FOOTNOTES:
[48] Told by Yellow-Bull.
48. THE GIRL WHO BECAME A WHIRLWIND.[49]
Many, many years ago the Arikara left their village and went west on a buffalo hunt. They left behind a family, the woman of which was leading a pony that dragged a travois with two children on it—a girl seven years old and a boy of five. As these people were crossing a little stream of water the pony jumped across the stream, and the children fell off. The woman, supposing the children still to be on the travois, never looked behind, and did not miss the children until she came into camp.
The men were then sent back to try to find the children, but they could not be found; for when they fell off, instead of following their parents they had gone back in the direction of their village, but instead of going into the village they had gone into the timber west of the village. There they wandered through the timber, and at last they came to a cave, where they stopped. The girl left the boy there while she went about trying to find something for him to eat. While the girl was gone, a Whirlwind came and took her far away. It was not long before the girl returned; but often after that she would go away for days. When she returned she was always very happy. Now, the boy told his sister that he wanted a bow and arrows; that he was all the time going around through the timber seeing rabbits and smaller game. The girl disappeared, and when she came back she had a bow and four blunt arrows. For many days the girl would disappear and then would return. One day the boy said: “My sister, I wander through the woods, and I am getting older; I think I ought to have a larger bow and many arrows.” So the girl said, “All right.” She went away, and when she came back she brought the bow and quiver filled with arrows for the boy. The boy was thankful for this. The girl disappeared very often. Every time she came home the boy would hear the storm coming, then, all at once, the girl would appear.
One day when the boy was out hunting, an Owl came to him, and said: “We have taken pity upon you. We have an animals’ lodge close by. We have taken pity upon you because your sister is now a wonderful being—a Whirlwind. She goes from one place to another, killing people. She has planned to kill you, that she may be the Whirlwind always. She thinks that you are in her way, for she has to look after you. Now, the girl travels far over the land. She visits places where people have food, and there she finds bows and arrows, knives, axes, and hoes, and she brings them here to your place. Testes autem moribus excidit, domumque adfert; eos frictos, dum dormis, dentibus frangit et mandit. To-night when she comes home, stay awake, for she intends to kill you soon. You will find out what she eats.” That night, when the boy lay down, he watched and waited for his sister. She came at last. She looked down and saw that her brother was sleeping, then she took some of her special meat and placed it upon hot coals, took it off and began to eat. When she got through eating, the boy arose and said, “Sister, I am glad you are back.” She said, “Well, I am going away, far away from here to-morrow, and I want you to stay here until I come back.” The next day the girl was gone. The Owl came to the boy, and said: “Make haste! Come!” So the boy followed the Owl, and as they traveled along the Owl said: “Do you see that cloud coming? That is the Whirlwind coming to destroy you. Make haste and come with me!” They ran, and as the Whirlwind was near, the boy was taken into the den of the Owls.
The Owls told the boy that when the Whirlwind should come it would make threats, but that they had taken pity upon him and would keep him there; but that there was something that this girl wanted, and they were going to tell him what it was. They said: “Your sister wants a woman. You tell her that the first woman you marry you will give her.” So the Whirlwind came to the side of the hill where the Owl’s den was. The wind blew and the girl spoke, and said: “You big Owl, turn that boy loose! He is mine! I must kill him!” But the Owls would not turn the boy loose. They said, “He is here under our protection.” The girl kept on demanding the boy. At last, the boy said, “My sister, if you will let me go, the first woman I marry I shall give to you.” The girl said: “That is what I want; I shall let you go.” So the boy was turned loose, and traveled towards his people.
When the boy came to his people, he saw that they were very poor. He entered his father’s lodge and told his father that he had come back. His father arose and built a big fire. He saw the boy sitting there and recognized him. The father asked about the sister. The boy said that his sister was well, but that she was far away. Then the boy told his father to tell the chief to come to their lodge. The boy told the chief that he had come to tell them that the buffalo were not very far away and that the people must go and kill these buffalo. The people sent hunters out and they found the buffalo as the boy had said they would. In a few days the enemy attacked this village, and they saw that the boy was a wonderful boy, for he made a way for his people to kill the enemy. The people cried through the village, and said that they should give him a nice young woman to marry. The chief’s daughter was the one to be given to him.
That night the boy went out and called for his sister. The sister came that night into the tipi and sat down by her brother, and said, “I have been far away.” The boy said: “My sister, I am now to marry. Here is the girl that I promised you.” The boy’s sister said, “That is what I want.” She went to the girl, and the sister and the boy’s wife were together. The boy went out. The next day the brother came into the lodge, and his sister said: “My brother, I give you this club and this medicine, and I give you the power that I possess—that of the Whirlwind. You will have power to kill the enemy. They will try to shoot you, but they can do you no harm. For many days I shall now go towards the southwest, where I shall always stay. When the wind comes you must know that I am the Whirlwind. I will listen to the prayers of our people. When I am coming do not let my people be afraid of me, for I shall always hear their prayers and shall always heed them. I shall not destroy them, but will always comfort them.” The young man became a famous warrior, and finally became a chief.