Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Edited with Notes and Biographical SketchDenig, Edwin Thompson
History
Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Edited with Notes and Biographical Sketch
Denig, Edwin Thompson
Assiniboine Indians; Indians of North America -- Missouri River Valley
Being in possession of land, and seeing all was damp and cold and
barren, they wished for spring to make something grow, and inquired
of the frog how many moons remained until spring would come. The Frog
said, “Seven,” but the Spider contradicted it, called him a liar, on
which a quarrel ensued, and the Spider beat the Frog to death with a
stick. The latter, on dying, stretched out his legs toward the men,
indicating seven by the claws thereon. The eldest of the party and head
of the whole, whom they called their father, not being certain whether
the Frog told the truth, started two of the others (brothers), both
very brave and venturesome, with orders to travel in quest of spring.
They set out eastward and in six months arrived at warm weather, where
they found spring bundled up and placed on a scaffold, the packages
consisting of flowers, seeds, turnips, roots, etc. Two large Cranes
were standing beneath the scaffold, which the brothers loaded with
the “spring season” and ordered them to fly back to their people. The
birds started, and in another month arrived with their cargo safe, thus
verifying the predictions of the Frog, which so enraged the men against
the Spider that they put him to death, and he is to this day despised
and crushed by all, while the frogs every spring sing forth the praises
of their truthful ancestor.
The travelers, having accomplished their mission, bent their course
westward to explore the new country, and after a long time came to the
Rocky Mountains.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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