The wise men filled their peace pipes and offered the smoke of their pipes to the star.
The star came lower and made the village very light, then hid herself in the white rose on the mountain. The star was lonely on the mountain. She could see the people, but could not hear them talk. She left the mountain rose and went to live in a flower upon the prairie. Great herds of buffalo went by her. The flower and the star trembled at the sound of their hoofs.
The wise men saw the star rise from the prairie. They feared it would go back to the sky, but a soft breeze floated it over a lake. The star saw her shadow and the shadows of her sky sisters in the water, and she rested like a canoe upon the water. The next morning the lake was covered with water lilies. [[187]]
“The night stars have blossomed,” said the little children. The wise men said, “The white star has come to live with us.”
The people went out in their canoes and chanted songs to the new flower. They gave it this name, “Wahbegwannee.” It means “the white flower.”
Copway’s History. [[188]]
Pueblo Indians watching a Sacred Dance
From a Photograph
[[189]]