indians believe 
 this dead person is eating with them. 
 
 After the burial is done they dance around the 
 grave and beat the drum, called in the Indian language a 
 wooden bucket, and then everything is over. 
 
 THE RABBIT AND THE FROG. 
 
 By Joseph Bebeau (Chippewa). 
 
 I've heard an Indian telling the following story about 
 rabbits: 
 
 One day the chief rabbit was looking for something 
 to eat. In the forest he had several narrow escapes for 
 his life. He soon met another rabbit complaining that he 
 also had a narrow escape for life. They held counsel 
 for some time together about destroying their race 
 because they were not any good. They said: "The 
 people bum our bodies and dogs eat us alive and there 
 isn't a thing in the world afraid of us." So they got to- 
 gether and all agreed to drown themselves just because 
 there was nothing afraid of them. 
 
 After they all lined up the chief rabbit said: "We 
 
58 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 will all go to the creek near by and jump in one by one, 
 and he said he was going to take the lead. 
 
 When they got to the creek just as the chief rabbit 
 was about to jump in he scared two frogs, which plunged 
 into the water. Then he turned around and said to 
 the next: "There is really something afraid of us after 
 aJl, so we wUl go back in the woods and live as long as 
 there is a frog living." 
 
 INDIAN STORY OF CINDERELLA. 
 
 By Maude Martin (Chippewa). 
 
 This story of Cinderella is very different from that 
 given in the fable, but many incidents are the same call- 
 ing her Cinderella, as her English name is now-a-days. 
 We will find our Indian Cinderella living with her old 
 grandma, who is very wise, near a large city. Cinderella 
 was very young and beautiful. Her grandma was always 
 trying to find her a fortune. In doing so she wanted to 
 get rid of her. Cinderella was always a dirty, ragged 
 girl beside the other girls, who made fun of her, and 
 called her by the name Cinderella. Cinderella's father 
 had left her with this old lady, who promised to take the 
 very best care of her, when she was very sildall. He 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 59 
 
 went off to a far county to look for a new home after his 
 wife died. 
 
 We will leave Cinderella for a while in her old place 
 of poverty. 
 
 The father goes to a large city where he stays. 
 One day as he went about in the surrounding country he 
 came back into the city from a different direction. As 
 he comes in he sees a beautiful building. He pulls his 
 horse up near the house and shouts and then waits for a 
 while. Very soon a beautiful lady comes out in a purple 
 robe with two girls behind her who frown at him dread- 
 fully. 
 
 Again we find him going back to his own country 
 after his own daughter Cinderella, and on his way he 
 buys beautiful dresses for her. While this father is on 
 his way we will let him go on. And now to find what the 
 old grandmother has been doing. There was word sent 
 out by the king asking for a girl. Whoever brought the 
 queerest and most valuable kind of wood would become 
 his wife. The news came to the old lady. She at once 
 went to work and got a lot of wood and dyed it in such 
 a queer way that people could not tell where she got it, 
 for she did not tell. After she had it all ready she tied 
 it into a bundle so that Cinderella could carry it on her 
 back. She then got Cinderella to go with this wood to 
 the king, but another girl got there first, and was taken 
 as the king's wife. But Cinderella got a reward for her 
 wood. Her old grandmother took it and hid it in her 
 anger at her failure. 
 
 Now Cinderella's father came to take her away. 
 
60 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 They leave the old lady. As they go on her father teUs 
 her of her mother and the sisters who want her to come = 
 soon. They come to the new home which the little girl, 
 Cinderella, does not want to enter, as she has lived in an 
 old tepee always. 
 
 At the first sight of her beauty jealousy is caused 
 on the part of her new sisters and mother. They put 
 her to work thinking it would spoil her beauty. She 
 walks a long distance for water every time any one 
 wants a drink. 
 
 Now the time comes when the two sisters and 
 father and mother go to the ball. She was compelled 
 to stay and work till they came back, when she begged 
 to go. The rest is as the fairy story tells of her. 
 
 INDIAN DANCES 
 
 By Nellie Damon (Navajo). 
 
 These Indians have their dances only when some- 
 body is very sick. I have been to three kinds of dances. 
 But I was quite interested in one that is called the Yei- 
 te-beche. When the person is sick and has been sick 
 for a while, they decide to have a dance or the Indian 
 doctor will sometimes tell them what kind to have. At 
 this dance they say that a man is appointed to go out 
 
INDIAJJ LEGEND S BY HAskELL PUPILS. 61 
 
 and find a scalp of another tribe. Of course I don't 
 know if this is so, or just a saying. 
 
 About the first day they have Indians all masked 
 and painted and go to all the homes of the people. Each 
 one of these men has a large bag. Each person is 
 supposed to give them something — food or money. They 
 are always more thankful if you give them corn poUen, 
 because they always use the pollen of the corn when 
 they pray and in all ceremonies. These men even go 
 as, far as fifteen miles on foot. The provisons are 
 brought to the place where the dance is to be given. 
 
 While these men are out the people begin to come. 
 There is always a large number of them. The dance is 
 now going on in a circle. There are branches of ever- 
 greens and cedar aU around, where the dancers are 
 dancing. In this dance no women take part. They 
 dance day and night for four days. 
 
 While this is going on the ceremony is being per- 
 formed in the door where the sick person is. In this 
 place nobody is allowed unless they can be sober. You 
 cannot even smile at a person when you enter the door 
 until the ceremony is aU done. In this door they have 
 a large pile of yellow sand. This is damp, so it can be 
 fixed like a hill. In these places they have small sacks 
 shaped into different kinds of animals and they go 
 through several kinds of tricks. This is just like a 
 magician. The women who wish to can cook aU day, so 
 if there is anybody who is hungry, they can go to dif- 
 ferent places and get their food. But most of them take 
 their own provisions for the family. The dance always 
 
62 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 lasts four days. At these dances you will see as many 
 horses as there are people. As you know, these Indians 
 make blankets and different kinds of silver trinkets. 
 You wiU see horses with silver bridles and different 
 designs of beautiful blankets and you will see men and 
 women wearing silver beads, belts, rings, ear-rings and 
 bracelets. But the silver ear-rings are just worn by 
 the old Indian men. The men have three ways of comb- 
 ing their hair and the women only one way. 
 
 THE STORY OF LITTLE BEAR. 
 
 By Rebecca Turcotte (Sioux.) 
 
 The Indians are said to have been very superstitious 
 in their religious beUefs, somewhat like the Greeks of 
 old. 
 
 This legend was told by a Sioux woman, and is sup- 
 posed to be true. They supposed the thunder was the 
 chief who had seven sons. These sons were very brave 
 and warlike. These Indians lived in the clouds or were 
 supposed to live in the skies somewhere. Whenever 
 the chief was angry he spoke so loud that even the 
 people on earth heard him. 
 
