ICTINIKE AND THE TURTLE—AN OMAHA MYTH. 563 
wood on the fire without delay, and went out of the lodge from time to time to see 
whether the women were coming. At last the meat was cooked, and he sat eating it. 
Having devoured all of it before the women returned, he departed. When the women 
got home Ictinike was missing. ‘“O sister-in-law,” said one, “the old man is not 
here. Why! my child is still sleeping just as he was when I left him!” As she took 
up the cradle and was returning with it to the other woman the head of the child 
fell to the ground. ‘Oh! dear little child!” said she. Both the women wept. 
And while they sat crying Ictinike, who had painted his face with clay, disguising 
himself, entered the lodge. “Strange! what cause have you for crying?” “Oh, 
grandfather! Ictinike came and told us about plums, and when we went to pick them 
we left the child here in the cradle; but he ate it and departed, after putting the head 
back in the cradle and wrapping the head-covering around it.” “ Really!” said he, 
“let me see; hand me the ax, I must pursue him.” They gave him the ax and he de- 
parted, running very rapidly. He ran till he reached a very dense forest, where he 
sought for some wood mice. Passing the butt-end of the ax along a decayed log in 
which were some wood mice, he killed the mice and covered the ax with blood. He 
took the ax streaming with blood back to the lodge, and when he entered he said, 
“YJ killed him and I have now returned.” ‘Oh! grandfather,” said the women, 
“was not the place where you found him near here?” ‘Not at all! it is very far, 
but I overtook him by going very rapidly.” ‘This myth explains the cause of the gray 
down (?) on ripe plums: Ictinike was the cause of it. 
ICTINIKE AND THE TURTLE—AN OMAHA MYTH. 
TOLD BY GEORGE MILLER, 
Tctinike ama a¢é amama. Egi¢e waticka baca™i té é¢a"be ahi-bi- yi, 
Iectinike the was going, they At creek itbends the insight arrived, when, 
(my. sub.) say. length (place they say 
where) ae 
Sony f Nn al’ dinkd < 4 1 be) fdead] atlas Lore oh a Ste ¢ 
égi¢e yé yanga ga” ¢inké ama, i¢dnaqideadi atig¢i™ Gea", yied¢iza-bi 
at Biz turtle was (st.) there awhile, Ata sheltered place having come there Having drawn 
length they say, warmed by the sun and sat. (himself) back, 
1 : , Palas ote cs AIT a tO! 5 TRH OY? tee ~ of qe : 
ega”, bispispa agi-bi ega", ja” ¢i"qti a¢a-bi a”, dami té ‘di ahf-bi 
they say crouching at having been coming running fast having gone, they downhill the there arrived, 
intervals back, they say, say, they say 
/ : , ww , , So ae ‘ni x 2 
a”, ga-biama: “Téna’! edta" cénajiqti ¢ag¢i” a. Ni gdké bize te af 
hav- said as follows, Why! where- paying no at- you sit 2? Water that dry will said 
ing they say: fore tention (lg. ob.) : 
whatever 
ega™, wanita ni ug¢i” ama b¢ugagti nf u¢tthai ha. Ki d-biama syd 
having, quadruped those dwelling in the all water follow im- a And said, they say ‘Tur- 
water mediately _ 4 tle 
after it 
= , =/ fe Faye 2 / visi , Y, FIO 
ganga aka, “ Na’! ¢¢ atidg¢i"-na™ma™  ¢a™ja, edada® ctéwa™ and‘a"-maji. 
big the Why! this T often come and sit though, what soever I have not heard, 
(sub.), 
