330 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropclogy, Vol. V. 



135. — The Porcupine and the Woman who climbed to the Sky. 



There was a camp-circle. A party of women went out after some 

 wood for the fire. One of them saw a porcupine near a cottonwood 

 tree and informed her companions of the fact. The porcupine ran 

 around the tree, finally climbing it, whereupon the woman tried to hit 

 the animal, but he dodged from one side of the trunk of the tree to the 

 other, for protection. At length one of the women started to climb the 

 tree to catch the porcupine, but it ever stopped just beyond her reach. 

 She even tried to reach it with a stick, but with each effort it went a 

 little higher. '"Well!" said she, 'I am climbing to catch the porcupine, 

 for I want those quills, and if necessary I will go to the top." 



When porcupine had reached the top of the tree the woman was 

 still climbing, although the cottonwood was dangerous and the branches 

 were waving to and fro ; but as she approached the top and was about 

 to lay hands upon the porcupine, the tree suddenly lengthened, when the 

 porcupine resumed his climbing. Ldoking dov/n, she sav/ her friends 

 looking up at her, and beckoning her to come down ; but having passed 

 under the influence of the porcupine and fearful for the great distance 

 between herself and the ground, she continued to climb, until she be- 

 came the merest speck to those looking up from below, and with the 

 porcupine she finally reached the sky. 



The porcupine took the woman into the camp-circle where his 

 father and mother lived. The folks welcomed her arrival and fur- 

 nished her with the very best kind of accommodation. The lodge was 

 then put. up for them to live in. The porcupine was very industrious 

 and of course the old folks were well supplied with hides and food. 



One day she decided to save all the sinew from the buffalo, at the 

 same time doing work on buffalo robes and other things with it, in 

 order to avoid all suspicion on the part of her husband and the old 

 folks, as to why she was saving the sinew. Thus she continued to 

 save a portion of the sinew from each beef brought in by her husband, 

 until she had a supply suitable for her purpose. One day her hus- 

 band cautioned her, that while in search of roots, wild turnips and other 

 herbs, she should not dig, and that should she use the digging stick, 

 she should not dig too deep, and that she should go home early when 

 out for a walk. The husband was constantly bringing in the beef and 

 hide, in order that he might keep his wife at work at home all the time. 

 But she was a good worker and soon finished what was required for 

 them. 



Seeing that she had done considerable work, one day she started 



