Traditions of the Arikara

by George A. Dorsey

FOOTNOTES:

[21] Told by Antelope.

21. THE BOY WHO BEFRIENDED THE THUNDERBIRDS, AND THE SERPENT.[22]

Among the Arikara lived a young man who was gifted with powers from the gods in the Heavens—the four-world-quarter gods who give all power. The boy’s parents were very poor, so that he would go about and kill so many antelope that people called him “Antelope-Carrier.” When he went hunting he killed many deer. It made no difference how far away the animal was, he killed whatever animal he shot at. People wondered where the boy got his power. The boy got his power from the timber. The Wood-Rats had taken the boy and had given him bow and arrows. The arrows were made of dogwood. The feathered parts were wood-rat hide. The boy had for his bow, thick hickory wood. One of the arrows was black, another red, another yellow, and another white. The yellow and the white arrows had flint points, and the boy used them for killing game.

Antelope-Carrier wandered from home and was lost to the people. His friends mourned for him as lost. The boy wandered west, until he came to a lake,—a very large lake. Now the boy thought to himself that he would stay at this place for several days. He killed game, made a big fire, ate meat and slept by the lake, where there were many brushes and reeds. One day Antelope-Carrier killed some birds and roasted them. After eating the birds he lay down and slept. While he slept, two Thunderbirds came and carried him high up and placed him upon a high mountain. When the boy woke up he found himself in a strange place. The mound was high and had steep sides, so that he could not get down. When he found that there was no place to get down he cried. He walked around and found a nest. It contained four young Thunderbirds. The nest was built of sticks and covered with soft, downy feathers. He walked to another place and he found a hollow in the stone and this was full of clear water. He did not drink, but went on crying. After a while he became tired and sat down. He heard above him a noise which sounded like strong wind. He looked up and saw the mother Thunderbird. She lighted close to the boy and the bird spoke and said: “My son, do not cry. I brought you to this place. I watch over you as you go hunting. I see you kill game. You are wonderful. I brought you up here. I want you to help me save your young brothers over there” (pointing to the nest). “Nesaru placed me and my mate upon this high place. I have been here a long time, and every time I place my young upon this place a strange animal that lives in yonder lake comes up and eats my young. I have not raised my young, so I have asked you to help me; and if you save my children I will give you great power. The animal that devours my young is a water-serpent. It has two long heads. It has a very thick covering of flint stones. When I throw my lightning upon it, it does it no harm. I throw the lightning in its mouth and it does not die, for the covering extends beyond its head, so that I do not hurt it. Now, my son, do not cry, but stay here and help me kill this monster, and you shall have lightning in your eyes and your mouth and limbs, and you shall have control of all the birds in the whole world.”

The boy wiped away his tears and said: “I will die with my brothers. I will stay here and help you.” The Thunderbird flew away, for she was happy. The boy went to the east slope of the mound, which he found very steep, but covered with timber. He clambered down from the crest of the mound and went into the timber, and there he found many birds. This was the home of all birds. He found a deer and killed it. He cut it up and carried the meat to the top of the mound. He carried some wood to the top also, and made a fire with flint stone. He saw the young birds with their mouths open. He took some meat to them and fed them. The parents of the little birds came and saw that the boy was taking care of them and were glad. The male bird spoke to the boy, and said: “We are all glad to have you here. Our young are very young, but as soon as they begin to turn black then it is time for the serpent to come out from the lake and climb this hill, to kill and eat my birds. We will go far away, where we will get more power, for it is nearly time for the serpent to come up. When the serpent comes up we will be here in time to try to kill it. We are gone.”

The Thunderbirds flew away and for many days the boy did not see them. He was told that when the serpent was ready to come out from the lake he would see a fog rising from the lake, and by that would know that the serpent was coming.

One fine morning when the boy was sitting down, with his bow and arrows lying in front of him, looking at the sun as it came up in the east, something seemed to move his head towards the lake. He saw a small roll of fog coming up from the middle of the lake and the fog seemed to spread as it went up. After a while the fog seemed to cover the hills around, and to reach up into the heavens. The boy saw something crawling out from the lake. Something came out from another place. These were the two heads of the monster. Gradually it came crawling up the hill. A storm came from the west. The boy saw the rain storm, but no bird. He knew that the storm was brought by the powers of the Thunderbirds. The storm went by the boy. No rain was there where he was. It lightened and thundered under the boy. Presently he saw the two Thunderbirds spreading out their wings, making lightning, and every time the lightning struck the serpent the boy could see a flash of lightning in every direction, but it did not kill the monster. At last the monster came upon the rock where the nest was. The birds flew about, the mother squealed, and as the monster opened its mouth the Thunderbird sent its lightning into the mouth of the monster. The monster was thrown back, but again it crawled up, and the female Thunderbird said: “It is all over. We cannot do any more. We have failed, so we will fly up, and you, my son, will have to die with my children.”

The boy now picked up his bow and arrows. He took the black arrow. This he placed upon the bow-string ready to shoot into the mouth of the monster as soon as it should crawl upon the rock. As the monster came up and opened its mouth to swallow the boy he pulled his bow-string and shot into the mouth of the monster. A noise like that of a falling tree was made. The monster fell over and burst open, for the arrow was really a sycamore tree with sharp limbs. The birds flew downward and were glad. Now the other head of the monster came up from another side of the hill. The boy again ran, and as it opened its mouth the boy shot the red arrow into its mouth and another sound was heard. The arrow lifted off the head of the monster and the head fell again upon the rock, breaking it into pieces.