SWanton] INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY 359 



The following story is told of the west wind : 



A little boy named tj'stapu was lying in a bunk close to the shore 

 of a lake. His people had come there from the prairies in order to 

 cross, but the wind was too high. As he lay there tJ'stapu discov- 

 ered a boy fanning with a fan of turkey feathers. This was the boy 

 that makes the west wind. Then U'stapu said to his people : " I can 

 break the arm of the boy that makes the west wind." All laughed 

 at him, but he took up a shell, threw it at the boy who was making 

 the wind, and broke his left arm. Therefore, when the west wind 

 was high, the Indians used to say this boy was using his good arm, 

 and if it was gentle, tliey said he was using his broken arm. Before 

 that time the west wind used to be very bad, because the west-wind 

 maker could change hands, but since then it has been much gentler. 

 It is possible that this boy made the other winds also. 



The following story was evidently much longer and was told to 

 account for many things besides those indicated : 



One time a man became angry with everybody and set the sea 

 marshes on fire, intending to destroy them. A little bird flew up into 

 a tree and shouted: '''' Kv'naxmiwica! Ku'naxmiwica''^ ('The 

 water and all is going to burn '). The man replied: " If you do not 

 go away, I will kill you." Finally he threw a shell at the bird and 

 hit it on the wings, making them bleed. That is how the red-winged 

 blackbird came by its red wings. After the fire had passed, the bird 

 said: "Ah! you have done me good, for I can find plenty of good 

 food to eat now that you. have burnt over the ground." The same 

 fire came to a giant who had two little sisters. He put these between 

 two valves of a shellfish and held them high up out of reach of the 

 flames. " Well," he said, " I have saved my two sisters anyhow." 

 The corrugations that may be seen on many bivalves are the marks 

 made by his fingers at that time. When people saw the marshes 

 burning they ran down and killed all kinds of game which had been 

 driven from cover by it. Then they said to the ill-disposed man: 

 " Now that you have put fire in those tall weeds, deer, bear, and all 

 kinds of animals have come out, and we have killed more than we 

 can use. You have benefited us by burning them." So nowadays 

 the red-winged blackbird when he comes around the houses seems 

 to say ^''Ku' naxmiwica " and the other words attributed to him. 



Chitimacha tradition agrees Avith the geological fact in affirming 

 that at one time the sea extended over much of what is now lower 

 Louisiana. 



In addition to the worship paid to Ku'tnahin at the new-moon 

 ceremonies, Gatschet was told of other dances performed in his honor 

 by men and women during a fast. These took place also at Co'ktangi. 

 Gatschet says of them : ''An addition was, however, made to these 

 dances; a huge cone of dry reeds, which was erected and set on fire 



