Wigwam stories told by North American Indians

by Unknown

he white man laughs much. The Indian is wise. He can see a joke, but he does not laugh as much as the white man. The papoose and the squaw may laugh. The brave must not let his face show what he feels. It is not wise.

The white man has stories to tell his children, and his children laugh. The Indian tells the stories of Iagoo to his children. The teepee is shut, for it is winter, and you cannot hear the papoose laugh.

The white man when he tells a story which is not true says, “Once on a time.” The Indian says, “My grandfather told me.” The papooses know when the story is true. An Indian teaches his children to tell the truth; his children are wise; they speak the truth to their tribe.

Lame Buffalo could tell good stories. His children were happy, and they laughed often in their father’s teepee. There was a fire of sticks in the middle of [[82]]the teepee, but the smoke was not bad; it went out of the teepee by the top of the poles.

Lame Buffalo sat with his wife White Deer and their children around the fire in the teepee. The oldest boy asked for a story.

Lame Buffalo told this story of Iagoo:

“In the days of my grandfather, Iagoo used to come often to the lodges of our tribe.

“Iagoo was tall. He was straight as a pine that stands alone on the hilltop. He was always hungry. He would come to a lodge of our tribe, my grandfather said, and would look at the duck the squaw was roasting. He would tell her no squaw could make such a fire as she could. No one could bake in the ashes as she could. When the duck was done, the squaw would put it on a stone by Iagoo. She and her papooses had no duck. They were hungry, but Iagoo did not go away hungry.

“The braves were always glad to see Iagoo, for his stories were never the same. He saw things no other Indian ever saw. He knew more than any other brave ever knew; he said so himself. He never went into battle, for he had much to keep him away; yet he wore eagle feathers in his scalp lock. He told great stories of battles, but no one ever saw him when he was fighting. It is not wise to look around in battle.” [[83]]