1. THE GIRL THAT WAS SAVED BY THE WREN. 1 



In Oraibi (they) lived. At the place where now Kohtutwa (Found 

 Wood) lives, lived a man, his wife and their daughter. It was winter 

 and there was snow. The parents wanted to go and get wood, and said 

 to their daughter, that she should prepare food for them. But after 

 they had left, the girl played all day in a corner of the house and the steps 

 with sheep bones, which were people and for whom she built a house, 

 talking to them all day. So when her parents returned in the evening 

 they found nothing to eat and the mother had to get fire and prepare 

 a meal herself. She was tired and angry. The next morning they 

 went after wood again, and again told the girl to prepare food for them. 

 "But you must do it this time," the mother said, "because I shall be 

 tired." But when they returned in the evening they found their 

 daughter still playing at the same place. The mother was very angry. 

 When she had laid down the wood she grabbed the girl by the belt, 

 tore it off, tore off her dress and then threw her through a hatch-way 

 into a lower room, covering the hatch- way with the stone cover. When 

 they were eating late the father asked where their daughter was, since 

 she had not come in. "Why, she has gone somewhere," the mother 

 said "because she has not come in." The parents finally went to 

 sleep. The girl in her lower room hunted for a blanket and finally 

 found a small one in which she wrapped herself up and also went to 

 sleep. In the morning the parents again went after wood without 

 asking for their daughter. She staid in the room all day and slept 

 there again the next night, the parents going after wood "again the 

 following morning. Thus the girl remained in the room three days 

 and three nights. On the morning of the fourth day she was very 

 hungry, as she had not eaten anything for a long time. She was very 

 tired and was lying down. In the north wall was a small opening. 

 All at once she saw something sitting in the opening. It came in and 

 when the girl looked up she saw it jumping up and down on the floor, 

 leave the room, and come back again. It wasaTQchvo (Wren). Final- 

 ly the Wren came close to her and said "Alas! that you arc here that 

 way; but just continue here that way, I shall go and hunt something 

 for you." The Wren soon returned with a string of ears of sweet 

 corn. "Here, eat this," the bird said, "and then you must go out and 



' Compare tale No. 15. page 71. in "The Traditions of the Hopi" by H. R. Voth. published by 

 The Field Museum. 



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