 They ate snakes and lizards and drank the water 
 which was in their possession, so whenever the people 
 on earth wanted rain they did not always get it. The 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 63 
 
 youngest son of the thunder was the favorite of the 
 f amily. The chief never allowed his youngest son to 
 leave the camp. But one day Little Bear (this was his 
 name) went to a mountain and saw the beautiful earth 
 in its splendor. He decided he would visit it so he al- 
 tered himself to an eagle and flew down and down until 
 he caught sight of a large circle of Indian wigwams, and 
 then rested on the bough of a tree nearby. He watched 
 every movement of the inhabitants. They wore feathers 
 beads, moccasins, and painted their faces; among them 
 were many beautiful maidens. He saw among them one 
 whom he thought was the most beautiful. He was very 
 tired. When the sun started to sink in the golden west 
 he thought he would attempt a visit to the Indian village 
 so he again altered himself to his own being. The maiden 
 he had seen entered a wigwam — the largest of all. She 
 was dressed in the fashion of the village. Never did she 
 dream that a pair of eyes were watching her. It was a 
 custom of these Indians to sing war songs at sunset so 
 if enemies were near they would know they were a brave 
 people. 
 
 Little Bear dressed in his war suit went bravely to 
 the village. He had with him a peace pipe and some 
 bows and arrows, but it was not for war he went, but 
 to make peace with the Indians. The Indian guards 
 who guarded the village saw this stranger about to enter 
 their midst and saw he had a peace pipe in hand. They 
 took him to the chief. He tried to tell of his strange 
 home but could not be understood. He made peace 
 with his new friends. The chief set before him food 
 
64 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 and water and told him to eat. He was not used to the 
 food they gave him, but he tried to eat it, as it would be 
 a great insult if he refused. The maiden and her re- 
 latives were there. As he arose to depart the maiden 
 helped him up and opened the door and sang a song to 
 welcome him back again. She made known her friend- 
 ship by signs and told him to come back again 
 
 Little Bear left the earth and entered his home. 
 He told his father of aU that he had seen. Every even- 
 ing he visited the earth at sunset. One evening when 
 the maiden's father was away Little Bear told his se- 
 cret to her. He told her she must go with him, but she 
 was undecided what to do for she loved her father. She 
 was anxiouh to see the wonderful land he lived in. She 
 told him to come and live on the earth with her, but he 
 said he was to take his father's place in ruling the 
 thunders. She saw him start in reluctance, and finally 
 decided she would take all her loved ones with her and 
 go with him. Thus they departed in a flock of eagles 
 and soon again were in their personal form when they 
 entered the happy hunting grounds as they called them. 
 There they lived happy; no more wars with the Indians 
 on earth. 
 
NEW YEAR'S STORY. 
 
 By a Former Pupil. 
 
 Long ago, it was the custom of the Miami Indians 
 to celebrate New Year's almost as much as Christmas. 
 About two weeks ahead of time they began to make 
 preparations for the feast and practice for their contests 
 of skill with arrows, guns, or at racing. Just a week be- 
 fore New Year's day all the young men were well-armed 
 and sent out in the forest to kill wild game to serve as an 
 offering later on. They were not to return tiU New 
 Year's day, when they might return as early in the 
 morning as they chose, with loud shouts of "Happy New 
 Year's" wishes and songs. 
 
 On New Year's eve all the old men would gather at 
 some place decided upon beforehand, and there they 
 would sing and dance and smoke, not eating anything 
 at all Then they would decide upon the most beautiful 
 girl in face, form and heart in the tribe. After agree- 
 ing on that point, they would all dance and chant on 
 their way to the wigwam of the girl's parents. Then 
 her mother would rouse her and after decking her out 
 quite grandly, she feeling very proud of her daughter, 
 would take her out to the old men who received the shy 
 maiden gallantly and conveyed her to a wigwam situated 
 apart from the rest. They then built fires around near 
 the wigwam and rolling themselves in their blankets, 
 would chant themselves to sleep. 
 
 Next morning bright and early the air would be filled 
 
66 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 with the shouts and songs of the young men, returning 
 triumphant, loaded with game, eager to know whom the 
 lovely maiden would choose for her lover and husband. 
 At day break, everyone would be up, wishing each other 
 "A Happy New Year," and the Indian women would be- 
 gin to prepare for the great feast, which was one of the 
 most important features of NewYear's day. Yet, as 
 hungry as everyone was, none ate until after a certain 
 event happened, for this was the custom. When the 
 young men came all the Indians congregated in a circle 
 around the lovely maiden's wigwam, the young men form- 
 ing the inner circle, with their game near them. 
 
 Then the young girl's father, or nearest male rela- 
 tive, would take her hand, and while the old men chanted 
 a beautiful song to the low beat of the drum, the maiden 
 modestly made her choice. When her choice was made, 
 she stood chanting a sweet, soft melody which only the 
 Indian maidens can sing, and when they understood her 
 song and knew the one whom she loved, the happy young 
 brave would run and place his offering at her feet. Then 
 the oldest, bravest chief and her father made grand 
 speeches praising girl and boy both and gave her to the 
 young man. 
 
 The other young men gave their game and presents 
 to the happy couple, and gifts would be exchanged be- 
 tween each other. Many would be the wishes and hand- 
 shakings in this crowd of Indians. Then next would 
 come the feast, thoroughly enjoyed by all, as Indians 
 were not troubled with indigestion. After this all en- 
 joyed the games and contests of skill which were entered 
 into later on. 
 
CHRISTMAS AMONG THE NEZ PERCE. 
 
 By Caleb Carter (Nex Perce). 
 
 When Christmas comes there are usually two 
 camp-meetings among the Nez Perce Indians in Idaho— 
 the religious and the heathen. Diimers are served at 
 
 certain houses during the day where aU are welcome 
 
 rich and poor alike. During the day let us visit the 
 heathen camps and then come back after supper to the 
 religious camp. " When we get there we find that they 
 are dressing up, men, women and children to take part 
 in a dance called "Tokaywa." This dance comes from 
 the ancient Nez Perce Indians, and was used by them 
 in the winter only. The first one is regarded as May 
 30th among the pale-fj^s. They take out everything 
 that has been handed to them from their grandfathers 
 or grandmothers. This includes buffalo robes (gen- 
 uine), war-boimets, buckshin shirts, leggings, and elk- 
 teeth dresses, many of which are at least from forty to 
 sixty years old. The first dance is sad. All are mourn- 
 ing over their lost or the dead. Probably this is done to 
 remind the poor widow whose husband took part in this 
 dance a year ago but who now is dead. Women and 
 girls are dressed in war-bonnets in this dance. While 
 the dance is going on ususaUy the chief will be in the 
 center beating thedrum four times ina longwhile. They 
 have one special song for this, also handed down for 
 generations to the very present day. In this song every- 
 body will be crying. When this song is ended and the 
 
68 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 dancing ceases then they can have any kind of dancing 
 they want, as a war dance, a round dance, a spirit dance, 
 or, as some call it, a ghost dance, and a siletz dance. 
 The latter comes from the ancient Puget Sound Indians 
 thought to be extinct. But the first two dances are 
 preferred. Here they give many things away the same 
 as at other festivals. 
 
 During a war-dance when anybody loses a feather 
 or any ornament, some brave fellow must step in and 
 pick it up. When the feather is lost suddenly the song 
 changes into a commotion like the beating of a drum 
 which represents a battle. And then they change off 
 and all drummers and singers beat the drum together 
 at the same time and the bucks go around in a big circle 
 where this feather is. Then aU of a sudden a brave steps 
 into the middle and goes near this feather as if he was 
 in a real battle. He walks around it two or three times 
 and hits it with his hatchet or tomahawk. Here every- 
 body yells as if they had won the fight. When every- 
 body is seated he starts out and points in a certain di- 
 rection where he took part in a war against some tribe and 
 teUs it all as it actually happened and he also tells what 
 brave deed he did there or how many scalps he took that 
 day. 
 
