Indian Child Life Part 1

Indian Child Life.

by Edwin Willard Deming and Therese O. Deming.

A RUNAWAY.

Once, after an ARICKARA Indian mother had finished all her packing, as they were going to move camp, she fixed a travois on her big dog and placed her baby in the basket. Then all was ready and they were about to start, when a great, ugly black dog came along, and the two dogs began to fight.

The squaw whipped them apart, and after she had quieted her poor little baby boy, who had been very much frightened, she put him back into his little carriage, and soon the Indians started.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE TWO DOGS BEGAN TO FIGHT.]

The squaw walked beside the dog to guide him and, also, to amuse her baby. Indian babies play with little dolls made of buckskin, with long buckskin fringe for hair. If a feather is placed in the dolly's hair the babies think it is beautifully dressed.

The baby of our story was having a lovely time with his dolly and so his mother thought she would just drop back and have a little chat with another Indian mother while the baby was good.

She had hardly turned around, when that naughty dog saw a great big jack rabbit, just ahead, and thought it would make a delicious dinner. Off he started. He jumped right through the rough sage brush, and the poor baby rolled out. His mother was afraid he would be badly hurt, but he was only frightened. When the squaw caught the naughty dog again, she tied a rope around his neck and kept tight hold of it, so he couldn't play another trick on her.

When the Indians stopped and camped, the little boy picked up a stick and whipped that dog as hard as he could for treating him so badly during the day's traveling.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE LITTLE BOY PICKED UP A STICK.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

A GREEDY BEAR.

Once there was a little PUEBLO Indian boy and his father was one of the best hunters in the village. One morning he went out into the mountains to shoot deer, the meat of which was to be dried for the winter supply.

He was walking very carefully, as he would have frightened the game away if he had made a noise.

Suddenly he heard a sound as if a mama bear were scolding a cub for being selfish. He looked, and there, indeed, was an old she-bear turning over stones and trying to find some grubs for her babies.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TRYING TO FIND SOME GRUBS FOR HER BABIES.]

The Indian shot the mama bear and one of the cubs scampered off as fast as he could go, but the hunter caught the other little bear and tied a horse-hair rope tight around the little fellow's neck, so he could drag him home to his little TAN-TSI-DAY.

The two became very good friends, and when TAN-TSI-DAY'S mother brought a bowl of porridge to her baby, she always put in enough for the baby bear too.

One day the baby bear was naughty, and when TAN-TSI-DAY'S mother had gone into the house, he took the bowl and ate all the porridge himself, and didn't give his little playfellow any.

The baby was very much surprised, and called his Indian mother.

Do you know how she punished the selfish little bear? When the next meal-time came, she just brought enough of the good porridge for her TAN-TSI-DAY, and made that naughty bear eat with the puppies. I think baby bear won't be such a greedy little fellow when allowed to eat with his little companion again.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DRAG HIM HOME TO HIS TAN-TSI-DAY.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

IN MISCHIEF.

The naughty bear had been kept away from his playfellow for some time, and as the two loved one another so much, it made them both feel very sad.

One day the Indian mother went out to visit, and baby bear saw her go.

"Now," thought he, "I will see my little friend, and, if I am a very good little bear, perhaps his mother will let us play together again."

Baby bear crept along very carefully, and when he thought the mother was not looking he hid behind a bake oven and almost had his first accident, for TAN-TSI-DAY'S mother had left one of her best jars standing there with herbs to dry.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HE HID BEHIND A BAKE OVEN.]

When the mother had got out of sight the baby bear marched into the adobe home of his friend, and then the two companions were glad.

But baby bear and TAN-TSI-DAY saw the jars with all the good things in them, and then they forgot to try to be good.

They ate the dried berries and sweet roots; tipped the jars and baskets to see if any goodies were in them; and when they had eaten all they wanted, sat just as close to each other as possible and went fast asleep.

After a while the mother came home, and when she saw those two fast asleep, the jars broken, and all her good things spilled over the floor, she became very angry and started to whip them.

Baby bear wakened up and ran as fast as his clumsy little legs would let him; but he didn't reach the top of his pole before the Indian mother had given him a good switching.

[Ill.u.s.tration: REACH THE TOP OF HIS POLE.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CANOE BOYS.

Little CHIPPEWAY Indian boys have lots of good times. In the spring they help their fathers and big brothers to make maple sugar. They watch the birch-bark troughs and, when one is full of sap, carry and empty it into a big kettle over a fire to boil down.

Often the bears find the sap during the night, and, as they like sweets very much, drink it all; and the little boys are disappointed in the morning, when they go around with their birch-bark buckets, to find it all gone. Sometimes the bears try to steal the boiling syrup, and then they get their paws badly burned for trying to be thieves.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE BEARS FIND THE SAP.]

In summer, the boys love to swim and play in the little lakes that are so numerous in the region of their home. One afternoon a number of boys got into a canoe and paddled, and as many other boys waded out into one of the shallow lakes to have some fun. The boys in the water were to try and take the canoe away from the boys that were inside. Oh, how hard the two sides worked, one to keep the boat right side up, and the other side to capture it; for if they tipped the canoe and spilled all the boys out they gained the victory, and would get in and see if they could hold it. They splashed the water in all directions, and when one boy fell or was pulled out of the boat, didn't he get a good ducking! The little dog helped all he could by barking very loud and trying to frighten the boys in the water.

They played until it was so dark they had to stop and go home.