454 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. V. 



1 06. — Big-Owl, Owner-of-Bag. 



In camp-circle family of man, wife and boy. Boy gets mad and cries. 

 Mother threatens him with Owner-of-Bag, but he will not cease. She takes lad 

 in and throws him out of tipi, calling out for Owner-of-Bag to come for him. 

 He falls into bag of Owner-of-Bag, who gives him food to keep him from cry- 

 ing more. Mother thinks boy has gone to sleep with relatives. During night, 

 mother goes in search of boy, but he is gone and she goes back to bed weeping. 

 Next day she goes around camp, but boy is missing, and she returns in much 

 grief. Thought comes into her mind and she pledges to make articles with por- 

 cupine quills. For days she makes moccasins, leggings, shirts and various 

 robes. When articles finished she wraps them in bundle and starts in search 

 of child. As she is traveling along she hears voice, which promises her services. 

 Toward evening she comes in sight of river and sees tipi by itself near river. 

 Young boy comes out, addresses her as mother and bids her enter before grand- 

 father returns. She enters and finds tipi by tree with grape-vines all around. 

 Boy is little owl. Big-Owl hoots in distance. Little-Owl makes mother squat 

 with bundle under cover and bag and places arrow sticks on top of her. Big- 

 Owl returns and tells boy he has left beef for him to skin. He adds that he 

 smells footprints of mother. Boy says she has not come. Before going out 

 he tells Big-Owl not to disturb arrow sticks or he will kill him. Little-Owl 

 soon returns with beef. Big-Owl sends him three times in succession, to kill 

 "buffalo — first, one, then five and then ten, which will go into bag without trouble 

 if he]d open toward animals. Each time, Big-Owl says he smells mother and 

 Little-Owl repeats that if he disturbs arrows he will kill him. On last occasion 

 Little-Owl leaves five beeves unskinned and asks Big-Owl to go and finish them. 

 He goes, but soon returns. He goes back again on command of Little-Owl, say- 

 ing as he flies away, "All right, but I smell your mother." Mother gets up and 

 takes two pairs of men's moccasins out of bundle, placing one pair at entrance. 

 She tells boy they will try and escape. She steps on first pair and then on those 

 outside and runs at full speed. When they reach small hill she places pair of 

 warrior's leggings and then they continue flight. Big-Owl returns and hoots 

 without receiving reply. He finds moccasins in front of door and another 

 pair inside, and sees that boy has been carried off by mother. He takes up stone 

 club and runs round and round, counting porcupine quills on insteps of mocca- 

 sins. He starts at full speed and comes to warrior's leggings. Woman and boy 

 reach bottom and spread handsome shirt on ground. Big-Owl counts all quills 

 on leggings and afterward on short shirt. Woman and boy continue escape and 

 spread at different places, scalp-lock shirt, "stake-pin" robe, "image" robe, "eagle" 

 robe. Big-Owl counts quills on all these articles as he comes to them, but 

 slackens his speed in running. Mother taunts him and walks slowly with boy. 

 Big-Owl grows dizzy and stumbles. Mother spreads "one-hundredth" robe. 

 Big-Owl reaches robe, walks around, staggers and falls down exhausted after he 

 liad counted half robe. Mother and boy go to him. He tells m,other she has 

 conquered and that she is to strike him on forehead with stone club. She 

 strikes and breaks his forehead to pieces, as skulls of dead are treated. Mother 

 and boy continue journey and finally get back to their own tipi. — D. 



