Star was a great leader of his people and was also the great medicine man. The time had come for him to marry Ite Waste. He took with him a pair of boots, or long legged moccasins, a table or mat such as Indians use to eat on, and a flute. After some weeks travelling, he came to a river and saw no way of crossing it. So he slipped on the moccasins and stepped across the wide river. The following day he came to a strange looking tipi not far from the road. A man came out and invited him to dinner. Star accepted the invitation. After dinner he was asked if he would like to see the place, and as he was being shown around, he was suddenly cast into a very deep and dark hole. After he came to his senses, he found himself among many Indians of his age who were half starved for want of food. Star then shook and put down his table and there was a long table set in the center of the hole with all the good things to eat that one could think of, steaming thereon.
He then asked all his starving comrades to dinner and they ate. After dinner he played on his flute and the music was so sweet and the Indians were so happy that they couldn’t keep themselves from dancing. The owner of the tipi heard the music and dancing and wished to be invited to join in with the party. He was taken down very carefully while Star continued his music and at the same [time] he and his comrades rose until they came to the surface, but sad to relate, the man was left alone down in the hole.
Star then bid all his friends goodbye and went on travelling. Now after passing through many hardships and sorry days, he at last reached Ite Waste’s home.
He had now gotten into a place where it was impossible to save his life, because there were three things to be performed by all seekers for the hand of Ite Waste and so far all others had failed.
The first thing was to level a hill with a small wooden spoon, the second was to chop a tree with a wooden axe, and the third was to bale a lake with a wooden spoon. One had to do all these before he could marry Ite Waste. Ite Waste loved this young man very much and had promised to do all in her power to help him.
After passing this examination, Ite Waste said to Swift Star, “Now, I do not know what father will have you do next in his attempt to take your life and I have only one way of saving your life and that is for you and me to steal away tonight.” The following night they were ready to go, and before starting Ite Waste put a big handful of pop-corn around the fire. Then they both left the tipi very quietly and aimed for the land where the sun sets. All this happened in the early part of the evening and later in the evening the mother awoke and said to her husband, “Listen, it seems to me those young folks are not in.” The husband listened just then several pop-corns popped that sounded very much like two persons talking and laughing. The husband said to his wife, “They are in, can’t you hear them laughing?” Then once more they tried to go to sleep. Again [at] about midnight the mother got up and this time she went to the door and peeped in and was very much surprised to find the room empty.
She at once awoke and told her husband to get up and go and hunt the elopers. The husband got up and started hunting for them. Ite Waste and her lover were many miles away. When they were travelling she used to say to her lover, “If you see a small red cloud come sailing toward us that is a sign that father is after us and we are safe; but if you see a black cloud, mother is coming and we shall probably have to give up ourselves.” Soon after they saw a redish cloud coming. Ite Waste said, “That is my father and we are safe!” Then they both disguised themselves into crows and seated themselves on a limb of a tree. Father came up and stood gazing at these two crows and within himself said, “Oh, these are regular crows, I’ll go home.” So he about-faced and went home. When he got home, his wife was so anxious to hear the report that she asked if had seen anything of them. The husband said, “No, I didn’t see a thing except two old crows sitting on a limb near the road.” The woman said, “They are the ones! Why didn’t you get them? I’ll go this time.” She then went and got some wild rice to take with her.
By this time Ite Waste and her lover were coming to a river and just as they got to the bank of the river, they saw a black cloud, which told them that the mother was coming. They again disguised themselves by turning themselves into ducks and swimming out. The mother came and stood on the bank and began to throw out rice into the water. When the drake saw the rice, he began to swim towards the shore, but the female kept him out of the mother’s reach by keeping herself between the two until her mother wasted all the rice. Then the mother said, “Go, you are safe.” Then she returned home.
The two young people are now on the other side of the river, free as birds. They went to a village and got married and are now living together as happy as could be after their great trouble.9
Stella Vanessa Bear (Arikara)
Stella Vanessa Bear (born ca. 1883) grew up on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota and attended Hampton before entering Carlisle in 1903. In Hampton’s Talks and Thoughts and Carlisle’s Arrow, Indian Craftsman, and Red Man, she published several stories and retold tales based on Arikara legends. After graduating from Hampton in 1910 she became field matron at the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency in Cantonment, Oklahoma. She also worked as boys’ matron at the Standing Rock Indian School in North Dakota. (Carlisle Arrow, 3 October 1913; Carlisle Indian School Digital Resource Center; Littlefield and Parins, Biobibliography: Supplement, 7–8, 172; Red Man, January 1911, 222)
An Indian Story, 1903
After having wandered over the lonely prairies all day in search of buffalo, some Indians came one night to a beautiful valley. Tired as they were they immediately began to pull the tent poles and other articles from the horses’ backs and at once the women began putting up the tipis while the men went to water and picket the horses for the night. Supper was being prepared in the open air near the different tipis while the little dark-skinned boys and girls were playing a short distance from the camping place.
