TRADITIONS OF THE ARIKARA 
1. THE WOLF AND LUCKY-MAN CREATE LAND.* 
There was a big Jake. On this lake were two Ducks swimming 
around. They saw the Wolf coming from the southwest. Then they 
saw in the north, Lucky-Man coming. The Wolf and Lucky-Man met 
on the shore of the lake. 
The Wolf challenged Lucky-Man to see who could endure the rain 
the longest. The Wolf hung up his own skin, while Lucky-Man hung 
up all kinds of feathers on a long stick. It commenced to rain. The 
Wolf finally gave in. He said: “I am beaten, but now I want you to 
create with me. I want to make land. I want you to make land, and 
whatever things should live on it.’ Then the Wolf said, “I will take 
the north side of the Missouri River, and I will make land.” ‘The Wolf 
called a Duck, and said, “Now, Duck, can you dive away down under 
the lake and fetch me some dirt from the bottom?” The Duck said, 
“Yes.” The Duck dived and brought up mud and placed it before the 
Wolf. The Wolf then threw the mud in the north, and said, ‘“Form 
into land, and let it be prairie, and let the buffalo roam over this 
prairie!’ And it was done. 
The Wolf told Lucky-Man that it was now his turn. Lucky-Man 
then turned and called the Duck and told it to bring up the mud from 
the lake. He brought up even more than he had brought up for the 
Wolf. Lacky-Man threw this dirt on the south side of where the 
Wolf had made his land. Hills and mountains were formed. The 
buffalo were seen on the land. Lucky-Man said: “When the people 
come they shall choose to live on the south side of the Missouri River, 
for there are hills and valleys, so that their ponies, dogs, and buffalo 
can find shelter in the ‘hills and mountains. You made your country 
level; in the winter time the buffalo will be driven away from there 
by the storm.” 
The Wolf made the land on the north side, and Lucky-Man made 
the land on the south side; so there was a channel between ‘the two 
countries, and that is where the Missouri River bed is. The first thing 
they knew, the stream of the Missouri began to flow along the dividing 
line of the two countries they had created. 

* Told by Yellow-Bear. II 
