TRADITIONS OF THE CROWS. 



i. — Origin Myth. 



Long before there was any land, and before any living thing ex- 

 isted excepting four little Ducks, the Creator, whom we call Old-Man, 

 came and said to the Ducks, "Which one of you is brave?" One de- 

 clared that he was the bravest. Old-Man said to the Duck, "Dive 

 down in the water and get some dirt from the bottom and I will see 

 what I can do with it." 



The brave Duck went down and was gone a long time, and when 

 it came up it carried upon its beak some dirt that it gave to Old-Man, 

 who held it in his hand until it became dry ; then he blew it in various 

 directions and made land and the mountains and the rivers. 



Old-Man, who was all powerful, was asked by the Ducks to make 

 other living tilings. Old-Man took more dirt in his hand and after it 

 dried, blew it out, and there stood a man and a woman that were Crow 

 Indians ; and from this dirt Crows appeared. Old-Man explained to 

 them how to increase in number. 



The man and woman were blind, but after opening their eyes they 

 told the others to do so, and when the first two saw their nakedness 

 they asked for something to clothe themselves. Old-Man made of the 

 dirt different animals and fruits so that they might have food and cloth- 

 ing. Old-Man killed a buffalo and then took a rock and broke it, and 

 with one of the pieces cut up the buffalo and explained its parts. The 

 man was told how to make arrow heads, axes, knives and cooking ves- 

 sels of hard stone. For carrying water, Old-Man told him to take the 

 offals of the buffalo ; and from the pouch make a bucket and for a 

 drinking cup, to take the horn of the buffalo or the mountain sheep. 

 Old-Man told the man to take the best pieces of the buffalo for food ; 

 and that when he had had enough, to take the hide and with it make 

 a robe. Old-Man showed the woman how to dress the skin. For 

 making a fire Old-Man told them how- to take two sticks and place a 

 little sand upon one of the sticks with the driest buffalo manure and to 

 take the other stick and twist between the hands until fire came. Old- 

 Man told them to take a large stone and fasten on a handle with horse 

 hide and with it break animal bones to get the marrow for making 

 soup. Old-Man showed them how to scrape animal skins with the bone 

 of the foreleg of an animal. 



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