MO.jNF.Yl ORIGIN OK THK GROUNDHOO DANCK 279 



boo-g-ed iiiid pniyod thoiii not to do that, but tlu'v paid no attention, and 

 dragged him ovtM- to the river and threw him in. That was just what 

 the Terrapin had l)een waiting- for all the time, and Iw, dived under the 

 water and eame up on the other side and .got away. 



Some say that when he was thrown into the river he struek against 

 a rock, whieli broke his back in a dozen places. He sang a medicine 



song: 



Gu'ilaye'vyti, CKi'daye'wd, 



I liave sewed myself together, I have sewed myself together, 



and the pieces came together, but the scars remain on hi.s shell to tiiis 

 day. 



32. ORIGIN OF THE GROUNDHOG DANCE: THE GROUNDHOGS 



HEAD 



Seven wolves once caught a Groundhog and said, "'Now we"ll kill 

 you and have something good to eat." But the Groundhog said, 

 "When we find good food we must rejoice over it, as people do in the 

 Green-corn dance. I know you mean to kill me and I can't help my- 

 self, but if you want to dance I'll sing for you. This is a new dance 

 entirely. I'll lean up against seven trees in turn and you will dance 

 out and then turn and come back, as I give the signal, and at the last 

 turn you may kill me." 



The wolves were very hungry, but they wanted to learn the new 

 dance, so thej' told him to go ahead. The Groundhog leaned up against 

 a tree and began the song, Ila'wiye'eM' , and all the wolves danced out 

 iij front, until he gave the signal, Yu! and began with Hi'i/iu/ii^we, 

 when they turned and danced back in line. "'That's fine," said the 

 Groundhog, and went over to the next tree and started the second song. 

 The wolves danced out and then turned at the signal and danced 

 back again. "That's very line,"' .said the Groundhog, and went over 

 to another tree and .started the third song. The wolves danced their 

 best and the Groundhog encouraged them, but at each song he took 

 another tree, and each tree was a little nearer to his hole under a stump. 

 At the seventh song he .said, ''Now, this is the last dance, and when I 

 say Yu! you will all turn and come after me, and the one who gets me 

 may have me." So he began the seventh song and kept it up until 

 the wolves were away out in front. Then he gave the signal. Yu.' and 

 made a jump for his hole. The wolves turned and were after him, but 

 he reached the hole first and dived in. Just as he got inside, the fore- 

 most wolf caught him by the tail and gave it such a i)uil that it broke 

 off, and the Groundhog's tail has b(>en short ever sini-e. 



» * * ^ * * » 



The unpleasant smell of the Gi-oundhog's head was given it by the 

 other animals to punish an insulting remark made by him in council. 

 The story is a vulgar one. without wit enough to make it worth 

 recordincr. 



