Julia Darrow Cowles

“ When I come to the Earth, all the Earth’s children tremble. I breathe upon them, and they cry out. The trees drop their leaves. The birds fly away. The forest children creep into their holes.”
“Ah,” cried the youth, “when I come to the Earth, the Earth’s children laugh and clap their hands. I breathe upon them and they dance with joy. The trees put forth their leaves. The birds come back. ”

“ IN the far back days, before the white men lived upon this side of the earth, a young Indian lad stood at the door of his father’s tepee and gazed out over the far-waving prairie grass.
He was thinking of the morrow when he would begin his fast; for this was the custom among the Indians. When a youth reached a given age he went away by himself, and for seven days he ate no food, but spent the time in prayer to the Great Spirit that his part in life might be made clear to him, and that it might prove a worthy one. ”

“ So the Wind went away sorrowing, for he loved the Indian maiden.
The next day the maiden came to her father and said, “Father, I love the Wind better than any young warrior of our tribe. May I go to his lodge, and be his wife?”
The Chief looked at his daughter and said, “No. The Wind is no mate for you. He is no warrior. He is no hunter. He loves only to play pranks. You cannot marry him.” ”

“ THERE was once a little Indian boy who wanted above everything else to become a mighty hunter.
His father, whose name was Ojeeg, the Fisher, was the mightiest hunter of his tribe, and Omeme wanted to be like his father.
Often he went out into the forest with the little bow and arrows which his father had made for him, to hunt the small creatures of the woods. But it was too cold for him to stay long; for in those days there were no seasons, only cold and snow day after day, moon following moon. ”

“ You shall have wings, and live among the earth’s people, and drink the honey of its flowers. Little flame, you shall carry the color of the fire upon your throat. You shall be known as the Humming Bird, and every child will love you. ”

“ After many moons had come and gone there came to Osseo and his wife a little son. As the boy grew he seemed brighter than the starlight, and Osseo and Oweenee loved him dearly; but his grandfather, the Evening Star, loved him best of all.
One day Evening Star said to Osseo, “You must be careful not to let the light beams from the small Star that dwells near by fall upon the cage of singing birds, or upon yourself, or your wife, or your son. The Star is an evil spirit, and the light beams are his enchanted arrows. They change the form of all those upon whom they fall.” ”

“ So the young brave started out, and when he reached a bare place on the mountain side he sat down on the ground and sang his death-song while he waited.
Presently, with a terrible cry, the great Mosquito flew down with his enormous wings outstretched, and just as he buried his talons in the young warrior’s flesh, the brave youth sprang erect, threw one of the rawhide thongs about the foot of the bird and bound him to the rock.
The men of the tribe who had watched the conflict ran to the mountain side and let fly their arrows. Soon the great Mosquito lay dead upon the rocks. ”

“ So they flew about for a time, taking care where they sent their arrows. And when they had grown tired of their sport, they flew back to their home in the clouds and took off their great purple wings.
For many moons the youth enjoyed the company of the Thunder Maiden, and took part in the sports of her brothers. But at last there took possession of him a great longing to visit again his brothers and sisters of the earth. He longed to chase the deer in the forest, to follow his chief in battle, to smell the fire of his lodge. ”

“ Now there was in the tribe of this warrior an old grandmother to whom age had given great wisdom. And she thought within her heart, “Our warrior is becoming puffed up. He thinks too well of himself. It would be good for him to be humbled.” So among the women she said, “There is one whom I know, who is greater than the mighty warrior. He would not tremble at his voice, nor obey his word.”
This saying was repeated to the men of the tribe, and in time it came to the ears of the great warrior himself. Immediately he went to the lodge of the grandmother. ”

“ WAUPEE was an Indian youth, and a mighty hunter. The meaning of his name was White Hawk. He was tall, and strong as the great oaks of the forest. He was fleet of foot, and keen of sight. When he drew his bow, his arrow went swiftly to the mark.
The Chief of the tribe said, “White Hawk will provide well for the maiden he chooses as his wife. He has the flesh of every animal for food. He has the skin of every animal for his lodge and for his clothing.” ”

“ Kabibonokka, the second son, was very different from Wabun. He was cold and cruel, and he was glad that the north wind had been given to him. When he sent his winds across the earth the leaves upon the trees turned to crimson and gold, and were very lovely, but they whirled and twisted in the wind and said [Pg 126] to each other, “Our days will soon be at an end. We shall soon turn dry and brown and fall to the earth. Kabibonokka laughs when we put on our beautiful colors.” ”

“ TWO small Indian boys were seated before the tepee fashioning bows and arrows.
“Mine is not good!” exclaimed one of the boys, throwing aside the stick with which he had been working. “Besides, I am tired of sitting still. Let us go for a swim in the river.”
Away they dashed, running swiftly, as the Indian child is taught to run. Into the water they jumped, swimming, diving, splashing, and stopping now and then for a water battle.
At length they had had enough of the water, so out upon the bank they came.
“Let us climb upon this rock to dry ourselves. ”

“ Their wings made a mighty roaring and crashing as they flew, and the people on the earth said, “Listen, how the thunder roars and crashes!”
Then they shot their golden arrows from their bows, and the earth people cried, “See, how the lightning flashes across the sky!” And [Pg 121] some of the earth people ran and hid, for they were afraid.
But the old man of the Thunder World had said to his sons: “Shoot your arrows only at the great bird of the south, which is our enemy. Destroy not the people of the earth. And fly not too low. Touch not the trees, for they are our friends.” ”

