Why birds go south in winter
Views: 1970 Ojibwe Legend: Why birds go South in winter Long ago there was only summer. The days were always warm and sunny. Winter and snow were unknown. For the young it was a time of happiness. They played all the…
Magpie
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Lakota Star Knowledge
The Lakota constellations are visible in the winter sky, and they reflect Lakota mythology. A notable aspect of that mythology is that every event and object on earth has a correspondent in the sky.
How the seasons came to be, an Acoma legend
How the seasons came to be, an Acoma legend. Shakok, the Spirit of Winter, fights Miochin, ruler of the Summer. Here is how it unfolds.
The Buffalo Wife
A man wanted some eagle-feathers. He got to an eagle nest, found four young birds there, and plucked off their wings. The old eagle attacked him, but was killed in the struggle. The chief of the eagles, Big-Eagle, then pursued the man and, catching hold of his head, flew with him to a mountain-top, where he left him astride a crag. The man was nearly starved. After ten days the eagle returned, gave the man two feathers from each wing, and took him down to a buffalo-trail. "You will meet an old buffalo-chief. He will be wild, but don't run away. Put one of the feathers in his head, and he won't hurt you."
Origin of the Buffalo Dance
When the buffalo first came to be upon the land, they were not friendly to the people. When the hunters tried to coax them over the cliffs for the good of the villages, they were reluctant to offer themselves up.
They did not relish being turned into blankets and dried flesh for winter rations. They did not want their hooves and horn to become tools and utinsels nor did they welcome their sinew being used for sewing. "No, no," they said. We won't fall into your traps. And we will not fall for your tricks."
Legend of the Talking Feather
Many winters ago the people received a gift called the talking feather. I will share with you the story of how this came to pass.