| The murdered dove instantly became a whole flock of hawks | [Frontispiece] | |
| One contrived to pull her son down but the other six went up into the sky | PAGE | [44] |
| He makes it choose one of three gifts | “ | [55] |
| He rudely pushed her backward until she fell down | “ | [83] |
| He discovered the woman in a small pool | “ | [111] |
| He took him to a tall stump in the very middle of the lake and there he left him | “ | [144] |
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INDIAN LEGENDS RETOLD
A LITTLE TALK ABOUT INDIANS
MANY of us think of the American Indians as all one people. We talk of “the Indian language.” There are more than fifty distinct Indian languages.
There are many other important differences between the various tribes. The nature of the country, the kinds of game and other foods, the climate, winds, trees, all have their effect in molding the daily lives of the people. Their habits and customs are reflected in their legends and popular tales as in a looking-glass.
The mountains, plains, and seashore are the great natural features of our country, and corresponding to these we have coast tribes, prairie tribes, and forest-dwellers or mountaineers among the natives. If you try, you will soon be able to tell from reading a story what part of the country it came from. It is an interesting study to read and compare the legends of different tribes.