IROQUOIS MYTHS AND LEGENDS 



Unseen by the girl, Ga-ye-was approached, softening his song 

 as he neared her, was amazed at her wonderful beauty and knew 

 she was fairer than all his possessions — and Ga-ye-was would 

 win her! 



Gi-da-no-neh, the beautiful Indian girl, came at each sunset to 

 the lake to stroll along its bank and listen to the sweet strains of the 

 song which seemed to grow stronger and more vibrant the longer 

 she remained. And it comforted her, for the life of Gi-da-no-neh 

 was an unhappy one. Furs and rare feathers and the promise of 

 a lodge was the marriage portion of an old man whom her parents 

 had chosen for her, but his feet were too slow for the hunt, his 

 spirit too still for war; old age was close to him and his heart was 

 dead, and Gi-da-no-neh delayed. But Gi-da-no-neh was young 

 and the world lay bright before her. She cared not for the dis- 

 cipline and labor of the old man's lodge which she was bid to enter, 

 and her troubled heart sought the solace of the lake shore where 

 she could listen to the pleasing song the waters sang. 



And so the days passed and she still repelled the old suitor, 

 and one evening after a prolonged visit at the lake, just as she was 

 retracing her steps, she found lying in her path two fish; she had 

 never seen such beautiful fish. Around them were sewn rows of 

 shining silver brooches which seemed to have caught the sunset 

 fires in their glistening, so dazzling were they. In alarm she gazed 

 about her, fearing she had been followed, but all was still and not a 

 person could she see, and in ecstacy of joy she gathered the glisten- 

 ing brooches, attaching them to her frayed and faded doeskin dress. 

 Happy in the glitter of her wondrous find, she turned and looked 

 at the fish from which she had stripped them, and was hungry. 

 So she built a fire and was roasting the fish when her father found 

 her. He paused in wonder as he looked at the shining brooches 

 upon her dress, for never had he seen such beautiful ones. Who 

 had thus adorned his daughter? Surely some evil spirit was 

 tempting her. In fear and rage he stripped them from her dress 

 and throwing them in the lake, led his weeping daughter back to 

 his lodge. There she grieved and was not content, she mourned 

 the loss of her brooches and besought her father to allow her to 

 return and regain them, but in vain, for he loved her and feared 

 that evil was luring her away. Still she urged that she must return 

 to the lake for she felt drawn by some strange power that she could 

 not resist. The fish she had eaten had carried a thirst, the craving 

 of which she could not satisfy at the little spring that trickled 

 from the hill near the lodge for its waters had grown bitter. Heed- 



