Oct., 1903. Arapaho Traditions — Dorsey and Kroeber. 339 



137. — The Porcupine and the Woman who climbed to the Sky/ 



The moon was a handsome young man who lived with his mother. 

 He had a wife whom he did not like, the frog. Looking down, he saw 

 a woman. Then he came down to the earth. The woman saw a por- 

 cupine hanging on a tree. She wanted to get its quills, and climbed 

 up after it. Just as she reached out to get it, the porcupine climbed to 

 the next limb above. This it continued to do. The woman climbed 

 higher and higher without knowing it. The moon was causing the tree 

 to stretch upward. At last the woman saw something above her, solid 

 like a wall, but shining: it was the sky. There was an opening in it 

 and through this the tree grew. The woman hung to the tree, not 

 knowing what to do. When she reached the sky, the moon took her and 

 brought her to his tent. Then he wished to know which of his wives 

 was the younger, intending to send the other away. He gave them 

 buffalo gut, in order to judge by the noise they made in chewing it whose 

 teeth were the sharpest. The frog put charcoal into her mouth, and 

 when she chewed, made a noise. Then the black saliva ran out of 

 the corners of her mouth. The moon saw that she was old and put her 

 away. The woman used to go out and sit by herself; she was sad, 

 thinking what to do to get home ; she could think of no way. An old 

 woman pitied her and went to where she sat, and said : "I will help 

 you to go back to the earth ; I will let you down by a sinew rope." 

 When the man went hunting again, the two women went out and 

 looked for the thinnest place in the sky. They dug through the ground 

 and soon reached the sky, which was like ice. They broke a hole 

 through this carefully, so that the old woman might cover it up again 

 without leaving any traces. Then the old woman tied the sinew about 

 the other and let her down. The sinew stretched, and at last the woman 

 reached the earth and got home. Then the moon took back his old wife. 

 Therefore he has a black frog upon him. When the woman reached her 

 camp, the people were much surprised. They had thought her dead. 

 She told them how she had been taken up. Soon she gave birth to a 

 boy ; he was called Hiiciisisa", Moon-child.* He grew up fast, and was 

 beautiful and kind-hearted. Every one thought well of him. He be- 

 came chief of the people ; his tent was very large and full of robes 

 and embroidered work. He lived a hundred years, remaining strong 

 and vigorous. When he died the moon took him up to the sky to live 

 there.*— K. 



' Told by informant B. 



» Or: Sun<hild. 



'The following version was obtained as a text from informant C. Women who were going to 

 ■water saw a porcupine. One of the women wanted it and said : " I will try to catch it." She climbed 

 up a tree after it. When she got close and was just about to take it, it began to climb on again, so 



