210 THE MENOMINI INDIANS [eth.ann.h 



days looking for the Sun; but finally he returned, bringing with him a 

 bear which he had shot. 



The Sun's sister still comes up into the sky and travels for twenty 

 days; then she dies, aud for four days nothing is seen of her. At the 

 end of that time, however, she returns to life and travels twenty days 

 more. 



The Sun is a being like ourselves. Whenever an Indian dreams of 

 him he plucks out his hair and wears an otter skin about his head, over 

 the forehead. This the Indian does because the Sun wears an otter skin 

 about his head. 1 



THE AURORA BOREAL1S 



Iii the direction of the north wind live the manabai'wok (giants), of 

 whom we have heard our old people tell. The manabai'wok are our 

 friends, but we do not see them any more. They are great hunters and 

 fishermen, and whenever they are out with their torches to spear flsh we 

 know it, because then the sky is bright over the place where they are. 



METEORS 



When a star falls from the sky, it leaves a fiery trail; it does not die, 

 but its shade goes back to the place whence it dropped to shine again. 

 The Indians sometimes find the small stars in the prairie where they 

 have fallen. They are of stone, and are round, with a spot in the cen- 

 ter, and four or five small points projecting from the surface. I have 

 myself found some of these fallen stars. 



The following myths are self-explanatory and require no comment 

 except in instances where comparison with parallel myths of the Ojibwa 

 or other closely allied tribes may be of special value or interest. They 

 were obtained chiefly from Shu'nien, Xio'pet, Wai'os'kasit, and other 

 prominent Menomini, and to the ethnologist present some curious flights 

 of fancy. 



The first is called Kita'mi, the Porcupine, or the punishment for dis- 

 respect and cruelty. 



THE PORCUPINE 



There was once a village in which dwelt two sisters who were con- 

 sidered the swiftest runners in the Menomini tribe. Toward the setting 

 sun was another village, though so far away that an ordinary walker 

 would have to travel two days to reach it. Once these two sisters 

 decided to visit the distant village; so, starting out, they ran at great 

 speed until nearly noon, when they came to a hollow tree lying across 

 the trail. 



Snow was on the ground, and the sisters saw the track of a Porcu- 

 pine leading to the hollow of the trunk. Oue of them broke off a 

 stick and began to poke it into the cavity to make the Porcupine come 



•Shu'nien stated that in his youth he had seen eight such dreamers who had plucked the hair from 

 the scalp and wore otter-skin bands about the head. The custom is now obsolete. 



