110 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The voice ceased its chanting, the Robin had departed. And 

 the forest wondered as the trees sent forth their young leaves, 

 frozen streams melted, and the cold, gray clouds nestled nearer 

 the sun's red glow that draped the west sky. The hemlock lodge 

 fell to the earth, and all nature began its song of Spring! 



" He was brave," sorrowed a chief. " We should have taken 

 him sooner." 



" His totem was late, but the spirit of O-go-ne-sas was pure; and 

 now he is Jis-go-ga, the Robin, the bird which brings us the Spring! " 

 proudly exclaimed the father. 



" He is the Robin forever," chanted the birds, and the sun which 

 came that wintry morning looked back to the east wondering why 

 it had forgotten to lead the Spring to the earthland! 



The Iroquois Indian plants a wild cherry tree near his lodge, 

 " for the Robin." 



THE ORIGIN OF THE RATTLESNAKE TRIBE 



It was in the early days of the earth that the Sky Holder divided 

 the forests among the clans and gave each its own hunting ground. 



Now the Evil Minded, being jealous of the success of the Good 

 Minded and his helper, the Sky Holder, determined to destroy the 

 order and peace that existed among the clans. He therefore 

 came to certain men in each clan and told them that the divisions 

 of the forest were unjust and that each other clan had much better 

 grounds. These evil suggestions caused immediate strife. Each 

 clan became jealous of the other and soon many feuds arose. Now 

 in those days there were few people and when a man or woman was 

 killed it was a loss that the clan felt deeply. Therefore, when the 

 ground became red the clans mourned. Then the Sky Holder 

 sought to restore peace. " Let us have a great dance," he said, 

 " and in the pleasure of the ceremony friendship will be restored. 

 Let each clan select its best dancers to compete with the others 

 and the company that dances best will receive as a prize a broad 

 strip of land and high mountains on either side of a great river 

 filled with fish." 



The clans hailed the Sky Holder's proposition with cries of " Niuh] 

 niuh !, it is well, let it so be done." Then they chose their most 

 agile warriors for the dance and a feeling of good-willed rivalry 

 came over the people. The dancers of the clan of the Bear first 

 entered the circle. Their rivals looked on in astonishment for 

 they had never seen so weird a dance before. Then the other clans 

 competed but none could equal the Bears until a company of young 