All at once a strange cry was heard far off in the distance; they were sure it was the cry of a human being, so the men watched in the stillness of the night, thinking it was one of their own tribe. They waited and watched but they were so tired that soon they went to sleep.
When all was quiet in the camp the man that had been heard crying crept slowly out from the long grass and went directly to the chief’s tent. Lifting the mat door he walked in, and in a little while came out with one of the prettiest daughters the chief had. Alas, the poor Indian maiden did not know where she was being taken for she was fast asleep as she was carried out of the tent and taken to a cave about a mile from the camping place of her people.
This man I am telling you about is known as a cave dweller. Among my tribe it is supposed that during some outbreak they had with another tribe many people were scalped; they were ashamed to go among their tribe again thinking it a disgrace. They never returned but made homes in the high bluffs of the Missouri River or in the Bad Lands.
Next morning the chief was heard crying: “Have any of you seen my oldest daughter?” The people rushed out of their tents to see what was the matter and when they heard they readily guessed that the cave dweller had been there in the night. It was no use to look for the girl for if they had attempted to search they would never have found her. All the morning when they were getting ready to leave there was great wailing and when all was ready they went away sorrowful, especially the girl’s relatives.
Every year when the Indians went on their usual hunt they passed this valley and recalled what had happened there. Several years after they came to the place and camped there and at night just as they were starting for bed the young Indian maid who had disappeared came back to them. No one knows how she came there or where she came from but there was great rejoicing over the tall, slender girl and a feast was made that night in honor of her return.10
How People First Came to the World, 1903
My people believe that we first lived beneath the earth in darkness and never knew that there was another world until a small ground mole dug its way up to the surface of the
earth. When the ground mole looked out he saw the green land, its trees and the waters, and he immediately crept back down into the earth finding his way as best he could, for he had lost his eyesight as the sunlight was too bright for him.
When he got back to the other animals he told them what he had seen and that if they would help him in digging a hole they would all soon live in another world. So they all got together and began their work and did not stop until the hole was large enough for them to get through.
The next day they began to get ready for their journey, first all the creeping things crawled out and the other animals followed them. As they were passing out they saw a strange company among them and these were human beings. The animals were so frightened that they scattered in every direction, except the dog which stood by the hole wagging its tail as the people approached him. When they got near him he gave a strange cry. When this band of people heard a rumbling in the earth from which they had just come and when they looked at the hole they saw people like themselves coming forth, singing and laughing as they stepped upon the soil of the new world. For ten days the people did not stop coming out of the earth but finally they were checked when a large fat woman tried to get through. She got half way out but she could not go any further so she had to stay right there, which of course stopped the people from coming out any more.
After this sad accident the people journeyed toward the West until they came to some high mountains which they could not get across. They cried and prayed to the sun and while they were wailing a large eagle came and told them he would help them across. So the eagle flew over the mountains and they became like low prairie land and the people started to cross but some got left behind, for the mountains rose up again. Those who had gotten over went on until they came to a dense forest; they prayed as they did when they came to those high mountains. This time an owl came and relieved them of their sorrow by going through the trees and clearing a way for them but again the same thing happened, some were so slow in getting through that they were checked when the dense forest rose again.
They journeyed until they came to a large river and they had no idea how they were to get across, but a kind duck came to them and said that he would help them. So the little duck swam across and the waters parted. This time all the people got over safely and none were swallowed up by the waves.
This is the reason people are found in all parts of the world, because many were left behind as they were journeying to reach the West and never got there.11
An Enemy’s Revenge, 1905
This is one of the tales that my grandmother used to tell us children in the long winter evenings around the fire.
One beautiful evening a party of Indian maids were playing near the edge of the woods, when suddenly a peculiar looking man sprang out and giving one loud whoop ran up to the girls and said in angry tones, “Many years ago, your people and my people had a fight, many lives were lost on both sides. I was there.”
As he said this he removed the fox fur that was around his head and touching his hair he asked, “Do you see anything strange here?”
The youngest of the girls spoke up and said, “I see your scalp lock is gone.”
By this time the girls were trembling with fear.
“Yes,” he said. “It was taken by one of your people and now I am going to have my revenge.”
When he said this the frightened girls scattered in different directions, he following after them. He soon overtook a pretty girl, the chief’s only child. Instead of killing her he stuck his fist into her mouth to keep her cries from being heard and then carried her into a cave that was on a side of a high cliff.
The girls ran back to the camp and told what had happened. Everything was in confusion. The young braves mounted their horses and were soon speeding towards the place where the girls had been. The women and even children were wailing and all that night not a soul slept except the little children.
