Madeline Brandeis

“ You know, Bah, that Mother sells or trades blankets, and that Father sells or trades his beautiful silver and matrix jewelry to the Trading Post. We do this so that we may have, in return, things which we want and need. Now, you want and need a little doll. Why not sell your work? Bah must weave a little blanket and take it to the store where they will perhaps trade with you for the papoose doll. ”

“ They soar, they hover as an eagle would hover over the fields. They spread their wings and move about in a great circle.
This and the Sun Dance are the two most important and interesting dances of the Indians; the Sun Dance is performed in the spring, celebrating the return of the growing season, and the growth of the corn.
"Oh, I hope I can remember all that," [Pg 109] sighed Billy, when Mrs. Fighting Bull finished talking.
She turned to her weaving without answering him, and he turned to Bah, saying: "Come, Bah! Let us play over at your hogan and you pretend to make me a Big Chief!" ”

“ The Pueblo villages are different from the Navajo villages. They are composed of long rows of these pinkish adobe block houses, and the Indian tribes who live therein are, as I have said, peaceful.
Can you imagine why, being as they are of a peaceful nature, these tribes build as they do? It is so that they can be protected from warlike tribes, in their many storied houses. Then, too, the tribes which build pueblos do not wander, as the warlike tribes do. The pueblos are stationary, and they are built to be permanent homes. ”

“ You'll win it easily, Bill," his chum had said. "Indians are such interesting people, and you'll find out all about them if you stick to your dad."
And Billy had been fired with ambition, when he had left, and when he had first arrived. But the novelty of the idea was gradually wearing off and he seemed to like far more to gallop over the country on [Pg 47] his pony, Peanuts, than to glean knowledge. Especially since his meeting with Bah did he look forward each morning to his ride. And each day he tried to find the Indian girl and went many times to the cornfield. ”

“ But, alas, Billy knew no more of Bah's whereabouts than he had known before seeing her at the Trading Post. The man had said that there were three or four small Indian villages nearby, but the question was in which one did Bah live? He jumped down again from his pony and ran into the store: "Say, Mister, do you know where that little girl lives?" he asked.
"No," came the answer. "I never saw her before. The old folks seldom bring their kids when they come to trade. Anyway not into the Post. They leave 'em outside most times to watch the burro." ”

“ Perhaps Mother did, for her next remark showed it.
"One day, Bah, when I went to the [Pg 39] Trading Post near Tuba I saw a most beautiful doll. She was an Indian baby—a papoose—and she was strapped upon the prettiest little laced baby cradle you ever saw. She was dressed in a bright blanket and she had real hair and such lovely beads around her neck."
A smile was trying to chase away the tears on the face of the little mother as she listened to her own mother's recital of something too wonderful to imagine. She said sorrowfully: "Some white child will buy her, and how happy she will be. ”

“ Peanuts and I have been wandering all morning. You see, we started from Tuba early and we just didn't watch the trails, so here we are."
"Oh, Tuba," said Bah, "not so very far. I show you how to go."
"But first I'll help you fix up a corn doll," said the boy. "We'll first have to find a good fat corn ear. Nice fat [Pg 28] dolls are the best, don't you think so?"
As he talked he began looking through the cornstalks, and Bah watched him. He finally found what he considered to be an ideal ear, and together the two children made it into a doll, black bead eyes, cornsilk hair, blanket, and all. ”

“ THE WHITE CHILD LOVES HIS INDIAN FRIENDS
Bah had outgrown her fear of the "Singing Box" as she called the radio, and each day she and Billy would enjoy songs and music from the city—strange sounds, some of them, to the little Indian girl. ”

“ She kept it with her constantly. It went to bed with her, sat at meals with her, and watched the daily weaving lesson.
But one day a terrible thing happened. She was sitting by her mother's side outside the hogan, her little fingers flying through the strings of her loom, and one eye watching Mother's more experienced fingers as they made a beautiful new pattern.
Cornelia had been carefully dressed in her blanket, her beads hung about [Pg 33] her neck and fondly kissed by her devoted parent, and was now lying at Bah's feet while the little girl worked hard at her lesson. ”

“ But we try and treat 'em fair. It would be easy though to cheat 'em. They don't know how valuable their stuff is."
"But you don't!" said Billy.
"No, we don't. Indians are honest, and white men should treat 'em honestly!"
"That's right," said Billy, thinking of the only Indian he ever knew, and deciding to be off in search of her home.
As he stepped out of the door he saw a small figure trudging along towards the Trading Post with what looked like a small blanket thrown over her arm. As she came closer he recognized Bah and ran to meet her. ”

“ Bah was making a prayer stick. The prayer stick is an old custom among the Indians, and every Indian child knows about it. But Bah had never wanted anything badly enough to try the charm. Now, it was the only thing left for her to do.
She took the branch of a tree, a straight branch which she cleaned, and then she took the feather of an eagle. She tied the feather to the end of the stick with a bit of wool from her loom. She wrapped the wool around and around, and when the feather was [Pg 63] secure in place she made a hole in the ground and put the other end of the stick into the hole. ”