 AU his deeds are marked down on his shield or on 
 his body. An old time Sioux or Crow or any of those 
 Northwestern Indians can understand it just like com- 
 mercial students of Haskell Institute understand short- 
 hand. When he is through they sing one song, usually 
 one that has been handed down from generations. 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 69 
 
 When this song is ended the warrior steps out again, 
 and gives money, blankets, or anything as an expression 
 of thanks that he escaped death by a narrow margin. 
 These presents he usnally hands to the chief for him 
 to give to some stranger from some other reservation. 
 
 Now we have enjoyed the day at the heathen camp 
 and have seen some curious relics of the ancient Indians, 
 not fakes but aU genuine. Now let us go back in the 
 evening and witness the program given by the religious 
 Indians. 
 
 The young men of the church have been hard at 
 work getting up the program as well as decorating the 
 Christmas trees. No boy or girl goes home without a 
 present, no matter how rich or how poor he may be. As 
 this program is much like our own here at Haskell one 
 can readily imagine it without my teUing about it. Some 
 of the old Indians gives speeches in their own language. 
 
 A closing hymn is sung, usually, a song translated 
 by Doctor Spaulding, who crossed the Rocky Mountains 
 with Doctor Marcus Whitman the same time Lewis and 
 Clark made their famous expedition. And so the Christ- 
 mas celebration ends. 
 
HOW THE SNAKE HELPED AN INDIAN BOY. 
 
 By a Former Pupil. 
 
 Once upon a time there were four brothers. Their 
 father and mother had died. The brothers wanted to 
 get one of the chief's wives, for the chief of the tribe 
 had two wives. Once the chief's wife went to get water 
 at the river near the camp or village, so one of the 
 brothers went and spoke to her and asked her for a 
 drink. The squaw said, "No, the chief might get you;" 
 but the man said, "Come, give me one," so this woman 
 did. She went back to the camp and the chief was sit- 
 ting outside of the tent, or tepee. When he saw her 
 coming he said, "Give me a drink," so she gave him a 
 cupful of water. He lifted it up and smeUed it and said, 
 "Some one's been drinking before me." She said 
 nothing and took the water in the tepee. That night the 
 chief sent worms to this fellow's tent and when they 
 went to wake him up he was dead, but they knew nothing 
 about how it happened. The chief killed all the brothers 
 but one — the smallest one — so he went from home crying. 
 After he got into the mountains he heard someone call- 
 ing him, so he looked up and saw the thunder who asked 
 him what was the matter. The boy told him and the 
 thunder said: "Well, I can't do anything for he is my 
 grandson." This boy went on and met the cyclone or 
 tornado, and it asked what was the matter. The boy told 
 the tornado the same thing, so the tornado said, "I can't 
 do anything for you, for he is my grandson," and so the 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 71 
 
 boy went on crying. He met several things which said 
 the same thing. At last he heard someone calling him. 
 He looked around and saw a snake. The snake asked 
 him what was the matter, so the boy told him. The 
 snake said, "That is the man I hate," and he gave him 
 one of his teeth and said: "When he calls you to smoke 
 with him go and go around him and when you get behind 
 him throw it in the tobacco." He also said: "Go to that 
 man over there and get a hide with swallows drawn on 
 it and in the night-time he wiU send worms to your tent 
 if you get a drink from his wife. Stretch the hide over 
 you and just as the worms touch you shake it." 
 
 This boy went home with the tooth and hide and that 
 evening he went to talk to the chief's wife and asked 
 her for a drink, but she said, "I cannot do it for he has 
 killed aU your brothers and now if I give you a drink he 
 will MU you." But he said, "No, come on, give me a 
 d-iink of water. " So she gave him a drink, and when she 
 took it back the chief did the same thing. 
 
 That night the chief sent worms to the Indian's tent 
 or tepee. He heard them coming. After a while they 
 came in the tepee. Just as one touched him he shook 
 the hide which he had over him and the tepee was full of 
 swallows and they ate all of the worms up. The next 
 morning the Indian came out to breakfast. The chief 
 was standing outside and said to his wife: "I thought 
 that fcUow was dead." 
 
 The next night the chief sent snakes. This Indian 
 was lying the same with the hide over him, and when he 
 heard them coming he got ready and just as soon as one 
 
72 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 snake touched him he shook the hide again and the swal- 
 lows did the same way. He came out again and the chief 
 was out also. 
 
 That evening the chief called all the young men to- 
 gether and so this young Indian thought he would go. 
 He got ready and took the tooth with him. When he 
 got there the chief told him to come in. He did so, and 
 started to go around him. When he got behind the chief 
 he threw the tooth in the tobacco and took his place with 
 the rest. When the chief started to fill up the pipe he 
 stuck himself with the. tooth and his hand started to 
 bleed. He tried to stop it but he could not do it, so he 
 looked to see what stuck him, but he could not find it. 
 Then he told the young men to come the next night and so 
 they all went home. The chief began to suffer from the 
 tooth which stuck him. His arm began to sweU up. He 
 sent for this young Indian to come. He did so and he 
 blew on his arm and the poison spread all over his body 
 and that night he died. In the morning they found him. 
 
WHAT THE TWO-FACED PEOPLE DID. 
 
 By Anna Carlow (Sioux). 
 
 Once when some Indians were at our place we told 
 them to tell us a story, so they told us about two little In- 
 dain girls. 
 
 They said there were two little girls who lived 
 with their mother who were very cross sometimes. 
 Their mother used to tell them to be good, but they would 
 not. So one time when they were bad their mother 
 told them a story. She said there was a man who lived 
 near in the creek who had two faces — one in front of his 
 head and the other in the back. She said that he would 
 take bad girls and make them live with him and would 
 treat them badly. So one time one little girl got cross 
 and the mother put her outside and told the two-faced 
 man to get her. So he came and took her with him. 
 
 The mother felt very sorry afterward and so she 
 hunted for her little girl until she had found her. "When 
 she found her she was sitting near the bank crying for 
 her mother. When the man saw the mother coming he 
 took her down under the water and hid her, but the 
 mother went down in and got her. 
 
 The lady said she thought the place was just a hole 
 in the ground, but when she went down in there she saw 
 stairs thet led down into a nice house under the water, 
 which had lights bulging aU around and looked very nice. 
 There were men, women and children who had two 
 
74 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 faces. They were all glad to see her and let her take her 
 child home and said that if she was bad again they 
 would come after her. 
 
 The little girl told her mother of the place and said 
 they treated her badly if she was not nice, and she said 
 she learned to be good ever after. She said that when 
 the people down there slept the two eyes in front were 
 sleeping while the others were open to watch and see 
 that no one came to destroy their nice home. The httle 
 girl told her mother she would be good, and she always 
 was. The other li^ttle girl was very good after her sister 
 was taken by this man. 
 
 CHRISTMAS CELBRATION AMONG THE 
 INDIANS 
 
 By Irvin Hunt (Pueblo). 
 
 Among the tribes of the Pueblos the Indians cele- 
 brate Christmas by a dance which they caU "A Coman- 
 che Dance." 
 