“ He was sorry that Omeme was cold. But the journey to the Sky Land was long. It was full of dangers.
At length Ojeeg said, “The earth is cold. I will hold a council with my neighbors.”
So Ojeeg, the Fisher, called together his neighbors, the Otter, the Beaver, the Badger, the Lynx, and the Wolverine. Long and earnestly they considered the matter, and at length they decided to undertake the journey to the Sky Land.
Upon a given day they started. It was a great adventure, and Ojeeg felt sure that he would never return to his lodge, and never again would he see the little Omeme. ”

“ So the grandmother told her the story of the South Wind and the Dandelion:
Shawondasee lived far away in the South Land where it was always warm and bright. His father, Kabeyun, the father of the winds, had given him this part of the earth in which to dwell. The soft, warm winds of the South were given him.
But Shawondasee was not strong, and quick, [Pg 25] and eager, like his brothers who governed the North Wind, and the West Wind. He was fat, and lazy, and sluggish. He liked to take life easily, and moved slowly, when he moved at all. ”

“ For many moons they slept; for a whole snow.
In the meantime the people of their village missed them and began to search. They searched by the river, and in the forest, but no one could find the missing boys. There was great sorrow in the village.
None of the people knew of the great rock. Only the animals knew.
Then one day the animals came together, and they said, “What is to be done? The people are sorrowing because of the boys that are lost. Can we not return them to their friends?”
So the animals decided to try to get the boys off the great rock. ”

“ Brother Frog hopped away, very sad and very much ashamed, and with the first hop every one of his teeth dropped out,—and the frog tribe have had no teeth from that day to this.
Then Nuk-da-go turned to Brother Woodchuck, and said, “You, too, are found guilty of stealing your neighbor’s nuts, and you shall be punished. Like Brother Frog, you are fat and lazy. You sleep through the winter and need no food, while Jo-nis-gy-ont must work hard for his. ”

“ The stories of this book have been chosen for the purpose of showing how the early Red Men accounted for the phenomena of nature—the presence of the birds, the moaning of the wind, the whispering of the leaves. The nature myths of the North American Indian are full of poetry, and occasionally of a rich humor. ”

“ Could he not go to the Sky Land and bring away some of its warmth?”
“My father is mighty,” answered Omeme. “I will ask him.”
He ran home, for he had grown cold while listening to the squirrel’s secret.
Ojeeg was in the lodge.
“Oh, my father,” exclaimed Omeme, “all we little creatures are so cold! The squirrel tells me there is warmth in the Sky Land. Could you [Pg 14] not go there and bring some of its warmth to the earth?”
“OMEME SAID, ‘I WILL NOT SHOOT YOU. TELL ME YOUR SECRET’”
Ojeeg was silent for a long, long time. ”

“ The people rejoiced, and said, “The fire in the mountain will keep us warm. It will be good to live here.” And they made them a new village at the foot of the mountain.
For many moons the people dwelt there, hunting and fishing, making their beads and moccasins. Then one day a strange noise was heard. It was as though the mountain coughed—a [Pg 46] great, hoarse, rumbling cough, like that of some huge giant. ”

“ Go home. You shall not lose your teeth—for Brother Woodchuck was holding his paws tightly over his mouth and quaking with [Pg 110] fear—but from this day on you and your tribe shall live upon leaves and grain and the growing things of the fields and forests, but no more shall you enjoy the taste of flesh, or the sweet meat of nuts.”
Sad and ashamed, Brother Woodchuck turned away when Nuk-da-go finished speaking, for this was a hard punishment indeed. ”

“ Then Ojeeg said to the Lynx, “Surely you are stronger than the Otter, and the Beaver, and the Badger, and you can jump farther. Try, and see if you cannot break through into the Sky Land, and we will follow.”
The Lynx jumped; but neither could he break [Pg 16] through the Sky, though he made a deep scratch upon it with one of his sharp claws; and back he slid to the bottom of the mountain. So the Lynx gave up, and returned to his home.
Then said Ojeeg to the Wolverine, “You are stronger and more agile than the others. Jump, and see if you cannot break through, and I will follow you. ”

“ When Wunzh returned to the tepee of his father he was received with great rejoicing, and [Pg 54] given food. His new clothing was looked upon in wonder, but he did not tell its story.
Day by day he went to the little spot of ground where his own little tepee had been, and he kept the earth soft and moist and free from weeds.
And after many days had gone by, green plumes came up through the earth; and they grew, and became sturdy stalks.
And still they grew, and after many days and weeks the broad green leaves held ears of juicy grain.
Day by day the ears grew full and the grain ripened ”

“ And now you will understand why the voice of the Wind is so mournful as it wails about the wigwam; and why the Moon Maiden’s pale face is always turned downward toward the earth.
[Pg 43]
STORY OF THE HUMMING BIRD
(Shoshonee)
SEE!” said the Indian grandfather, as he sat in the opening of his tepee. “See the little Fire Bird! How swiftly it darts! Now it drinks honey from the flowers. How fast its wings move!”
A little Indian boy stood quietly at his grandfather’s side. ”

“ Brother Fox had played a bad trick upon him, too.
He gathered up his load of nuts and honey and went sadly home. And from that day to this Brother Bear has refused to do any more fishing, and has worn a stumpy tail.
[Pg 118]
THE THUNDER PEOPLE
(Passamaquoddy)
ONCE upon a time a young Indian warrior was hunting with his bow and arrows. He followed far after a fleet deer, until he found himself standing upon a great rock, high above the plains.
The clouds were gathering thickly. The sky was black with clouds. The Indian youth was far away from his lodge. ”

“ In retelling the stories for children the author has sought to retain the original spirit of the tales, and through them to give to the reader a better understanding of the inner life and thought of the primitive Red Man at his best. ”