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



came." said Nih"a"ga", "in order that you might cut my hair." "Oh, 

 don't, Niha"<;a" !" they said to him. ' I have heard that they say that my 

 wife is dead. That is why I want my hair cut," he said, and began to 

 weep. Every now and then he blew his nose. "Well, let it be then, 

 Nih a°<;a", we will do it," they said to him. But Ni'i'a"ga" could not 

 stop crying. "That will do. Come, stop! You have cried enough." 

 they said to him. After he had had his hair cut, he started homeward. 

 When he came near his tent he began to cry with all his might, be- 

 cause he had loved his wife and children so. . "The same old fool ! 

 What troubles him now?" said his wife. "My wife, whom I loved so! 

 My children, whom I loved so! Alas!" he was saying as he went 

 along. "What is the reason his hair is cut? He must have done some- 

 thing again," said his wife. When Nih'a"ga" came to the tent he saw 

 his wife and children. ' My dear wife! I see you again with joy. I 

 had heard it said you were dead. That is why I cut my hair." Thus 

 he said to his wife, and embraced her and kissed her. "I am so glad 

 to see you again, my wife. Oh, how lucky I am!" "They gave you 

 false news, my husband," his wife said to Nih'a"<;a°.' — K. 



56. — NiH'A'^gA^ GOES Fishing.^ 



As Nih'a'^(;a° was traveling down stream, he met a man who was 

 fishing. The man had a fish line made of his own skin and used his own 

 flesh for bait. Ex ano frustum deciderat et inde cutem per tergum cer- 

 vicesque usque ad frontem avulsam pro linea Tiabebat. This he threw 

 into the water, and whenever he pulled it up he caught a fish. Then 

 Nih'a^ga'* began to cry, and said to him: "Pity me! teach me this!" 

 The man consented to give him the power. Cum Nih'a^gae ut se in- 

 clinaret imperasset. in eius ano foramen fecit and then cut loose a strip 

 of his skin, leaving it attached only at the forehead. He told him : 

 "Use it three times and no more." Nih'a"<;a" went on and came to a 

 pool in the river. He dropped his baited line and caught a fish. Going 

 on. down stream, he came to another pool and again caught a fish. 

 Farther down he caught another. Going on again he dropped his line 

 for the fourth time and left it in the w^ter for some time. Suddenly 

 a large fish seized the bait. Niha^qa" tried to pull it out, but could not 

 lift it above the water farther than the head. Then the fish l>egan 

 to pull him. He seized a root, but nevertheless was dragged into the 

 river. There the fish swallowed him. "I told him to be careful," said 

 the man who had taught him. He went down to where Nih a"ga" had 



' Gros Ventre also. 

 ' From informants J. 