 This dance is a War Dance, among these Indians, 
 except they are peaceful and dance in a more graceful 
 way than the War Dance is danced among other tribes 
 of Indians. 
 
 The twenty -fifth of December the tribe called 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 76 
 
 "Acoma" commence their celebration of Christmas and 
 it lasts four days. On Christmas night the Indians are 
 up at midnight and ring the bells. They also build a 
 large fire in front of the church. All the Indians then 
 goto church on Christmas morning with their harps 
 and whistles. The governor and his assistants stay in 
 the church all morning tiU all the people come to church. 
 They do this in remembrance of Christ's birth, and they 
 have some men in the church to guard it all day. The 
 people go to the altar and pray for themselves. Even 
 the children are taught to say a prayer while going up 
 to the altar. These Indians do not go to church like the 
 "Paleface" who has to be in church at regular hours. 
 
 This first day corresponds to Christmas Day among 
 the white people. The Indians of this tribe say that 
 there is not much dancing on the first day, but there is 
 on the second day. The Indian men have houses which 
 have openings in the center of the roofs, where they 
 have a ladder to go in and out. This place is where 
 they hold many different ceremonies. Before Christmas 
 there are men who are chosen as singers, and they have 
 to gather so many men to teach them to sing songs. 
 They would sing a song through once and they would 
 learn it. They sit in a circle around a ' 'tumtum. ' ' They 
 make new songs every year. They have many dancers 
 from these houses and they take turns in dancing. 
 
 On the second day the people have a great feast and 
 invite one another to the feast. The dancers are dressed 
 in buckskin and have on their best moccasins, beads and 
 different silver ornaments which are made by them- 
 
76 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 selves. Dancers paint their faces in various colors, and 
 wear feathers; also war- bonnets on their heads. These 
 dancers carry long poles with a long horse-tail on the 
 end of it to represent a scalp. They have this horse-tail 
 on the pole because they do not have any more scalps. 
 Others have bows and arrows with sleighbells on the 
 ends of their bows. The women take part in this dance. 
 The women dancers are painted by the men dancers. 
 They wear the softest feathers of an eagle on their hair 
 and have their hands painted white. The men dancers 
 must each have one of these women to dance with. 
 
 They dance in a circle land the singers beat a 
 "tum-tum," following the dancers or sometimes a large 
 drum made out of a carved log which is sometimes three 
 or four feet long and a foot in diameter with a goat skin 
 stretched over the ends. When the singers begin their 
 songs the women dancers stand in a circle and the men 
 dancers are in the middle giving war whoops. Then the 
 dance begins. The men know where their places are, 
 and they dance about twenty minutes with one of these 
 songs. This dance goes on for three days, but the last 
 day they have other dances and it is the biggest day for 
 the Indians. After the four days' celebration of Christ- 
 mas the Indian men of this tribe hold a meeting to elect 
 a new governor; also other ofScers for the tribe and this 
 goes on year after year among the "Acoma" Pueblos. 
 
AN INDIAN HUNTER. 
 
 By Josiah Davis (Creek). 
 
 A long time ago, when this country was new, the 
 Indians used bows and arrows and hatchets (tomahawks) 
 in hunting. The Indians liked to go off and hunt. So a 
 long time ago an Indian went hunting. He started in the 
 evening. When he got to the place he was tired and hun- 
 gry. He had killed squirrels on his way and when he had 
 every thing fixed around where he went to camp he 
 cooked his supper. He had several dogs with him and 
 when he had supper ready, he gave some to his dogs- 
 After he had eaten his supper, he made a big fire in 
 order to keep himself warm. He sat by the fire straight- 
 ening his arrows and fixing his bow, when he heard a 
 loud cry as if some one was lost and calling for help. 
 He stood up and listened, but he didn't hear any more 
 voices, so he said to his dogs, "That is aa owl trying to 
 scare us." He was a brave old Indian and the country 
 around his camp was nothing but forest and there was 
 lots of game; lots of wolves, too. He sat talking to his dogs 
 when aU of a sudden he heard a noise. He jumped up 
 and said: "Who are you and what do you want?" But 
 there was no answer. He tried to make his dogs go after 
 whatever it was, but the dogs did not dare to go in the 
 dark. So this brave Indian went to see what it was. 
 When he came to the place he did not find anything. He 
 returned to his camp and sat there aU night thinking 
 that the wolf might try to get him. 
 
78 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PXTPILS. 
 
 Next morning he went hunting and killed lots of 
 game, such as deer, squirrels, fox, and so on. He stayed 
 there a good while, then decided he would go a little 
 farther. So he packed up what he had and started to 
 find a new camping place. He made his way by cutting 
 the bushes, and when he found his camping place he put 
 everything in order. The next morning he started out 
 to hunt. He went several mUes away from his camp 
 when he came to another camp. There was a high hiU 
 and he sat on top of that hill and looked and saw the 
 camp. He wondered whose it could be. He went to the 
 camp and found two children, a boy and a girl. He asked 
 them where the other folks were. The boy told him 
 that everybody had gone hunting and had not returned 
 yet. It was in the evening and he thought he would re- 
 turn to his camp, but the two children begged him to stay 
 with them through the night, so he did. Next morning 
 he was going back to his camp, and told the children he 
 would come near the place and make his camp. The 
 other hunters did not return and the children were 
 afraid to stay, but he left them and went on his way to 
 the camp. 
 
 He came back to his camp safe and found the camp 
 was all right. He decided to stay at his old camp 
 through the night. Just as he did before he made a big 
 fire and he sat there by the fire fixing his arrows and 
 bows. As he sat there he heard some one whistle. He 
 jumped up and stood there singing his war song when 
 he heard some one say "Stop." He stopped and said: 
 "Who are you? Come and I'll put your body into the 
 river and you will be soon in the happy hunting ground. ' 
 
INDIAN L EGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 79 
 
 Then he saw a short little fellow coming. He said: "So 
 you are trying to scare me out of my camp. " This little 
 fellow said nothing, but came and stood by the fire. 
 The little man had long hair. He started to say some 
 funny words to him and this brave man did not know 
 what to do. He sat there and thought how he could 
 make the little fellow go. While he sat there, there was 
 a noise in the woods and when this little man heard it he 
 jumped up and started off. After a whUe a tall man 
 came to the camp with a long whip. He had lots of dogs 
 with him. These dogs were coons, pole cats and all of 
 the small animals. This taU man asked this Indian 
 where the little fellow went to and he told him where he 
 had gone. The tall man told him not to stay in the same 
 place through the night. He said this little man would 
 bother him in the night. This taU man is said to be the 
 king of all the Brownies. He lives in the woods and up in 
 the mountains. This is believed by the old Creek In- 
 dians. They call this man "Tall man. " The old Indians 
 say that this man is stiU living and that he can sit on top 
 of a tree and put his feet on the ground. The coons, 
 foxes, pole-cats and all of the dog-like animals are his 
 dogs. If you kill too many coons or foxes this man will 
 whip you with his whip and cut you into. This is be- 
 lieved among the Creek Indians. Almost every Creek 
 child has heard this story. If it is not this story they 
 have heard something about the tail man. 
 
