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
In one of the valleys between the mountains they perceived a motion
in the earth at a certain spot as though it was boiling or as though
some animal was endeavoring to get out. One of the brothers proposed
shooting an arrow into it, but the other objected and requested him
to let it alone. The former was, however, a very obstinate, reckless
man who never would listen to good advice, and shot an arrow into the
spot. A whirlwind gushed out, and rose up in the air in a round black
column, bearing the two men up along with it. Higher and higher they
rose until so far above the earth that they could not see it. The
wind now carried them eastward for several days, when at length they
descended to earth on the other side of the sea. Here they rambled
about some time and found an old woman working in a cornfield from
whom they begged something to eat. She gave them a mess of corn and
potatoes. After having eaten they inquired of her if she could inform
them how they could get back to their family. She said she could, but
they must implicitly follow her directions or some harm would befall
them. After they had made the required promises she took them to the
seashore, made a sacrifice of some corn to the water and invoked the
appearance of the Wau-wau-kah. Immediately afar off appeared an object
moving over the surface of the water, spouting it out high in the air,
and, approaching with great rapidity, soon arrived at the place where
the travelers stood. The being thus conjured up had the head of a man,
though of monstrous size, and out of which projected two horns as large
as the largest trees.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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