Early in the morning the men returned from their hunt but had failed to find any trace of the girl.
Day after day the chief looked for his daughter but without success. He then gave up all hopes of ever finding her.
Ten years after the disappearance of the girl the people moved away from that place to a new hunting place. In the fall when they were on their way back they stopped at a beautiful ravine and camped there for a night.
That night when the campfires had gone out and the people were all in bed, a strange singing was heard near by. The men got up and watched but saw nothing and concluded that it must be the spirit of some dead person that haunted the ravine.
The next day the people did not go on with their journey for the horses needed a rest and it was agreed that all remain there another night.
That evening when the sun had gone down two figures were seen creeping through the tall prairie-grass, and the people noticed that one was that of a young woman. Two men armed with bows and arrows went through the ravine and came up on the other side. They cautiously crept up to the two figures that were hiding in the grass.
All at once one of the men shouted, “Chief Son-of-the-Star, your daughter is found!”
The people ran and when they saw the girl they cried with joy and brought her to the camp.
The man who was with her had disappeared as soon as the two men approached them. It was the man who had taken her away many years ago. He had brought the girl back only to see her tribe once more, for that night she passed into the happy hunting grounds above.12
Ghost Bride Pawnee Legend, 1910
The Pawnees were all ready to leave the village for a hunt, when a young woman suddenly died, so they had to get her ready for burial. She was dressed in her finest clothes and buried. A party of young men had been off on a visit and were on their way home. They knew nothing of the departure of the tribe and the death of the girl. As they traveled on they met the tribe and all joined them except one young man, who went back to the deserted village. As he was nearing the village he saw someone sitting on top of the lodge, and as he got nearer he saw it was the girl he loved. When she saw him she got down from the lodge and went inside. The young man began to wonder why she was alone. When he got close to her he spoke and said, “Why are you alone in this village?” She answered him: “They have gone off on a hunt. I was sulky with my relations so they left me behind.” Then she told him that the ghosts were going to have a dance that night and that he must not be afraid. It was an old custom of the Pawnees. All was quiet in the village—until the ghosts began their dance. They went from lodge to lodge, singing, dancing, and hallooing, and soon they came to this young man’s lodge. They danced around him and he was badly frightened. Sometimes they touched him. The next day he persuaded the girl to go with him and join the tribe on their hunt. They started off and the girl promised the young man that she should become his wife, but not until the proper time came. They overtook the tribe and were near the camp when the girl stopped and said: “Now we have arrived but you must go first to the village and prepare a place for me. Where I sleep let it be behind a curtain. For four days and four nights I must sleep behind curtains. Do not speak of me. Do not mention my name.”
The young man left her and went into camp and told a woman to go out to a certain place and bring in a woman and she began to inquire who the woman was and to avoid speaking her name he told who were her father and mother. The woman in surprise said, “It cannot be that girl for she died some days before we started on a hunt.” The woman went for the girl, but she had disappeared because the young man had disobeyed her and told who she was. If he had obeyed the girl would have lived upon earth the second time. That same night the young man died in sleep. Then the people believed that there must be a life after this one.13
Indian Legend—Creation of the World, 1910
There are many legends told of how this world was created and this is the story told by my tribe. We all once inhabited a region under the ground and lived in total darkness. One day the ground mole made his wa
y up to the surface and discovered a new world. When he came in contact with the light he went blind and he returned to the people and told them what he had found, so the people got to work and dug the hole which the mole had made until it was large enough for a good sized person to pass through. After this task was completed the people began to pour out of the earth. They came out of this hole all day long and would have continued to come, but a very corpulent woman stopped up the passage, hindering the rest of the people from coming to the surface. They could not pull the woman out of the hole, so she died there. The people on reaching the surface did not know what to do, so they all started off on a journey and traveled until they came to a river. A bird flapped his wings and the waters parted and a good many of them succeeded in crossing, but the waters came together and the others could not get across. Those who crossed went on, leaving the others behind. Next they came to some high mountains; again the bird made the way easier for them in crossing the mountains, but some could not cross and they had to stay back. Finally they came to a forest and the bird showed them the way, but only a part of them were able to get through the dense forest. In this journey the people were all scattered and that is the reason why there are so many tribes and languages among the Indians.14
Anna Bender (White Earth Chippewa)
See the Essays section for a profile of Anna Bender (1885–1911).
Quital’s First Hunt, 1904
In a little Ojibway camp near a beautiful little stream there lived a poor old woman with her grandson, whose name was Quital.
One day the boy’s companions were going out to hunt buffaloes, but he could not go because he had only one poor pony while all his friends had a number of fine ones.
Recovering Native American Writings in the Boarding School Press Page 12