 The next morning the Indian started for the camp 
 he had found. He got lost on the way and made his 
 camp near to the river. The tall man came to him again 
 
80 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 and found him. And this brave old Indian hunter told 
 him about the camp he had found. The tall man told 
 him that this little fellow was always playing some jokes 
 on every hunter that came to the place. So these were 
 not children at all as he thought they were, but they 
 were only the family of this little feUow. These two 
 children tried to make him stay so when the little man 
 came back they would kill this Indian. So he turned 
 and went the other way. The tall man went and gath- 
 ered all his people together and told them he would 
 find this httle man and kill him. They all agreed to do 
 this. The little fellow found it out and went off. The 
 little feUow never has been caught yet. When in the 
 evening you hear a big noise in the woods as if someone 
 is calling for help the old Creek Indians say "There goes 
 that httle fellow." This the Creeks believe yet. The 
 Creeks say that when this little fellow is caught it will 
 be the last day of the world. This is stUl behaved among 
 the old Indians. 
 
 Lots of other things happened to this Indian while 
 he was out hunting, but I am not able to tell it aU, for I 
 have forgotten some of the things that happened. I do 
 not know whether other Indians have heard it before or 
 not. This is an old story which is told many, many 
 times by the Creek Indians. This hunter was a warrior, 
 and was a great man among his tribe. This is of course 
 not a true story, but is only a fable, as we might call it. 
 But old Indians teH this story when they are seated by 
 the fire. 
 
CUSTOMS AMONG THE SIOUX INDIANS. 
 
 By Emily Robertson (Sioux) 
 
 The Sioux Indians have many ways of feasting and 
 worshiping. They give a feast when a baby is born, 
 and again when a person dies they have a feast, but they 
 are much alike and only a person who knows can distin- 
 guish the difference. It seems strange, does it not, that 
 they should have the same, or nearly the same, kind of 
 festivities for both the sad, and joyful occasions? When 
 a feast is given for a baby the one who has named the 
 child is considered the honored guest, and he or she is 
 supposed to bring most of the food for the feast, besides 
 bringing lovely presents to the baby. They celebrate 
 and have a joUy time. 
 
 But when a feast is given for the dead, it is alto- 
 gether different. AU the guests or friends of the dead 
 come dressed in black, and sometimes the men have 
 little or nothing on their arms and legs, and these are 
 all cut with knives — that is, if they are relatives of the 
 person for whom they are mourning. I have seen even 
 women cut themselves with knives and very near every 
 time the women cut their long beautiful hair off close to 
 the head. 
 
 One time, so long ago I can hardly remember it, the 
 Indians were aU camped in a circle around the station 
 where their rations were issued to them (twice a month), 
 and a man rode through the camps calling out in a loud 
 voice that White Elk's (one of the prominent Indian 
 
82 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 men's daughter) had died and he wanted everybody to 
 go over there. This man was the girl's uncle and he 
 had cut his arms and legs all up so that they were 
 bleeding badly. He thought that by doing this, he 
 could show his sympathy for the sorrowing, bereaved 
 parents. 
 
 One time, too, a family lost a little boy that was the 
 pet of the whole camp. The whole family cut their 
 hair — you see even the men have long hair — then they 
 gave everything that belonged to the little boy away, 
 but the horse he used to ride. That they took to the 
 grave with the body and after the usual funeral serv- 
 ices they performed some ceremonies ovey the horse 
 and finally shot it there by the grave. They thought 
 that he would need it to ride. They also believe that 
 the soul rests in the tomb so many days before going 
 to the next world, and during this time they fast. 
 
 The Sioux Indians are not allowed to dance the sun- 
 dance any more, but they used to dance it long ago. 
 They would put up a pole inside of a large tent that had 
 no top, or rather there was a big hole in the top so that 
 the sun could be seen, and on top of the pole they would 
 put a buffalo skull or anything else they wanted to wor- 
 ship. The men who were to dance would cut a slit in 
 the flesh on the shoulder and put a stick through this 
 gash in their flesh and sometimes this would be fas- 
 tened to the i)ole, and then they would dance around the 
 pole three whole days without stopping looking up at 
 the sun all the while, except when it went down of 
 course. Every little while the women folks would come 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 83 
 
 in bringing all manner of good things to eat, but the 
 men only blessed them and did not eat. I am glad I 
 have never seen this barbarous way of worshiping, but 
 I have heard of worse things than that. 
 
 One custom that the Indians stiU keep is that of 
 the "Red Penny." They have a penny that is kept in a 
 beaded bag and a committee is appointed to give it to a 
 certain person of a family. Then this person a year 
 after is supposed to give a large feast and give away 
 horses and all sorts of beaded work, such as they make 
 themselves, and they usually have a big time over it. 
 But even this custom is dying out and soon it, too, will 
 be forgotten. 
 
 THE MEDICINE MAN. 
 
 By Mary M. Chase (Chippewa) . 
 
 The Indians have their doctors, too, as weU as the 
 white man, and have their way of healing the sick by 
 roots and different kinds of herbs. The Indian medi- 
 cine man receives his calls from the person who is to be 
 doctored, presenting him with tobacco, and some article 
 of clothing or pottery. But first of all tobacco must be 
 given to him, as it is believed by these medicine men 
 that tobacco is one of the most pleasing gifts to the 
 Great Spirit, and without it the medicine man could 
 not exercise his powers. 
 
84 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 The wigwam in which this is being done, both with- 
 in and without, must be kept very quiet. A blanket is 
 spread on the ground on which the patient is laid; then 
 the performances begin. 
 
 First, the medicine man sings a song and teU his 
 dreams. These medicine men claim to get their power 
 of curing the sick from certain animals that they 
 dream about, such as the tortoise, the bear, the lion, 
 and other wild animals. But above all the thunder is 
 the great giver of healing power. 
 
 While the medicine man sings he holds in his hands 
 a little drum or rattle, shaking it vigorously, striking his 
 breast and sides, first to the right, then to the left, then 
 beating his back, singing all the while, and blowing in 
 the face of the patient and whistling now and then. The 
 medicine man now takes out two or three little flat bones 
 which must be the bones of some animal he claims 
 favors him in his dreams. These little flat bones are 
 a little over an inch long and about an inch wide. He 
 takes these one by one, swallows them, and brings them 
 up again. This he does a number of times, after which 
 he uses another article — a Uttle horn — with which he 
 blows on the chest of the patient, and sometimes claims 
 that some kind of a worm, feather or quill is obtained 
 by doing this. He begins singing again as he did at 
 first, but this time rings a string of little beUs, and all 
 is over. The medicine man then tells whether the pa- 
 tient wiU live or die. 
 
CHRISTMAS AMONG THE PAP AGO INDIANS. 
 
 By H. E. Rafael (Papago). 
 
 About nine miles south of Tucson, Arizona, is 
 located a reservation called San Xavier, which is sup- 
 posed to be above aU the Papago villages. Here on 
 this reservation stands a large Catholic church v?hich 
 is used by aU. Catholics. This large church is usually 
 decorated with lights on Christmas eve. All those by 
 the name of Jose have a place arranged by itself where 
 they meet on Christmas evening, and pray aU that night. 
 
 Here in this house at one end of the building an 
 altar is placed and decorated with flowers and candles. 
 Saints are also pleiced on the altar; right in front of this 
 altar a place is decorated with finest cloth and in this 
 place lays a baby representing our Lord, and everybody 
 has a right to see him. 
 
