84 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BULL Bo 
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melted snow to drink. When the boy came in sight, they said, “ Son, 
we are having a very bad time.” The boy replied: “That is what 
you gave me when I was up in the tree. Now it is my turn to make 
you do something for me.” They said that they would, and, after 
talking it over, they decided to transpose their relationship, so that 
he would be their father instead of their son. The boy said, “ All 
right.” He stopped playing on his flute and the snow stopped fall- 
ing. The boy made all the snow disappear. The men were too 
weak to hunt, so the boy got plenty of game for — and made them 
comfortable. Then he went home. 
When he reached home the old Granny said, “ What have you 
done?” The boy told her all about it, and she said: “That is good. 
You gave them some of their own treatment.” After that the two 
men had to get food and gifts of clothing for the boy, because they 
had agreed that he should be their father. When the two men had 
secured these gifts they came to the lodge and told Granny and her 
grandchild that they had everything to satisfy all requirements, and 
that they would return with the articles in four days. 
Bear-on-the-flat (pl. 14, 6), who related the three legends next 
following and recorded their songs, is one of the “story-tellers” of 
the Mandan tribe. He said that autumn is the time for story-telling, 
which is continued until a time approximately New Year’s, when it 
ceases. He said that he used to go to a story-teller, offer him gifts, 
and ask him to tell his stories, but that now he tells stories himself 
and people come to him with similar requests. He added that those 
who come to hear him always sleep at his house, as he “talks al- 
most all night.” 
Wolf Head, who related two “folk tales” aa recorded their 
songs, iS one of the old Mandans. His material, as well as the folk 
tale and its song by Scattered Corn, was abtiined when the writer 
was camping among the Indians. 
OrIGIN OF THE Burrato Dance Society 
RELATED BY BEAR-ON-THE-FLAT 
In relating this legend Bear-on-the-flat said that the society had 
not been in existence during his life, but that he had heard “ the 
old people” tell of it. He said they told him that the society orig- 
inated in a dream, or vision, by a man whom they thought must 
have been a buffalo, though he lived among human beings. They 
said that perhaps the man had lived among human beings so long 
he had forgotten that he was a buffalo. At about the time when 
houses were first built at Heart River this man had a dream and 
