harrisgton] children's stories 371 



The Turkeys and the Great Flood 



Once upon a time there lived some Turkeys at Ea'oma Mountain. 

 And one time there came a certain bird to tell them that all four- 

 footed and flying animals must go up Pueblo Peak, since the whole 

 earth was to be covered by rain, it being that the Power was to 

 send rain to the earth. 



Then the day arrived for them to go. All the birds that lived at 

 Ra'omci Mountain went to Pueblo Peak. And two Turkeys started 

 to go there with their little brother, leading their little brother by 

 the hand. As they got near, their little brother was growing tired 

 and began to cry. "Keep on, our little brother," said his older 

 brothers to him. As he grew tired he went along crying. "Do not 

 crj', our little brother, we shall now soon reach Pueblo Peak," said 

 his older brothers to hun as they went along. 



They finally came to the top of Pueblo Peak. When they reached 

 the top, four-footed and flying animals of every kind were already 

 there. Since it was raining hard, the water was almost reaching the 

 top. Some of the birds were sitting on top of the trees and just as 

 the water was about to reach the top of Pueblo Peak it stopped 

 raining. 



So this is the reason why the Turkeys have their feathei-s white at 

 the end of the taO, because they were touched by the foam of the 

 water. And this is also the reason why some of the flying animals 

 and four-footed animals are spotted, because as they ascended, 

 fleeing from the rain, their feathers were touched by the foam of 

 the water. 



You have a tail. 



The Origin of the Scalp House 



Once upon a time people were living at the Pueblo. i\lso people 

 were living up northwest at Taos. As the Picuris people were at 

 war with the Taos, the people were all inside their houses without 

 lights as soon as it got dark, for the Taos used to come around at 

 night. 



Now a certain Picuris man put his quiver on his back and took 

 his bow and started off in the evening, before sunset, up northwest 

 for where the Taos lived. When he arrived there he sat inside an 

 old house, waiting for it to get dark. As he sat there waiting, and 

 as it was getting dark, he heard the Taos children who were playing 

 say: "Now we must go inside, for the Picuris might catch us." 



When it grew dark, he went into the first house he came to. There 

 was only one woman there, who was holding a child in her arms. 



