WHEN THE TREE FLOWERED

An Authentic Tale of the Old Sioux World

By

JOHN G. NEIHARDT

THE MACMILLAN COMPANY

New York—1951

Copyright, 1951, by John G. Neihardt

All rights reserved—no part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in magazine or newspaper.

First Printing

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

CHAPTERPAGE
I “I Used to Be Her Horse”[1]
II When the Hundred Died[7]
III The New Medicine Power[12]
IV Wandering to Mourn[19]
V Was the Great Voice Angry?[26]
VI Chased by a Cow[33]
VII Going on Vision Quest[42]
VIII “Hold Fast; There Is More!”[49]
IX The Old Bull’s Last Fight[55]
X The Boys Who Had Sister Trouble[62]
XI Helping a Brother-Friend[73]
XII The Mysterious Mother-Power[84]
XIII Four Against the Crows[91]
XIV “Am I Greater Than the People?”[104]
XV The Sun Dance[113]
XVI Thanking the Food[130]
XVII The Woman Four Times Widowed[138]
XVIII Falling Star, the Savior[152]
XIX The Labors of the Holy One[168]
XX The Battle in the Blizzard[182]
XXI The Cleansing of a Kills-Home[193]
XXII Why the Island Hill Was Sacred[202]
XXIII Fighting the Gray Fox[209]
XXIV “It Was a Great Victory”[216]
XXV The Woman Who Died Twice[222]
XXVI The Moon of Black Cherries[229]
XXVII The Dark Hills of Water[233]
XXVIII In the Village Called Pars[238]
XXIX The Girl’s Road[243]