Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. iot 



From the force of the whirlwind Nih'a"ga'' received a whirl spot 

 on his head. Whenever a person has the whorl on the side of his head, 

 he is considered very dull, lazy and talkative. 



If a whirlwind happens to travel toward a person, he must squat 

 down and cover his face and wait until it passes. By doing this, the 

 whirlwind recognizes the respect given to him ; but if there is a person 

 who does not believe the powers of the whirlwind and faces it, when it 

 comes to him with little or greater force, his senses are lessened, — 

 he may lose his hearing, or be nervous the rest of his life. 



In a story about the whirlwind woman traveling from place to 

 place, making tipi discs, etc., we are told how the earth was enlarged. 

 — D. 



Told by River-Woman (Northern Arapaho). Cf. No. 47, and see note 2. 

 49. NlH'A.'^gAN AND THE BeAR-WoMEN.' 



Nib a^ga"* was traveling down a stream. As he walked along on 

 the bank he saw something red in the water. They were red plums. 

 He wanted them badly. Taking off his clothes, he dived in and felt 

 over the bottom with his hands ; but he could find nothing, and the 

 current carried him down-stream and to the surface again. He thought. 

 He took stones and tied them to his wrists and ankles so that they 

 should weigh him down in the water. Then he dived again ; he felt 

 over the bottom, but could find nothing. When his breath gave out 

 he tried to come up, but could not. He was nearly dead, when at last 

 the stones on one side fell off and he barely rose to the surface side- 

 ways and got a little air. As he revived, floating on his back, he saw 

 the plums hanging on the tree above him. He said to himself : "You 

 fool !" He scolded himself a long time. Then he got up, took off 

 the stones, threw them away, and went and ate the plums. He also 

 filled his robe with them. 



Then he went on down the river. He came to a tent. He saw a 

 bear-woman come out and go in again. Going close to the tent, he 

 threw a plum so that it dropped in through the top of the tent. When 

 it fell inside, the bear- women and children all scrambled for it. Then 

 he threw another and another. At last one of the women said to her 

 child : "Go out and see if that is not your uncle Nih'a"(;a'*." The child 

 went out, came back, and said : "Yes, it is my uncle Nih'a"9a°." Then 

 !Nih'a"9a'' came in. 'He gave them the plums, and said: "I wonder 

 that you never get plums, they grow so near you !" The bear-women 

 wanted to get some at once. He said : "Go up the river a little way ; 

 it is not far. Take all your children with you that are old enough to 



» Informant B. 



