Myths and traditions of the Crow Indians (Anthropological papers of the American Museum of Natural History; vol. 25, part 1)

314 Pages·1918·36.06 MB·English

by  Robert H. Lowie

-ANTHR:OPOLOGICAL PAPERS
OF
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM
OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOL. XXV PART I
MYTHS AND TRADITIONS OF THE CROW- INDIANS
BY
ROBERT H. LOWIE
1ER
NEW YORK
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES
1918
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ANTHROPOLOGICAL
PAPERS
OF
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM-
OF NATURAL HISTORY
"VOL. XXV, PART I
MYTHS AND TRADITIONS OF THE CROW INDIANS
BY
ROBERT H. LOWIE
NEW YORK
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE TRUSTEES
1918

MYTHS AND TRADITIONS OF THE CROW INDIANS.
BY ROBERT H. LOWIE.
I
PREFACE.
The tales here published were collected in the course of my repeated
field trips to the Crow Reservation, some of them as early as the summer
of 1907. However, owing to the pressure of work on other phases of Crow
culture, a systematic attempt to collect folklore only dates back to 1914.
The majority of the stories were collected in English from Indians of the
Lodge Grass district; a fair number were also secured in the original and
will be published as texts at an appropriate time. A consideration of
stylistic features is best deferred until then; doubtless many nice observa-
tions might be made by intensively comparing texts of the same tale from
different Plains Indian tribes. The present collection, besides representing
Crow fiction and helping to illustrate the religious thought of this people,
suggests certain definite conclusions of an historical nature. It also indi-
cates, however, how imperfectly Plains Indian mythology is as yet known
and may stimulate efforts to supply the deficiency. A word may be de-
sirable as to the comparative notes. At the present stage of inquiry it no
longer seems desirable to cite all the extant parallels of widespread motives
but only the historically significant ones. *This will explain my restraint
in this respect where many additional sources might have been mentioned,
to the confusion rather than the enlightenment of thereader.
For the Kutenai references I am indebted to Professor Boas, whose
collection was kindly placed at my disposal. It is to be published as
Bulletin 59 of the Bureau of American Ethnology.
ROBERT H. LOWIE.
September, 1918.
3

