396- Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



her, in her behalf and in a kindly way, "Now, my dear wife, you know 

 that you have been living with me peaceably for a long time, but the 

 work for you at home is such that you are in need of another com- 

 panion; so I shall go to the other camp-circle to court one." So the 

 husband started out and was absent for one day. When he came back 

 home he talked to his wife of the necessity of another wife, and of 

 course she expressed no objections. ' When I am away and you remain 

 with our boy, I know that you feel lonesome, but if I get another wo- 

 man, she will be a companion, and besides, a great help to you in many 

 ways. You will have some one to talk to. If you desire to go off for 

 anything she will be at home to look after the things. If you were to 

 quill the robe or the tipi designs, she could do the other duties in or 

 outside of the tipi. You can do the same way too. So my wife, it is not 

 necessary to cite everything relative to the importance of another wife," 

 said the husband. So again he started out courting, and late in the 

 night came home with a woman. 



Now the first wife (Buffalo- Woman) wore a buckskin dress with 

 long fringe, and the second wife (Elk- Woman) had an elk skin dress 

 ornamented with the teeth of the elk, and it was also fringed. 



From now on, this husband was away from his home most of the 

 time, in search of game, and occasionally brought in some beef. The 

 two wives stayed together peaceably and helped each other, very nicely. 

 This new wife was soon in a family way, and one day gave birth to a 

 boy. The first wife had all she could. attend to during the confinement 

 of her partner, but didn't make any complaint, because the husband had 



was said : " We will dance for four days." Then they danced in a muddy place. The man was very 

 tired from having been awake so long. His son came to him and said: "Do not be discouraged ; 

 I shall dance for you.'' Then they began to dance. The calf took a turtle shell and, putting it down 

 in the middle, danced on it. All the dancing buffalo women were mired in the mud, but the calf did 

 not sink down on the turtle shell. (For the turtle shell is the earth. The dancing of the buffalo 

 women is represented in the buffalo dance.) At last the calf grew tired, and said : " 1 love you very 

 much, my father, but I cannot dance longer." Then the man took his place and danced -for him, 

 but the buffalo women trampled on him and pushed him down in the mire and killed him. 



Before Blue-bird had gone away he had said to his people: " If I am killed a sign will arise from 

 the earth to the sky. You will know that that is where I am." Now a cloud came up from this place, 

 and a blue plume also rose up and floated about here and there. This was his breath. Magpie came 

 and looked about. The blue plume said: "1 am the one that was killed." Then Magpie took it and 

 ffew away with it, and when he got back put it into the sweat-house. Then Blue-bird came out of the 

 sweat-house alive. Butfalo-vvoman was still jealous, and came with the whole herd to attack her hus- 

 band. Blue-bird told the people: "Build a sweat-house of four layers of wood. Let the outermost 

 wood be hahaant, the next biit, the next biiaxan, the innermost niiyanan. They made this, andwent 

 inside. The buffalo came and butted against the sweat-house' and broke one covering after the 

 other, but the last one, the iiiiy anan, was hard and strong and they all broketheir horns on it and were 

 unable to get through. Then tiey were all defenseless and many were lying about dead. Thus 

 Blue-bird and the people escaped. 



This myth appears to be confined to the Plains. Cf. J. O. Dorsey, Contr. N. A. Ethii., \T, 

 147 (Dhegiha); and Journ. Am. Folk Lore, XIII, 1S6 (Cheyenne); also, (or a piriial form, Grinnrll, 

 Blackfoot Lodge Tales, 104. 



