Traditions of the Arikara

by George A. Dorsey

11. HOW THE PEOPLE ESCAPED THE BUFFALO.

When people came out through ground they were led by woman, “Mother.” Among them were all kinds of animals except buffalo. Monster with horns like buffalo comes out of lake. They call him “Cut-Nose.” As it comes along, buffalo come from under him. Buffalo catch up with people and kill some of them. People make canyons behind, which buffalo can not cross. Whirlwind comes. Mother tells people to give presents and smoke to it. Whirlwind scatters some of people. Buffalo with Cut-Nose come behind and people come to big timber. Owl and Badger try to make path through timber, but fail. Coyote and Dog come and open way through. Buffalo and Cut-Nose come again and kill people. They come to deep water. Dogs fail to make pathway, but Loons make opening through waters. They come to canyon and Badger makes banks fall, after Kingfisher and Mole have failed. They cross and make village near canyon. Mother holds ceremonies for different bundles. Awaho-bundle people come last, and they receive all ceremonies. Awaho had been left behind when people came out of ground, and they pick up meat offerings to gods left behind.

12. WHY THE BUFFALO NO LONGER EAT PEOPLE.

Young man goes to village at night and finds people are Buffalo. They are talking about killing people. He finds human head and meat. Hears people are to be got out of ground and killed. Near by sees hole cut in side of hill where bulls circle around and drive people into cut. He sees people running to cut from out of ground. He goes among hills. Strange man gives him bow and arrows and tells him to take young man with bows and arrows to kill and scatter Buffalo. They go to place and attack Buffalo and kill and scatter them, so that they become buffalo and never eat people any more.

13. WHY THE BUFFALO NO LONGER EAT PEOPLE.

People hungry and chief priest opens bundle and offers gifts to gods for them to send buffalo. Buffalo come three days after ceremony and old priest tells story. Buffalo are human, but have horns. When they want meat they recite ritual. When hollow tree is struck with pole four times people led by Cut-Nose come out and are killed, except Cut-Nose, who re-enters tree. Boy chased by Buffalo cow. He sees fine-looking woman wearing white buffalo robe. She goes west and boy follows. He finds woman at tipi. Woman says she has selected him to turn her people into real buffalo, so as not to eat his people. They go through four circles of Buffalo bulls stationed as sentinels and enter tipi, where woman’s father lives. She covers young man with her robe. Buffalo are human, but have horns and tails. They cook and eat human meat. Girl shows him arbors with human bodies, and hollow cottonwood tree, with long stick, and tells him its use. Takes him to timber, where during three days he makes bows and arrows. Next morning they place bows and arrows at foot of tree. Woman tells young man what to do and they hide. When Buffalo come towards tree, young man jumps out. Cut-Nose comes out, and then people. Young man gives men bows and arrows and tells them to shoot and kill Buffalo. Buffalo run towards village, chased by people, and they finally become buffalo. Young man and Buffalo woman take bundle from tipi. They marry and teach people songs and ceremony of bundle. People become part of Arikara.

14. THE GIRL WHO MARRIED A STAR.

Girl says she likes Red-Star and would marry him if on earth. In morning girl sees Porcupine and climbs after it in cottonwood tree. Tree grows higher and girl reaches another world. Porcupine turns into man and says he is Star. She stays with him, but cries every night. She gives birth to male child, who has star on forehead. Son wants wild turnips and man tells her not to dig for them in valleys. She digs in valley and stick runs through earth. She looks down and sees she is far away from her people. Woman tells her to get from husband sinews of whole buffalo and she will make sinew string to reach ground below. Girl gets sinew from husband, who forgets two sinews in shoulder. Old woman makes string and girl also makes long sinew string. They go to valley and girl takes child on back under robe, slips down string fastened to stick across hole. She reaches height of highest tree from ground. Husband sees her hanging and kills her with stone. Boy slips out of robe and falls on ground, but is not hurt. Boy nurses at dead mother’s breast. He goes to cornfield. Old woman catches him and takes him home as grandson. Grandmother scatters corn in lodge for blackbirds and places mush behind curtain. Boy calls blackbirds and kills them all with club. Grandmother brings them to life again and tells them to fly all over the world. She tells boy to throw wood into pond and next morning finds black bow and four black arrows. Boy sees big serpent behind curtain and kills it with bow and arrow and serpent slips into pond. Serpent is grandmother’s husband. Next day old woman tells boy not to go to dangerous place. He goes and sees mountain-lion, which obeys him. He leads lion to old woman’s lodge. The same occurs with a cinnamon bear. Boy sees four wonderful men killing buffalo. They frighten him with fœtus of calf. He climbs tree and they place fœtus in fork. They offer to take calf down if he will give grandmother to them. He returns and tells her he is satisfied, but says they would have to give him something in return. They promise him bow and arrows and old woman tells him to take middle bow of five leaning against wall of lodge. Men go to grandmother’s lodge and stay with her. Old woman sends boy with flute to play around men’s lodge. Men all scared and close up lodge with earth. They die of hunger. Boy goes to den of snakes. Snakes give him long gut to eat, but it is snake, and he twists its head off. Snakes go into ground and try to get into boy’s rectum, but hit rock on which he sits. They tell stories. Snakes all go to sleep on long circular stick around den. Boy with flint knife cuts heads on stick, but last one wakes up and disappears in hole. When boy sleeps he places arrows so that they can fall on him when Snake approaches him. Boy is very sleepy and arrows cannot awaken him. Snake goes into his mouth and nestles in his skull, where it remains until boy becomes skeleton. Boy’s father sends storm and skull is filled with water, but this does not drive out Snake. Father gets Sun to move nearer earth and heats skull until water boils, and Snake crawls out. Boy catches Snake by neck, hits its snout with stone, and rubs its teeth upon rock. He lets it go on promise not to bother people after. Boy returns to grandmother and tells her country is free from wild animals. She disappears, and boy goes to village and tells his story. He dies after clearing country of all wild animals.