Myths and Legends of the Great Plains — Origin of the Buffalo - Teton
_Sioux_ _He!
_ They have come back racing,[E] _He!
_ They have come back racing, Why, they say there is to be a buffalo hunt over here, Why, they say there is to be a buffalo hunt over here.
Make arrows!
Make arrows!
Says the father, says the father.
Give me my knife, Give me my knife, I shall hang up the meat to dry--_Ye´ ye!
_ I shall hang up the meat to dry--_Ye´ ye!
_ Says grandmother--_Yo´ yo!
_ Says grandmother--_Yo´ yo!
_ When it is dry I shall make pemmican, When it is dry I shall make pemmican, Says grandmother--_Yo´ yo!
_ Says grandmother--_Yo´ yo!
_[F]
FOOTNOTES:
[D] Songs and comments as given by James Mooney.
[E] "When going on a buffalo hunt, it was customary among the Sioux to send out a small advance party to locate the herd.
On finding it, these men returned at once at full gallop to the main body of hunters, but instead of stopping on reaching them, they dashed past and then turned and fell in behind.
It is to this custom the first line refers."
[F] "In the old days an Indian camp during the cutting up of the meat after a buffalo hunt was a scene of the most joyous activity....
Preparations were made for days and weeks ahead.
Couriers were sent out to collect the neighboring bands at a common rendezvous, medicine men began their prayers and ceremonies to attract the herd, the buffalo songs were sung, and finally when all was ready the confederated bands or sometimes the whole tribe--men, women, children, horses, dogs, and travois--moved out into the buffalo grounds.
Here the immense camp of hundreds of tipis was set up, more ceremonies were performed, and the mounted warriors rode out in a body to surround and slaughter the herd.
The women followed close after them to strip the hides from the fresh carcasses, and cut out the choice portion of the meat and tallow and bring it into camp."
ORIGIN OF THE BUFFALO
_Teton_ In the days of the grandfathers, buffaloes lived under the earth.
In the olden times, they say, a man who was journeying came to a hill where there were many holes in the ground.
He entered one of them.
When he had gone inside he found buffalo chips and buffalo tracks on all sides.
He found also buffalo hairs where the buffaloes had rubbed against the walls.
These were the real buffaloes and they lived under the ground.
Afterwards some of them came to the surface of the earth and lived there.
Then the herds on the earth increased.
These buffaloes had many lodges and there they raised their children.
They did many strange things.
Therefore when a man escapes being wounded by an enemy, people say he has seen the buffaloes in his dreams, and they have helped him.
Men who dream of the buffaloes act like them and dance the buffalo-bull dance.
Then the man who acts the buffalo has a real buffalo inside of him, people say, a little hard ball near the shoulder blade; and therefore he is very hard to kill.
No matter how often he is wounded, he does not die.
People know that the buffaloes live in earth lodges; so they never dance the buffalo dance vainly.
THE BUFFALO BEING
