Myths and Legends of the Sioux — Text and Context

When she grew up she married and there were born to her twin sons. This caused great rejoicing in her father’s camp, and all the village women came to see the babes. She was very happy.

As the babes grew older, their grandmother made for them two saddle bags and brought out a donkey.

“My two grandchildren,” said the old lady, “shall ride as is becoming to children having so many relations. Here is this donkey. He is patient and surefooted. He shall carry the babes in the saddle bags, one on either side of his back.”

It happened one day that the chief’s daughter and her husband were making ready to go on a camping journey. The father, who was quite proud of his children, brought out his finest pony, and put the saddle bags on the pony’s back.

“There,” he said, “my sons shall ride on the pony, not on a donkey; let the donkey carry the pots and kettles.”

So his wife loaded the donkey with the household things. She tied the tepee poles into two great bundles, one on either side of the donkey’s back; across them she put the travois net and threw into it the pots and kettles and laid the skin tent across the donkey’s back.

But no sooner done than the donkey began to rear and bray and kick. He broke the tent poles and kicked the pots and kettles into bits and tore the skin tent. The more he was beaten the more he kicked.

At last they told the grandmother. She laughed. “Did I not tell you the donkey was for the children,” she cried. “He knows the babies are the chief’s children. Think you he will be dishonored with pots and kettles?” and she fetched the children and slung them over the donkey’s back, when he became at once quiet again.

The camping party left the village and went on their journey. But the next day as they passed by a place overgrown with bushes, a band of enemies rushed out, lashing their ponies and sounding their war whoop. All was excitement. The men bent their bows and seized their lances. After a long battle the enemy fled. But when the camping party came together again--where were the donkey and the two babes? No one knew. For a long time they searched, but in vain. At last they turned to go back to the village, the father mournful, the mother wailing. When they came to the grandmother’s tepee, there stood the good donkey with the two babes in the saddle bags.

THE RABBIT AND THE ELK

The little rabbit lived with his old grandmother, who needed a new dress. “I will go out and trap a deer or an elk for you,” he said. “Then you shall have a new dress.”

When he went out hunting he laid down his bow in the path while he looked at his snares. An elk coming by saw the bow.

“I will play a joke on the rabbit,” said the elk to himself. “I will make him think I have been caught in his bow string.” He then put one foot on the string and lay down as if dead.

By and by the rabbit returned. When he saw the elk he was filled with joy and ran home crying: “Grandmother, I have trapped a fine elk. You shall have a new dress from his skin. Throw the old one in the fire!”

This the old grandmother did.

The elk now sprang to his feet laughing. “Ho, friend rabbit,” he called, “You thought to trap me; now I have mocked you.” And he ran away into the thicket.

The rabbit who had come back to skin the elk now ran home again. “Grandmother, don’t throw your dress in the fire,” he cried. But it was too late. The old dress was burned.

THE RABBIT AND THE GROUSE GIRLS

The rabbit once went out on the prairie in winter time. On the side of a hill away from the wind he found a great company of girls all with grey and speckled blankets over their backs. They were the grouse girls and they were coasting down hill on a board. When the rabbit saw them, he called out: