hoffman] DESTRUCTION OF THE SNOW 217 



he kept watching- the stranger, who appeared to be getting rather warm. 

 The perspiration began to break out upon his forehead and trickle down 

 through his beard. The stranger appeared to get wanner and warmer, 

 and in a short time the hunter saw his head and body diminishing in 

 size, because he was thawing. The hunter was pleased at this, and 

 kept up his fires until he had entirely melted the Snow, for it was he 

 who had come to destroy the hunter and his family. But man is 

 more powerful than Gold, and thus Kon perished. 



THE BEAR AMD THE EAGLE 



In the following it would appear that the mythic circumstance 

 alluded to transpired shortly after the creation of the several totems, 

 but special reference is made to an instance in which Kine'fr', the 

 Golden-eagle, became angered at the Owa'sse (bear) chief and called 

 him A'kwine'mi, his former name having been Sheka'tshokwe'inau. 

 The latter is the "Old Chief" or "Old King," whose name first appears 

 at the time of the conspiracy of Pontiac, and the tale appears, therefore, 

 to be of later creation. 



One time the Kin6'ii T and his people lived on the southern shore of 

 the Mi'nika'nise'pe, ' while the Owa'sse and his people lived on the 

 northern shore of that stream. Although the Kiue'fr and the Owa'sse 

 lived on opposite shores, they were some distance apart. 



Above the camp of the Kine'u T was a waterfall where fish were 

 caught. The Bear, who lived nearer the mouth of the river, becoming 

 jealous, built a dam across the river to prevent the fish from farther 

 ascending the stream. When the fish did not ascend the river at the 

 proper time, the Kiue'fr begau to suffer from want of food, and many, 

 indeed, died of starvation. The Kine'u v then asked his son to go down 

 to the camp of the Owa'sse and ask him to remove the dam, that the 

 fish might be permitted to ascend the river and his people no longer be 

 compelled to suffer. 



The son of Kine'fr went to the Owa'sse, as he had been requested, 

 and asked that the dam be removed, that the fish might ascend the 

 river and relieve his starving people. The Owa'sse appeared to acqui- 

 esce in this request, and told the son of Kine'iV that all would be done 

 as he had asked. But next morning Owa'sse heated a piece of metal 

 in the fire; then, calling to the son of Kine'fr', he said, "You may 

 return to your camp now; the fish will follow," and as the boy came 

 toward Owa'sse he was grasped by him, who thrust the hot metal rod 

 through the skin of the boy's forehead, leaving a great wound there. 

 The boy went home with his robe over his head and shoulders in order 

 to hide the wound, and immediately entered his wigwam, where he sat 

 down, silent and meditating. Kin6'u v soon entered the wigwam, and, 

 on observing his son, said to him, "My son, were you successful in your 



1 Now known as Menomini river. 