“ She smiled and shook [Pg 126] her finger at Father: "I know another Fighting Bull," she said.
"Yes, dear," said Father humbly, "and he has a splendid and plucky little calf!"
At the hogan there was much excitement. As Peanuts came galloping down the village "street" his rider saw a most unusual sight.
Chief Fighting Bull, his wife and small daughter were all grouped about an object which seemed to be attracting them. So much did it attract them that they were talking in Navajo faster and louder than Billy had ever heard them talk. ”

“ Is your house around here?"
"Yes," said Bah. "Hogan over way, Bah come to find corn in cornfield."
"Oh, I see," said the boy, "for dinner, I guess."
"No," replied the Indian girl, looking up into his face, "Bah make so pretty doll from corn ear. Will dress in blanket and beads. You ever see little girl's doll?"
She looked so intent and innocent that the boy could not scoff at what would have been, among members of his own group at home, a subject entirely forbidden in the presence of [Pg 26] growing gentlemen. Dolls! What interest had he in dolls! ”

“ And this is what Bah's Mother told Billy:
[Pg 76]
Many Indians name their babies in this way: Soon after the baby is born, the mother straps it to the baby cradle and goes to the door of her hogan—what she first sees as she looks out upon the world, is what she calls her newborn. If she sees a running deer—then the baby is called "Running Deer." If her first glance falls upon a lazy bull, resting himself, the baby will bear the name of "Sitting Bull."
WHEN BAH WAS A PAPOOSE
Then, there is another way of naming the Indian baby, and this is the way Bah was named. ”

“ In the Eagle Dance, the dancer paints his body red, black and white, and wears a dance skirt and bonnet of eagle feathers.
The dance is performed as a ceremonial, mostly as a plea for rain. The dancers imitate almost every movement of the great eagle. ”

“ It is used when a member of one tribe meets a member of another tribe. They cannot understand each other's language, so they talk with their hands.
When the Indian chiefs gather they smoke the pipe of peace. This is usually done to celebrate some victory, or upon the occasion of a visit from a member of another tribe.
The men sit around a fire in a circle [Pg 105] and pass the long pipe from one to the other. As each man receives it he utters a sound or nods his head, proceeds to take a puff, and passes it to his neighbor. ”

“ A street of hogans in each of which lived a whole family of Indians, a few goats and sheep, a stray dog or two, an Indian woman sitting outside her hogan weaving a blanket, perhaps a child running with a dog—this, then, was a Navajo village.
[Pg 11]
THE LITTLE INDIAN WEAVER
How different from your villages with their smooth stone buildings, their stores and gasoline stations, and pretty shrub-covered bungalows!
Most Indian women have many babies, and the whole family lives [Pg 12] together in one room which is the living room, bedroom, kitchen and dining room all rolled into one. ”

“ But they soon found another game to replace the "Peace Pipe" and played together happily until it was time for Billy to go home.
Before leaving he remembered that he had not thanked the Indian woman for telling him so much of interest. He ran back to where she was sitting, and, drawing from his pocket the chocolate candies, he offered them to her, saying: "Thanks so much for your nice story. Won't you have some candy?"
[Pg 116]
She took some and smiled at him. Then she said: "Write nice story about Indians. All white men no think Indians good." ”

“ It's all handmade, and their tools ain't so good either, so it takes 'em a long time. But they sure know how to make 'em."
[Pg 51]
"You bet they do," said Billy—and just then his eye fell on a doll, a papoose it was, with a blanket and a string of beads. He thought of Cornelia and smiled to himself. How Bah would open her eyes if she could see this one!
As he was thinking about her, he suddenly decided to try once more to find her. Maybe this storekeeper knew where the village was. He asked—the storekeeper knew of several not far away.
"The Indians come in every day with things to trade. ”

“ But she was never there and, try as he might, Billy could not find her village.
Father did not wait for Billy to answer him, but said: "Well, old man, I can see the radio set gradually taking wings and broadcasting itself! You'll never win it this way, you know—and you'd have a good chance, too, if you'd come along and listen to some of the old fellows I'm chumming with each day."
"Oh, I'll come along tomorrow, Dad," [Pg 48] said Billy carelessly. "Today I'm going to the Trading Post and see the Indian stuff there." ”

“ Peanuts and I [Pg 89] will go to the Trading Post and get breakfast. You see, Mother, I have to—"
Just then there came a growl from within the room. It came from Father.
"What is the commotion? And at such an hour! Billy, what's the excitement?"
"Nothing, Father—only it's such a fine morning and I want a ride."
"Let him go, Mother. He is only keeping me from my hard-earned rest. When one works one needs sleep. Billy will never need it!" ”

“ Bah's mother shook her head and a [Pg 117] slight frown—the first Billy had seen—appeared between her eyes.
THE "SQUAWKER"
"No. Indian woman no like to be called Squaw! Not very nice! In reservation she fight when man call that!"
"Well, I'll remember and never use [Pg 118] the word 'Squaw' again," promised Billy.
Just then an Indian mother appeared in the doorway of her hogan. The papoose upon her back was crying loudly, and Billy looked roguishly at Mrs. Fighting Bull and asked: "Is the baby called a 'Squawker'?"
[Pg 119]
CHAPTER VIII
WHO WINS THE RADIO? ”