Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 187 



She gave this precaution because there was something inside which 

 she would not let them know, or see. 



The men went out for a hunt, and the sister, with her boy, went to 

 a hill or mountain to watch the young men on their return. Then this 

 sister saw that this old woman would go out and look around and go 

 in again. "Say, mother, I want to tell you that the old woman possesses 

 the same cruel feeling toward human beings, and I am satisfied that the 

 same may happen ; so I will try and play a trick on her," said the boy. 



The boy turned into a woodpecker, flew to the tipi, lighted on the 

 pole and pecked, which made the old woman gather up the contents of 

 the bag and hide them. She got scared and went out to see what it 

 was. She didn't see anybody in sight, and she then looked up toward 

 the tipi poles, and saw a bird (woodpecker) pecking at the pole. "Oh ! 

 that IS nothing but a mere bird, so I will go ahead and see what is still 

 lacking," said the old woman, She went in and opened her bag and 

 spread out men's costumes. "I shall have the whole outfit complete 

 this time. Let me see, — ^there are seven men and a woman ; they surely 

 have plenty of hair about them to finish these shirts and leggings," 

 said she. (The hair on the vulva, and also that around the privates of 

 the young men were used as hair pendants for the buckskin shirts and 

 leggings.) "I will wait a little longer, and then I shall kill them all," 

 said the old woman. 



This woodpecker then informed his mother about the old woman. 

 When the young men with the sister and the boy returned from their 

 hunt, the information in regard to the old woman's way was secretly 

 conveyed from one to another, until all were informed of the danger. 

 The young men then planned a way in which to get rid of her and the 

 bag. It was decided to tell her that there were some good willow pota- 

 toes along the slough, and no doubt she would go out and dig them. 

 When she would go. the bag was to be taken outside and burned up. 



After they had thus decided, one of the young men said to the old 

 woman. "'There are some good willow potatoes that you ought 

 to dig for us ; they will make good soup." So the old woman started 

 to the place in the morning and after she had gone a distance, these 

 young men gathered some wood and placed this heavy bag on top and 

 set a big fire to it. Two carried the bag out, for it was very heavy. 

 The bag, with a big pile of wood, made a big fire. It happened that 

 the wind blew toward the direction where this old woman went to, and 

 she smelled the odor of the bag. "Oh, those young men have burned 

 up my bag, clothing, etc. ! I have got to save what I can," said the old 

 woman. She started running and got to the fire and with her iron dig- 