 At midnight the church beUs wUl ring, guns are 
 fired and the baby is visited by the spectators. Candies 
 of aU kinds are passed by the people in charge of the 
 feast. If no candy is bought something else is passed 
 in place of candy. 
 
 This Christmas feast among the members of my 
 tribe is similar to the one that occurs on December 3. 
 This only lasts one day and one night but is enjoyed 
 by the dancers. 
 
 Among the villages are often found persons who can 
 dance by themselves. They have their own things, such 
 as belts fixed up nice, and from these belts hang short 
 
86 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 strings about five or six inches long, and on the ends of 
 each string are tied some kind of ornaments which 
 jingle like sleigh beUs. These Indians are often called 
 upon to dance for them. Some of these men just like 
 to dance because sometimes a young girl is caUed upon 
 to dance with him. So when he is called upon he goes 
 off to his place and gets ready. In a little while he 
 comes back with painted face and sometimes with a 
 mask on. Down on his ankles he ties some things which 
 make a noise like the rattle of a rattlesnake. 
 
 These kind of dances are very common to the Papa- 
 go tribe. As soon as they see the man coming they be- 
 gin to yeU and urge him to do so and so, especially when 
 he begins to dance. As he is dancing he makes funny 
 motions so as to make the people laugh at him. Some- 
 times a girl gets up and dances with him without being 
 told. 
 
CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL AMONG INDIANS. 
 
 By Julia Seelatsee (Yakima). 
 
 I will try to teU of the way th6 Indians spend their 
 Christmas on the Yakima Reservation. Of course this 
 only refers to the Indians who have not yet been civi- 
 lized — those who still cling to their old Indian ways 
 and customs. 
 
 Their religious belief is entirely different from the 
 white people's. They believe there is no such thing as 
 God, but they think that there is a heaven, and every one 
 who goes there is equal; there is no one to look up to. 
 But anyhow on Christmas they have a good time. The 
 men during the hunting season kiU deer, bear and other 
 animals and some move to the Columbia River to dry 
 and salt salmon. 
 
 The women in the spring go out digging roots. 
 There are ever so many kinds ; some are good, too. They 
 gather all kinds of berries and dry them and put them 
 up. Then on Christmas day they all bring them to a 
 "long church;" they call it the "Bom-bom" church. 
 Here they do their cooking. They boU almost every- 
 thing they cook. They have their Indian bread made of 
 roots, which in their own tongue they caU "a-moe-meU." 
 The bread is in a round form, about the size of a small 
 marble. The roots, when dug and washed, they pound 
 and mold into different shapes. Then it is dried in the 
 sun. After it is dry it is just as crisp and looks so white. 
 Sometimes they put sugar in it to make it taste sweet. 
 
88 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 Well, when everything is prepared, they set the table on 
 the ground and they all squat around. 
 
 Before they begin eating, usually the chief makes a 
 little speech. After he has finished they begin eating 
 in this manner: They first eat the salmon, till that is all 
 gone; then the meat of deer, bear or whatever it may be; 
 then the roots, then the berries and last comes water. 
 On great occasions they don't use coffee, but take water 
 instead. 
 
 After their dinner is over they dance all kinds of 
 dances. Some of them are very pretty to witness, es- 
 pecially when they are dressed in their native costumes. 
 They also sing some pretty religious Indian songs. 
 
 This dancing and singing goes on for almost two 
 weeks after Christmas. Every year Christmas is cele- 
 brated in this manner. 
 
 A CHIPPEWA BELIEF. 
 
 By Thomas St. Germaine (Chippewa). 
 Some fifteen years ago a fat little Indian boy could be 
 seen running around his father's flag-pole, which stood 
 in front of the house as an emblem of peace and good- 
 will given by the Great Spirit, 6i-sha-manito. The house 
 was no more than an old-fashioned log cabin. His father 
 was a close observer of aU the religious ceremonies of 
 .the Indians. One form of worship was called the medi- 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 89 
 
 cine dance, which consisted of singing, dancing and 
 feasting and lasted three or four days at a time. When- 
 ever these dances occurred the boy was a happy par- 
 ticipant. 
 
 About this time his mother having seen in him the 
 longing for an education, took advantage of the kind 
 and generous offer of the government and sent him to 
 one of the large schools. There for the first time in his 
 life he heard about Jesus from a preacher, who came 
 every Sunday to the school to talk to the pupils. He 
 tried hard to find out aU about this wonderful character, 
 who seemed so good and loving. When he got home he 
 told his mother about it and even made his resolution 
 that some day he would follow the white man's religion. 
 
 His mother, however, discouraged him, saying that 
 since he was born an Indian and had the religion of the 
 Great Spirit sealed upon him through certain ceremonies 
 when he was a little papoose, he would surely lose his 
 soul. His mother would say, ' 'When the white man dies 
 his soul goes to his god just the same as the soul of an 
 Indian does when he dies. There are two gods, the 
 white man's god and our god, and if you break the laws 
 of our religion by adopting that of the white man and 
 try to enter where their souls go they will not take you 
 in, but will say I know you not, for you do not belong 
 here and must go to your god where your people go 
 when they die and where you belong, and when you get 
 there they wiU teU you the same thing, and what wiU 
 you do then? You will not be able to do anything but 
 to wander and wander until you will be obliged to go to 
 a certain place in search of rest, but where you will find 
 
90 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 none. Instead you will find an ugly man with a long 
 tail, long claws on his fingers and a trident in his hand, 
 standing by an ever boiling caldron, turning the lost 
 souls of men, who are there boiling forever and ever." 
 
 WHY RABBITS HAVE PROMINENT EYES. 
 
 By James Norrls (Iowa). 
 
 Once upon a time there lived a rabbit with his grand- 
 ma, and so one day he told her he was going to give a feast 
 and he went out hunting and he killed a deer and brought 
 it home. His grandmother skinned it and cooked some 
 of it. He told her to go outside and stay out there until 
 they went home. She was old and did what her grand- 
 son wanted her to do and he sat in the tent. 
 
 The rabbit told her there was going to be a race and 
 he thought a one-eyed fellow was going to come out ahead 
 and told her to stand where she could catch him as he 
 came to the end of the track, because he had a great 
 many ponies and other stuff. So she said she would, 
 and went back behind the tent and sat down. 
 
 In those days the tents were made of buffalo hide, 
 and the door was made of the same kind of stuff. So he 
 sat down by the door and began to eat. He had a long 
 stick with which he would lift the door and drop it, just 
 as if someone came in and let it drop. He would talk to 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 91 
 
 himself just as if he was talking to somebody. He did 
 this untU. he ate everjrthing up; then he called his grand- 
 mother to come and eat what she could find. 
 
 "WeU," he said, "they are going to run that race 
 and I must go, too." So he went and when he got to 
 the starting place he took one of his eyes out and 
 wrapped it up with leaves and put it in a little bush and 
 started. He was aU by himself and he went running as 
 hard as he could run and yeUing just as if there was 
 a big gang of them coming. As he got in sight he saw 
 his grandmother waiting for that one-eyed fellow to 
 win the race and he came in and the old lady grabbed 
 him. He said "I wiU give you two ponies if you will let 
 me go," so she did, but did not get them because it 
 was her grandson. She did not know him because he 
 had only one eye. 
 
