TRADITIONS OF THE ARAPAHO. 



I. — Origin Myth (Fragmentary). 



In the first place there was nothing but water, except the water- 

 fowls ; and the Grandfather saw that there was a Father [flat pipe] of 

 the Indians floating on the water, on the four sticks (tripod). Knowing 

 that that person floating on the water was fasting and weeping and cry- 

 ing, and seeing that he was really fasting for the good, the Grandfather 

 took mercy on him. So the Father floating on the water, and who was 

 fasting on this tripod, called all the water-fowls, and so they all came. 



'"Now," says this man, "I want some of you who can do the work 

 of diving to come and search for the bottom of the sea and see if you 

 can find dirt." So they all came in rotation according to their size. 

 And they dived and came out dead. It took some days for these birds 

 to dive. Finally it was the turn of the duck, who was somewhat timid 

 about doing this work, and he said, "I guess I will try my luck and see 

 if I can do this work." So the duck dived and was a few days and 

 nights under the water, and the Father who was on the tripod was 

 anxiously watching to see the return of the duck, and the time came and 

 he saw the sign of its return on the surface of the water as though the 

 duck was coming. And as the duck came out of the surface of the water 

 (his feet closed the moment he barely reached the bottom) it had mud 

 stuck to its claws. The Father took it and cleaned its feet, and the 

 mud that was on its feet he put on his pipe. Still it was not satisfactory. 

 There was not enough to do good. So the turtle came swimming 

 toward the tripod and said, "I am going to try too." So he went down 

 and down days and nights, for a long time. Toward the last the man 

 saw the bubbles coming up. The circles of water began to form and the 

 turtle came up with his feet closed together. The Father took him 

 and stretched his legs apart and took the mud oflf from the four feet. 

 And these were the two animals that did the work in diving to the 

 bottom of the sea to get the clay. The Father took the clay and put it 

 with the other and spread it out thin and then he dried it. As soon as 

 the clay was (Jry he went to work and just took a piece of this clay 

 and blew it toward the northeast, and then toward the southeast and 

 then toward the northwest, and then toward the southwest, and what 

 was left he took and gave it a swing and commanded that the earth 



