18 TRADITIONS OF THE ARIKARA. 
4. THE ORIGIN OF THE ARIKARA.* 
A long time ago, people lived in the ground. Mother-Corn en- 
gaged the animals to help her to get these people out of the ground. 
The animals came, and said, “Mother-Corn, we will help.” There was 
a Badger, a Gopher, the long-nosed Mouse, and a Mole. 
The Badger was the first to stand up, and he said, ‘““Mother-Corn, 
I will be the first to dig.” So the Badger went to work digging through 
the earth. The Badger gave out. He came back, and said, “Mother- 
Corn, I am tired.” The next animal went and dug, became tired, and 
came back. The Mole then went to work, but the long-nosed Mouse 
was the last to go. He dug through the earth with his nose. Then 
the Mole asked to see the light, and it went through and was blinded. 
The Mole went back, and said, “Mother-Corn, I will stay under ground 
always.” 
The next animal to try was a Gopher. He went up, and tried to 
go out of the hole. It was late in the evening, so that this animal re- 
ceived only a black streak across his eyes. ‘The Badger then went to 
work and dug the hole larger, and went out, and it was morning, for 
the sun was up. The sun burned the fore legs of the Badger, also 
around his face, but he was not blinded. The long-nosed Mouse stood 
up, and said, “Mother-Corn, in trying to open the doorway of the earth 
for the people, my nose was squeezed, and made pointed. My snout 
has been made small, and I shall keep this shape always, so that the 
people will know that I was the one that opened the doorway of the 
earth for the people.” 
The Mole stood up, and said, “Mother-Corn, I am blinded. I can 
not go with you, and your people will have to allow me to remain here, 
that I may always stay under the ground.” Mother-Corn gave her 
consent, and that is why the Mole is in the ground. If it comes out, it 
will come out in the night, and if the sun comes up on it, it has to sit 
still all day, until the night comes, then it will travel again. 
The people now came out from the ground and stood outside. 
They saw other pathways, where other people had gone out from the 
ground, by the help of the Buffalo. 
Now the people started upon a journey. This journey was stopped ; 
for the leaders said, “Here is an obstacle, a deep crevice. What shall 
we do, Mother-Corn?” Mother-Corn said, “Help! Hurry!” And 
she called upon the gods. The gods sent a Kingfisher, who said, 
“Mother-Corn, I will be the one to make a way for you and your peo- 

*Told by Star. 