 When he went back to get his eye it was gone. A 
 mouse got it and he could not find it, so he put an acorn 
 in its place. They say that is the reason rabbits' eyes 
 bulge out like they are now, because that one rabbit 
 did that. Only one rabbit spoiled the looks of aU the 
 rabbits by putting that acorn in his eye. 
 
 This was told me by an old Indian a long time ago 
 when I was very small. That Indian was an uncle of 
 mine. 
 
AN INDIAN THANKSGIVING. 
 
 By Eugene McCauley (Chippewa). 
 
 When the Indians have a Thanksgiving the chief in- 
 vites all of the braves and warriors of his village to come 
 nd have a feast with him. When they are all there 
 the chief assembles them in a circle and then he 
 stands up and gives a speech. Then some of the braves 
 give short speeches. After the speeches are over the 
 small Indian boys and girls act as waiters and bring 
 each Indian a bowl of soup and some meat, and the feast 
 begins. 
 
 The Indians come dressed in their best buckskin 
 suits and feathers. They talk, joke and make merry, 
 and tell stories while they eat. After they have had 
 enough to eat the chief fiUs his peace-pipe and takes a 
 puff and blows it from him, then takes another and 
 blows it upward to the sky. Then he passes it on. It 
 is considered by the Indians very impolite to laugh, talk, 
 or even smile while this ceremony is going on. T^Lf ter 
 the pipe has been around the circle the chief takes it 
 and smokes awhile in silence, then he gets up and says 
 some prayers while everyone sits as stiU as a mouse. 
 
 After the prayers the Indians have a little time to 
 fix themselves up and look around the village. When 
 the chief beats on a drum all the Indians come and sit 
 in a circle the same as before. Then a squaw brings a 
 large drum into the circle and some of the braves sit 
 around the drum and sing to the Great Spirit. One In- 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 93 
 
 dian at a time gets up and begins to dance. The dance is 
 not like a war dance, but everyone is silent except those 
 who beat the drum and sing. They do not dance fast and 
 wild, but slow and solemn. Sometimes the squaws and 
 children take part in the dance. They dance for four 
 or five hours and one by one they drop out until there 
 is no more dancing. Then the Indians stop singing 
 and put the drum away. 
 
 THE MESSAGE THE FIREBALLS BROUGHT. 
 
 By Ella McCauley (Winnebago). 
 
 In one of the beautiful valleys along the Missouri 
 lived the tribe of Indians called the Winnebago. Among 
 these Indians years ago there was a brave and handsome 
 young man. He had just married a beautiful young 
 maiden and they thought a great deal of each other. 
 One day there was a great battle with another tribe that 
 was always at war with this tribe. AU the men were 
 gathered together to get ready for battle. This young 
 man joined the war party. When the men were starting 
 away all their wives, sisters and mothers cried and 
 felt very sad because they thought they would never see 
 the men again. 
 
 Before the men started they told the women that on 
 the evening of the fourth day after they had left to all sit 
 
94 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 outside the tents and that they must have some of the 
 clothes that belonged to the men near them and at a 
 certain time they would know whether their husbands 
 were kUled or not. Anyway they must all do as they 
 were told to do and there would come to them some little 
 round balls of fire, which were the spirits of these men. 
 If one of the balls of fire passed over a man's clothes then 
 they would know that he was kiUed, but if these little 
 fireballs came and lit on the clothes then they were not 
 killed. 
 
 And that evening at the time appointed by the men, 
 as the women were aU sitting outside their tents with 
 some of the clothes that belonged to their men they saw 
 the fireballs coming a long distance off. Tbey came 
 very fast and when they got to the clothes they stopped. 
 So the women were all glad for they knew that their hus 
 bands were all living. But no fireball came to this young 
 woman's bundle of clothes, so she began to feel uneasy 
 about it. At last they saw it coming very slowly all by 
 itself, and it came nearer and nearer, and then it passed 
 right over its clothes and went on beyond the tent into 
 the darkness and was lost to sight. Then she knew that 
 her husband was dead and when the other men came back 
 they told her he had been killed that very evening. She 
 began to weep and did not care for anything. 
 
PAPAGO LEGEND OF ANCIENT TIMES. 
 
 By Jose Lewis, Pablo Narcha and Jose Antonio (Papago) . 
 
 In the Papago tribe they have many legends and 
 traditions which are handed down from father to son. 
 Perhaps the longest and most prized is the one in which 
 Sii-hah is the prominent character. About once a year 
 different Indians wUl go to one of the old men and ask 
 him to tell this story and he appoints a night when all 
 may gather to hear it. These Indians never teU stories 
 in the daytime, but always at night. There are differ- 
 ent versions of this legend, as one hearer remembers 
 one thing and another a different part, although it is 
 claimed the old men tell it always one way. The follow- 
 ing version was written by Jose Lewis, a Papago stu- 
 dent at Haskell, assisted by Pablo Narcha and Jose An- 
 tonio, who say there is but one old man left in their 
 branch of the tribe who can relate the entire legend: 
 
 This legend is dated way back before the flood and 
 has been handed down from one generation to another. 
 It is very long, as it is interwoven with many songs ap- 
 propriate for the occasion. It usually takes the narra- 
 tor from three to four whole nights to complete it. The 
 writer finds it difficult to tell the whole story or legend 
 in a limited space so will just teU some of the principal 
 
 events. 
 
 Many, many years ago, so the legend goes, there was 
 bom a boy. This boy at an early age began to show signs 
 of becoming an extraordinary man among his people. He 
 
96 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 excelled his playmates in aU their sports. When he be- 
 came a man he could do things better than any other 
 person. He was a better medicine man and a better 
 hunter. He possessed powers that no other person had. 
 Because of his wonderful powers he was envied by his 
 fellow tribesmen. The people at this time were accus- 
 tomed to have many dances. To these dances the man 
 with wonderful powers would come and would join in 
 the dances. 
 
 As time passed the jealousy of this fellow-man grew 
 to a climax and they decided to execute him. So super- 
 human was this man that on the fourth day after the 
 execution he was around among his people, sound and 
 strong as ever, and not even complaining about the cruel 
 deed his own people had done. Again he was put to 
 death, but to their surprise, he was among them again 
 at the end of four days. A third execution was neces- 
 sary at which time they went so far as to have the corpse 
 roasted before they threw it away. 
 
 Three years had passed and Sii-hah's people had 
 forgotten all about him, although there were his bones, 
 bleached and broken, and often the playthings of the 
 children. The fourth year arrived and was almost half 
 spent when one day as the children were out at play 
 they noticed that a peculiar weed had sprung up among 
 the man's bones. They were astonished at the rapid 
 growth of the weed, but did not realize that it was the 
 beginning of their long-lost friend. The next morning 
 dawned and the children anxious to see how tall the weed 
 had grown were out early. But to their surprise in- 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 97 
 
 stead of the weed they beheld the same man whom they 
 had long forgotten. After a short and pleasant talk 
 with the children he commanded them to go into their 
 houses and tell their parents to aU come and hear him 
 say a few things to them. A great congregation was 
 soon secured. The old man, yes, he was quite an old 
 man by this time, arose and began: "FeUow men, I 
 think you all know who I am. I have been in aU portions 
 of the world and have found no more cruel people than 
 you are. The time has now come that I wiU leave you, 
 but I shall not be gone long. At the end of four years 
 I win visit you again at which time you may expect to 
 receive the reward of your deeds. " Saying these words 
 he stretched his arms toward the sun, and after mum- 
 bling some mysterious words he sank into the earth. 
 The congregation returned to their homes meditating 
 and wondering what the old man meant by saying "at 
 which time you shall expect to receive the reward of 
 your deeds." 
 
