oral story

The First Butterflies, an Ojibwe legend

The First Butterflies Ojibwe Legend

AUTHOR: Ojibway Oral Story Long ago, when human twins were born to Spirit Woman, she relied on the animals to help her take care of them. All the animals loved the first human babies and did everything they could do to help them. The dog watched over them. The bear gave his fur to keep them warm. The wolf hunted for them. The doe provided them with milk. The beaver and the muskrat bathed them. The birds sang lullabies to…

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How Dog Came to Be, An Ojibwe oral story

Views: 2246 Ojibwe Oral Story One day two fishermen were paddling home along the shore when a violent wind came up and blew them far out to sea. At last they reached the opposite shore. There they found the footprints of some enormous creature. The two men were terrified. They carried their canoe into the forest, turned it upside down, and hid under it. While they lay there shivering with fear and wondering what to do, they heard a crash and…

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White Buffalo Calf Woman Prophecy

white buffalo calf woman canvas art

This is the White Buffalo Calf Woman prophecy of the Sioux tribe. One summer so long ago that nobody knows how long, the Oceti­Shakowin, the seven sacred council fires of the Lakota Oyate, the nation, came together and camped.  The sun shone all the time, but there was no game and the people were starving. Every day they sent scouts to look for game, but the scouts found nothing. 

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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."

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