denio] THE ASSINIBOIN 613 



He went with the dog through the camp, who pointed out his sisters 

 .and brothers, all lying dead. The boy revived them by looking upon 

 them. 55 After a short time the little girl said, "My brother, it is a 

 great pity so many fine men and women should die. Look upon them 

 and let them live again." The boy did as desired and the whole 

 camp was again called to life and motion. 



He then made a feast, called all of them together, distributed the 

 meat, and told them of the conduct of their father toward them. 

 The boy was made chief of the camp, the little old dog was trans- 

 formed into a man and became the first soldier, and the father was 

 degraded to be a scullion and bearer of burdens for the whole. 



By a Woman 



An old woman lived in a lodge alone except her children, and raised 

 corn in a garden. One of her little boys was shooting birds with 

 arrows in the garden, when on a sudden appeared a sack full of rice, 

 which, dancing up and down before the boy, sung out, " My nephew, 

 shoot me and eat me. my nephew, shoot me and eat me." (This part 

 is sung by the narrator.) The boy shot an arrow into the sack and 

 all the rice spilled on the ground. Here the story ends with a 

 general laugh. 



By Tah-titn-gah-hoo-hoo-sa-chah, or " The Bull's Dry Bones," an Old 

 and Famed Priest of the Assiniboin 



The whole surface of the earth w r as at a time covered with water; 

 in fact, no land existed but at the bottom of this great ocean. Seven 

 persons were on a raft, viz, five men and two women. These were 

 the first Gros Ventres, besides whom the only living objects visible 

 were a Frog, a Muskrat, a Crow, and a Spider. The men. wishing 

 for land and being informed in a dr%am how to act, told the Muskrat 

 to dive to the bottom of the water and try to bring up a portion of 

 earth. The being plunged, remained a long time under, but ap- 

 peared without any. He was ordered to try again, and dived still 

 farther, remaining under a much longer time, but reappeared with 

 nothing. Again and again he plunged and at last disappeared for 

 such a length of time that all thought he was drowned, but he 

 rose to the surface, stretching out his claws to those on the raft, 

 saying. "I have brought it," and immediately expired from ex- 

 haustion. They drew in the being and scraped from between his 

 claws a small portion of earth which they made into a flat cake, set 

 it on the water, and behold it spread rapidly in every direction. 



''■In Chippewa and cognate Algonquian dialects the Life God, Nanabozho (i. e., 

 Inabi'ozio'i, was created, mythic tradition explains, bj a look of t !•■ Great Father Spirit 

 in the heavens, gazing down through the Sun as His shield. Such is the literal meaning 

 of ibis Illuminating designation. 



