Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 57 



:Ni!i'a"ga'* still stood there ! ' What a fool I am to get into everything ! 

 Well, some other time it will be good." ^ — K. 



24. — Nih'a^ca^'s Feast of Beaver stolen by Coyote. 



Niha^Qa*^ went djown the river and came to several lakes in 

 which there were plenty of beavers. "Well ! You folks are starving 

 yourselves here; there are several lakes just over the hill, where there 

 are plenty of nice clean young cottonwood trees and yellow willows 

 on the banks ; the water is very deep and green. You ought to go 

 over there and live upon the fine trees and drink that good water. I 

 will show you the way and will take you over," said Nih'a"ga". "All 

 right ! He is advising us for our benefit," said the beavers. 



N"ih"a"(;a'* cut a big stick for a club, and the beavers got out of 

 their dens and started off over the land. Nih'a"ga'' followed them. 

 When they had gone a distance, Nib'S^^a*" said to the little beaver, who 

 was behind, "This is what I am going to kill you with," showing the 

 club stick. The little beaver ran up to his father and mother and 

 told them what Nih'a°Qa° had said. The beavers stopped. "Nih'a"ga". 

 this little beaver says that you have showed him the stick that you were 

 going to kill him with! How is that?" said the father of the little 

 beaver. "Well, no, I didn't say any such thing. I told him that when 

 you get over the other side of the hill you will have this kind of food, 

 perhaps it will be better and tenderer. I was showing him the kind 

 of wood that grows there," said Nih'a"<;a''. When the beavers had 

 gone a little farther from their dam Nih'a^ga" struck one dead. The 

 others turned and began running back to the dam, Nih'a"(;a° running 

 after them and knocking them down, until there were only two left, 

 a male and a female. 'You go back to your den, so that your seed 

 may increase in number and in kind," said Ni'i'a"Qa". 



Nih'a"(;a° then gathered up all the dead beave»-=, made a pit in 

 which he placed them, covered them up with dirt and built a fire to 

 roast them. "That is the way I get my food," said Nih^a'^^a". Now 

 there were two cottonwood trees standing near by, and the wind was 

 blowing hard so that the branches were waving. There were two 

 limbs at the top of the tree rubbing together and making a squeaking 

 noise. "Oh ! Stop fighting," said Nih'a^Qa". When he saw he could 

 not prevail upon them, he climbed the tree to part them, and taking 

 hold of each limb be became fast between them. While Nih'a"Qa° was 

 fastened between the limbs up in the tree. Coyote came running up 



' Cf. the supposed actual occurrence told in "The Arapaho," Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., 

 XVIII, p. 20. 