 It is strange to say, that although at such a remote 
 period in their history that barbarism was said to be the 
 most conspicuous thing about them, yet they seemed to 
 have some knowledge of geography. They knew that 
 this earth is not as flat as it seems and that there were 
 people on the other side. The story goes that when the 
 old man sank into the earth he went through it until he 
 arrived on the other side, where he at once assembled the 
 people and told them the conditions among the people 
 on the other side; their cruelty and how he was murdered 
 four-times.- Finally- he proelaimed that his object in 
 
98 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 coming to them was to persuade them to help him exter- 
 minate those people. So unanimous was their answer 
 in favor of doing this that they at once began to prepare 
 for war. 
 
 Three years passed and the fourth year set in and 
 found them all equipped for the journey and the war. 
 One bright morning in the early part of the fourth year 
 they began their journey in a direction so that they 
 should reach their destination from the east. At the 
 head of this great army was the old man. 
 
 At that period of animal history it is said that all 
 the animals and man also had but one language. Of 
 course this means that any bird, insect or wild beast 
 could communicate with any human being. The coyote 
 was something like that of Loki told in one of the stories 
 of the old Norsemen of ' 'The Heroes of Asgard, ' ' and was 
 a great mischief-maker. Sometimes through his acts 
 of mischief something would go wrong. Toward the 
 end of the year in which they left their home on the 
 other side of the world the travelers reached their des- 
 tination, and it is said that the coyote on seeing the great 
 army marching with their equipments of all sorts, 
 baskets, cooking utensils of every kind marching also 
 behind them laughed at them. The laughing of the 
 coyote at those things caused them to begin a new epoch 
 that extends to the present day — the effect of his laugh 
 was that aU their equipment stopped marching and from 
 there had to be carried. 
 
 The war was soon begun. Strange to say it lasted 
 only one month, but not a single soul of those wbo lormer< 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 99 
 
 ly inhabited this country was left. It will be remem- 
 bered here that while the war lasted only one month it 
 must have lasted almost three years, considering that 
 their day was about long as our month. 
 
 After conquering the whole country most of the 
 people settled in what is now the Gila Valley, and the 
 rest were scattered around there. They lived here for 
 many years, and during these years many incidents of 
 importance occurred. It is said that up to this time 
 there was no such thing as sickness. It happened that 
 a certain man having become tired of living commanded 
 his fellow men to bury him alive; but before he was 
 buried he told them that a certain feather should be left 
 standing on his grave and that notice would be given 
 that no man, fowl, insect, nor beast should ever remove 
 that feather. Being an obtrusive insect the beetle, after 
 scorning and ridiculing the warning, went and pulled up 
 the feather. Thus this act of the beetle introduced the 
 beginning of aU sickness. The introduction of sickness 
 brought up the question of the mortality or immortal- 
 ity of man. It was argued that every living being after 
 dying would come to life again at the end of four days. 
 A meeting was called at which was gathered represen- 
 tatives of every thing of its kind. After a long discus- 
 sion on the question every representative except one 
 agreed that every living thing should be immortal. It 
 was the beetle who did not agree with the rest. His 
 speech contradicting the agreement was this : ' 'You all 
 see how small I am. If man is to be immortal, I do not 
 thiiik it would be safe for us insects to crawl around for 
 
100 INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 
 
 our food. Men would soon be so crowded that they 
 would crush us with their feet." Of course this settled 
 the question and man is mortal. 
 
 It came to pass that the people had drifted back to 
 the ways of their predecessors and had become as wicked 
 as they were. This greatly displeased the Great Spirit 
 and he determined to destroy them by a flood. But be. 
 fore he did he sent warning to the great man who had 
 led these people for many years. On the day previous to 
 the day of the flood this wonderful man was at work mak- 
 ing a jar out of a wax which is obtained from a certain 
 bush. These bushes are now very numerous on the 
 mountains of the west. The coyote, having heard of the 
 coming disaster, appeared at the home of Sii-hah and 
 found him making the jar. He questioned Siihah for 
 what purpose the jar was going to be. Sii-hah answered 
 that it was going to be his house during the approach- 
 ing flood. The man told the coyote that in the far west, 
 on the shores of the great sea, grew certain plants and 
 if he would run to the place and get a joint of one of them, 
 he would fix it up for him to serve the coyote similarly 
 to his waxen jar. This was soon accomplished and the 
 two were weU equipped to meet the flood. 
 
 A very zigzag mountain range having one of its ex- 
 tremes several miles north of the city of Tucson in Ari- 
 zona, and running in a northwestern direction, is called 
 by the Indians the Crooked Mountain. On one of the 
 highest peaks of this Crooked Mountain one will find a 
 level spot marked here and there with boulders that re- 
 semble men, women and children in many positions. 
 
INDIAN LEGENDS BY HASKELL PUPILS. 101 
 
 The story goes that when the flood came some of the 
 people climbed this peak and when the water was about 
 to reach them they prayed to the Great Spirit to turn 
 them into stones so that they would not feel the agony of 
 drowning. The Great Spirit responded to their prayer. 
 The rocks mentioned are the remains of those people. 
 When the flood was over all the persons left were 
 Sii-hah and the coyote. Seeing that a new creation of 
 man was necessary the Great Spirit, or God, with the 
 aid of those left, created other races of men, which are 
 said to be the present existing races. 
 
HASKELL INSTITUTE 
 
 UNITED STATES INDIAN TRAINING SCHOOL 
 LAWRENCE, KANS. 
 
 What — A school for Indian young people of both sexes who 
 are inhabitants of the United States, above the age of 14 and 
 able to meet the entrance requirements. It is conducted by the 
 Government, appropriations being made yearly by Congress for 
 its support. 
 
 Where — ^At Lawrence, Kansas, a central point, convenient to 
 the States having the greatest Indian populations. It is on the 
 main line of the Atchison, TopekEfi and Santa Fe and of the 
 Union Pacific. Lawrence is also but forty miles from Kansas 
 City, a great railway center and the business metropolis of the 
 middle west. 
 
 Why — Because the people of this country believe that an edu- 
 cation is the heritage of every boy and girl in the land. Since 
 thousands of Indian young people do not have adequate school 
 facilities at their homes, the Government provides Schools like 
 Haskell Institute. 
 
 Its Aim Character building, accompanied by practical voca- 
 tional training which will fit for intelligentcitizenship and honor- 
 able self-support. 
 
 The Means— An ejoseptionally thorough common school course; 
 manual training and a wide variety of industrial trade courses 
 for boys and young men; domestic courses for girls and young 
 women; a strong business course. There are many auxiliary 
 activities which assist in rounding out a complete course, such 
 as the Y. M. C. A., the Y. W. C. A., the denominational meet- 
 ings conducted by pastors for pupils of their faith, the literary 
 and debatiug societies, athletic sports and games, military train- 
 ing, the library and reading rooms, etc. 
 
 Further Information — This may be had by addressing the su- 
 perintendent. The school publishes a number of bulletins, a 
 weekly paper, a moatbly magazine, etc., which give more com. 
 plete iulormatloo.