CONTENTS.
PAGE.
PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . 7
OLD-MAN-COYOTE CYCLE . . . . . . . . . 14
THE ORIGIN OFTHE EARTH AND MAN . . . . . . 14
OLD-MAN-COYOTE AND Ci'R'aPe' . . . . . . . . 17
DAY AND NIGHT . . . . . . . . . 25
RED-WOMAN AND OLD-MAN-COYOTE'SWIFE . . . . . . 28
THE ORIGIN OFTHE JOKING-RELATIONSHIP . . . . . . 30
OLD-MAN-COYOTE'S VISITTO THE CROW INDIANS . . . . . 30
OLD-MAN-COYOTE ANDTHE WHIRLWIND . . . . . . 32
THE HOODWINKED BIRDS . . . . . . . . 33
OLD-MAN-COYOTE AND PORCUPINE. . . . . . . . 34
OLD-MAN-COYOTE AND RABBIT . . . . . . . 36
OLD-MAN-COYOTE TRIES TO FLY . . . . . . . . 38
THE BUNGLING HOST . . . . . . . 38
OLD-MAN-COYOTE AND HIS DAUGHT.ERS . . . . . . 41
OLD-MAN-COYOTE AND THE MOUSE . . . . . . . 43
OLD-MAN-COYOTE ANDTHE BERRYING GIRLS. . . . . 43
OLD-MAN-COYOTE AND THE BOX-ELDER . . . . . . 45
OLD-MAN-COYOTE ASTHE FALSE SUITOR . . . . . . 46
OLD-MAN-COYOTE, THE TURNIP, AND THE BEAVERS . . . . 47
OLD-MAN-COYOTE AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW . . . . . . 49
HERO TALES . . . . . . . . . . . 52
OLD-WOMAN'S-GRANDCHILD . . . . . . . . 52
LODGE-BOY AND THR6WN-AWAY . . . . . . . . 74
THE ORPHAN'S CONTEST WITHTHE SUN . . . . . . 99
YELLOW-DOG AND THE MORNINGSTAR . . . 102
CORN-SILK AND HER SON . . . . . . . 107
THE BUFFALO-WIFE . 115
THE WOMANWHO MARRIED WORMS-IN-HIS-FACE . . . . 119
RED-WOMAN AND FLINT-LIKE-YOUNG-MAN . . . . . . 128
CAMP-BOY . . . . . . . . . . 133
THE REFORMED IDLER . . . . . . 136
RED-HAIR'S HAIR . . . . . . . . . 141
THE THUNDERBIRDS .. 1. . . .. . . 44
THE SON-IN-LAW'S TESTS . . . . . . . . 149
TALES OF SUPERNATURAL PATRONS . . . . . . 152
BURNT-FACE- . . . . . . . . . . . 152
A VISITTOTHE SUN . . . . . . . . . 156
THE CROWWHO WENTTO THE BIRDS' COUNTRY . . . . . 158
THE BULLS' WARD . . . . . . 161
THE DWARF'S WARD . . . . . . . . 165
DWARF TRACKS . . . . . . . . . 171
THE TYRANT ANDTHE POOR YOUNG MAN . . . . . . 171
5
6 Anthropological Papers American Museum of Natural History. [Vol.XXV,
PAGE.
ONE-EYE * . . 175
RAVEN-FACE *. . 182
TiE POOR COUPLE BEFRIENDED BYTHE MOON . . 186
THE COMPASSIONATE BROTHER-IN-LAW 188
THE SPURNED LOVER 191
HUY'ARA'WIC . . 196
THE GAMBLER BEFRIENDED BY BIRDS * 200
THE EAGLE-CATCHER 202
MISCELLANEOUS TALES * . 204
RED-WOMAN * . . 204
THE BEAR-WOMAN . 205
THE DIPPER . 211
SPLINTER-FOOT .211
SHARPENED-LEG . 212
THE SNAKE-MAN * . . 214
THE GIANTS ANDTHEIR BUFFALO * . . 216
THE OFFENDED TURTLE . . 220
THE DESERTED CHILDREN . .222
THE WOLF AND THE DOG 224
MENTULA LOQUENS * . 225
BLACK-ELK -. . 226
THE SHAMANWHO LOOKEDFORTHE DROWNED CROW . 231
THE WOMAN-SNATCHER . 233
THE WICKED BROTHER-IN-LAW 234
THE FAITHFUL MISTRESS . . 236
THE MANWHO RESCUED HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW *. . 239
THE SWEATER, THE SUN-WORSHIPER, THE FEASTGIVER, AND THE
FASTER . . . . . . . . 244
THE SKEPTICAL HUSBAND . . . 254
CUNNING-MAN . . . . . . . . . . 256
THE WOMANWHO ESCAPED FROMTHE ENEMY . 268
ADVENTURES WITH BUFFALO . . . . . 269
HISTORICAL TRADITIONS . . . . . . 272
THE SEPARATION OFTHE CROW AND HIDATSA . . . . 272
ORIGINOFTHE fJ'WUTACh CLAN . * . . . . 275
HOWTHE SIOUX AND CROWMADE PEACE . . . . . 275
THE PEACE BETWEENTHE NEZ PERCE ANDTHE HIDATSA 279
THE FLATHEAD ADOPTED BY HIDATSA . . . . 280
LITTLE-HEAD AND BULL-SNAKE . . 281
THE CROWAND THE SHOSHONI SHAMANS . . . . 282
HOLDS-THE-TAIL'S SUN DANCE . . . . . 285
THE HIDATSAWARRIOR FEARED BYTHE SIOUX . . . 286
BIG-IRON . . . . . . . 288
BATCO'S-ANA'PUiA . . . . 298
SPOTTED-RABBIT . . . . . . . . . 299
BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . * . 305
APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . 307