300 - THE ORIGIN OF MEDICINE CEREMONIES OR POWER. 
offer you smoke in the night.’’ Soit was through the root and the songs 
he learned from the woman, who was none other than the root itself, that 
this man became a great medicine-man. 
83. THE ORIGIN OF THE GEESE MEDICINE.’ 
A long time ago, when the Pawnee were living in Nebraska, there was 
a young man in the village who was very handsome. This young man 
had several ponies and joined many war parties. Whenever he returned 
to the village he would sit around at the place where they dipped water 
from the river so that he might see the girl he liked. Whenever the girl 
came she dipped her water and ran away from him. He determined that 
he would win the girl in some way, but that he would try to court other 
girls andin this way he would finally be able to marry the girl he loved. 
He would put on his robe and go through the village in the night. When- 
ever he saw a girl he would try to talk to her, but the girl would run away. 
He did this for many years and at last he found out that the girls did 
not like him. He went to his home one night, sat down, filled his pipe, 
and smoked. While he was smoking he thought of all the young men in 
the village and how well they were liked by the girls. He determined to 
go and stay with a certain young man who was ugly in appearance but 
whom the girls liked. 
That night the young man went to the tipi of the homely young man. 
He stayed with him for several nights, and one night while they were 
sitting and smoking the young man asked the homely young man how 
he managed to be liked by the girls of the village. The homely young 
man told him that he possessed a power given him by the antelope. The 
young man then begged the homely young man to let him know this 
secret. The homely young man told the boy that if he were in earnest he 
would take him to a certain place and leave him there alone. The 
young man then said he was willing to go with him. They got some 
meat and corn and went toward the Missouri River. There the homely 
young man tied the young man around the waist with a lariat rope and 
told him that he had to hang over a steep bank. The homely young man 
1 Told by Buffalo, Skidi. It is the belief of the informant that possibly this tale 
is the Arikara version of the origin of a medicine which corresponds to the Loon 
medicine of the Skidi. It is claimed that many years ago an Arikara woman who 
married into the Skidi was the owner of a medicine bundle which contained two 
geese, and that she brought the story with her. It is possible, however, that the 
story is a part of the Skidi mythology. Apart from the explanation afforded of a 
ceremony, the story teaches boys that no matter how good looking they may be, 
women would have nothing to do with them if they were proud. It also teaches 
the necessity of undergoing great hardship before admission may be gained to the 
medicine societies. 
