Wigwam stories told by North American Indians — John Shaqi
Wigwam stories told by North American Indians
History
Wigwam stories told by North American Indians
Indians of North America; Indians of North America -- Folklore
The Indians rapped on the rock again when the sun was setting. The
little one came and led the way to a great cave filled with food and
furs. They ate and slept. At midnight they were awakened by many of the
little people, who said that the hunters might take their packs of
skins and all the food they wished from the cave if they would never
again shoot the deer to feed the wolves. The hunters promised and soon
were in a strange, sound sleep. When they awoke they were near their
homes.
Adapted from Powell’s Report.
XI. THE HUNTER WHO COULD FLY
(Iroquois)
An Indian had been out hunting all day. His arrows had never come back;
they brought him nothing; he was tired and hungry; he had no more
arrows. Just then he came to a lake on which many wild geese were
swimming, and he wanted some meat. He would have it.
He saw some young saplings growing at the foot of a basswood tree. He
tore off long strips of bark from these and then dived into the lake
under the geese where he saw hundreds of their feet. He tied many of
their feet together, and then fastened them to his belt.
The geese began to scream, and the flock rose from the water. He had
tied six geese to his belt; they were strong, and the geese lifted the
hunter out of the water and flew with him to the flock.
He cut three geese loose; the other three broke the strings which tied
them. The Indian dropped down, down, into a tall hollow stump. He was
hungry, but he went to sleep.
After two days he heard squaws trying to cut down the stump; they ran
away when he called to them. The Indian men came and found him; they
got him out and gave him food.
The Indians gave him arrows, and he made himself a new bow; these he
took and went on a long hunt. He came to a place where there were many
deer, and he had much meat and many deerskins. The hunter remembered
how the geese had carried him in the air. He made wings of the
deerskins; he learned how to fly with the wings, for the birds taught
him.
The hunter was very far from his tribe. It was a long trail to his
village. He said to the birds that he would fly to his tribe, and he
did. When it was night he slept in the trees; when it was day the
hunter flew until he was hungry, then he stopped and found something to
eat.
He reached his village; his tribe saw him and thought a spirit had
come. They called a great council, and the hunter told his story; then
he burned his wings. No other Indian was ever seen to fly in the air.
XII. HOW THE BEAR LOST HIS TAIL
(Iroquois)
An old fox saw an Indian with a sled-load of fish. The fox wanted a
fish, but was afraid of the man. How could he get a fish without
letting the Indian know? At last he thought of a plan. He laid himself
down by the sled-road and made the Indian believe that he was dead.
The Indian wanted the fox’s skin, but did not have time to take it. He
threw the old fox on the sled with the fish and pulled the big load
towards his wigwam.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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