172 THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE WICHITA. 
24. THE MAN WHO BECAME A FLAMINGO.* 
Once upon a time there was a village, and in this village lived a 
chief who had five daughters. This village was situated by a river, and 
the people in the village carried their water from this river, and bathed 
there daily, morning and evening. The five daughters of the chief were 
all single, and always refused to marry. In this village also lived Man- 
having-greater-Powers-than-any-other-Man (Waitsaidiawaha). He 
lived on the edge of the village. Once upon a time Man-having-greater- 
Powers-than-any-other-Man thought he would play a trick on the 
oldest of the five sisters, the daughters of the chief. ‘These women 
had a certain time to go to the river to bring water or to take a bath. 
One day Man-having-greater-Powers-than-any-other-Man found the 
trail of the women and put a small bone cylinder or pipe-bone, about 
two inches long, that is used for wearing around the neck, on the path 
for one of the women to pick up. It happened that the oldest of the five 
sisters found the relic on her way, and picked it up and put it in front 
of her under her blanket. After she had done this she did not think of 
it any more until she reached home, then she began to feel around to 
see if she could find the relic that she had picked up. She knew that it 
was pretty, and she wanted her sisters to see what she had found, but 
she failed to find it. After a time she became pregnant, but she did 
not know how she became pregnant. Everybody found out her con- 
dition, and people wondered. This worried the young woman, for she 
knew for certain that she had never been with any man. Her father 
asked her to whom the child belonged, ‘but she said that she did not 
know. The child was born, and was a boy. The child began to grow 
rapidly. When he was old enough to creep, he began to cry, and cried 
all the day long. The chief ordered the men to make arrows and bows, 
and to come around about the chief’s place and present their bows and 
arrows to the child. The chief said that whoever had his arrows ac- 
cepted by the child was to become husband of the mother of the child. 
He told the men that when offering the bows and arrows to the child, 
they must say to it: “Son, come and accept my arrows and bow, for 
I have brought these for you.”’ When all had their bows and arrows 
made they made known to the chief that they were ready. Then the 
chief called all the men into his lodge. There were large crowds of 
men, and in the crowd was the same man who put the relic on the trail 
for this young woman to find. When everybody was in the chief’s 
lodge they began to pass around the child, and the men offered their 
*Told by Towakoni Jim (Towakoni). 
