528 michelson: fox Indians 



that are patently European. The French-Canadian coUections 

 by Barbeau in the Journal of American Folklore make it prob- 

 able that Ca'kana'''' is not a corruption of Jacques le but rather 

 of Jacquelin. Skinner's statement^^ that "the Central Algonkin 

 as a whole have not absorbed much folklore that is European" 

 is not justified by the facts of Fox or Peoria tales. I have made 

 a brief study of Fox ritualistic origin myths. ^^ The essential 

 point is that thus far this particular type of ritualistic origin 

 myths is unique owing to the profusion of information con- 

 tained in them. The value of these myths for strictly ethnolog- 

 ical studies has also been emphasized. 



As said above, the time is not yet ripe for a final discussion 

 of Fox folklore and mythology. Nevertheless an opinion based 

 on the present materials ma}'' be of some value. Disregarding 

 the origin-legends of gentes and ritualistic origin-myths^'' for the 

 lack of comparative material, it is clear that Fox folklore and 

 mythology is composed of woodland, plains, and European 

 elements. ^^ The plains elements are firmly established by the 



distribution of the tales corresponding to the Fox story of how 

 the culture-hero (Wi'sA'ka'A') rolls himself downhill to catch 

 turkeys, and the tale of his eating the artichoke ; correspondents 

 to the former occur among the Skidi Pawnee, Caddo, Biloxi, 

 AHbamu, and Ojibwa (ducks secondarily) ; to the latter among 

 the Menominee, Eastern Dakota, Assiniboine, Crow, Pawnee, 

 Skidi Pawnee, Arikara, and Wichita. The occurrence of cor- 

 respondents to the Fox story of the beaver and culture-hero 

 among the Peoria, Ponca, and Shoshoni also points to the plains 

 as a center of distribution. If I have emphasized the occurrence 

 of plains-elements in Fox folklore and mythology, it is because 

 hitherto the stress has been on the woodland-elements. From 

 the materials available it would seem as if Kickapoo folklore 

 and mythology on the whole are closest to those of Fox, and 

 that Ojibwa folklore and mythology are rather remotely con- 

 nected therewith. 



^ Joum. Amer. Folklore 27: 100. 

 ^^ This Journal 6 : 209-2 1 1 . 1916. \ 



" The native term for such as refer to the festivals of the gentes is klgdnowi'dte' 

 sd'kdgAti"''' (plural -AWAg^''). 



^* Compare Amer. Anthrop., n. ser. 15: 699. 



