DEKSMORB] 



PLANTS USED IN ARTS 



383 



grandmother if she knew of ;my bird whose feathers he could put on 

 the arrows to make them effective. The old woman replied " No. 

 The only bird whose feathers would make the arrows effective is a 

 bird that lives in the sky, at the opening of the clouds. One would 

 have to go up there to get the feathers." Winabojo began to think 

 how he could go up there and get the feathers that he was determined 

 to have. At last he said to himself, "There is a high cliff on the 

 edge of the lake. I will go up there and stay a while." 



When he reached the high cliff he wished that he might change into 

 a little rabbit. So he became a little rabbit and lived there. One 

 day he went on a very high part of the cliff and called to a big bird, 

 saying, " Eagle, come here. I am a cunning little animal. I would 

 be a nice plaything for your children." The bird flew down and 

 saw the little rabbit playing there. The rabbit was the cunningest 

 thing he had ever seen. The big bird was the thunderbird and he 

 alighted on the top of the high cliff, near the little rabbit. Finally 

 he took the little rabbit and flew up. up toward the opening in 

 the sky. 



When the thunderbird came to his nest he called to his children, 

 " I have brought you something very cunning to play with." His 

 wife spoke to him very crossly and said, " Why did you bring that 

 rabbit up here? Have you not heard that Winabojo is on the earth? 

 There is no knowing what you have picked up." But the little 

 rabbit was very meek and quiet, letting the children play with him 

 as they liked. The big birds were seldom at home as they went 

 away to get food for their children. 



All at once, one day, Winabojo began to talk to himself and he 

 said, " These children throw me around as though I was nothing. 

 Don't they know I came here to get some of their feathers?" The 

 next time the old birds went aw r ay he changed into his human form, 

 took a club, killed the little thunderbirds and pulled off their feathers. 

 He hurried around and tied the feathers up in bundles for he was 

 sure the old birds would soon be home. When all was ready he 

 jumped off. He was not killed because he was a manido (spirit) 

 and nothing could hurt him. He was unconscious for a time after 

 he fell on the earth but he was not hurt. Soon there was a great 

 roaring in the sky with flashes of lightning. The thunderbirds were 

 coming after him. Winabojo jumped up when he saw the flashes of 

 lightning and heard the thunder. The lightning was the flash of the 

 thunderbirds' eyes and the roaring was their terrible voices. He 

 snatched up the bundles of feathers and ran for his life. Wherever 

 he went the flashes and the roaring followed him, but he held on to 

 the feathers. He had gotten what he w 7 anted and he did not intend 

 to lose them. The thunderbirds kept after him and at last he felt 



