Indian Child Life Part 3

HODGSKA heard the little birds chattering and calling to one another and he saw a bear, but he found nothing he could shoot; so he had to meet his grandfather without being able to show what a hunter he had become.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HE SAW TWO PRETTY DEER.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

PLAYING AT MOVING HOUSE.

Once there were two little PIEGAN Indian girls and they had been playing in a little play tepee for a long time. They had their baby brothers with them, and the babies had been playing out in the warm suns.h.i.+ne with their dogs, while the little girls played with their Indian dollies.

The little brothers were good for a long time, and then they became tired of playing in one place, just as little white children get tired, so the sisters thought they would play at moving house.

They fastened two long poles to the sides of the dog and made a travois, then they put a basket between the poles and laid their dollies in this play carriage. Then the little girls started to take down their tepee.

[Ill.u.s.tration: RAN OFF AS HARD AS HE COULD RUN.]

All of a sudden the most awful accident happened! The puppy caught one of the dollies in his mouth and ran off as hard as he could run. The poor little mamma was almost frantic. She ran after the naughty puppy and caught him just as he was about to chew that poor dolly up!

After the poor dolly had been petted and loved, it was put back into the travois, and after all the packing had been finished the little girls took their baby brothers on their backs and started to move.

Just as they were pa.s.sing their homes their mothers came to the door and called them in to their dinner. They didn't say "In a minute," as little white children very often do, but went right away.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TOOK THEIR BABY BROTHERS ON THEIR BACKS.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

THE WAR DANCE.

I fancy that little white children don't know that their red brothers like to dress up in grown-up people's things just as much as they do.

One day several little SIOUX Indian boys decided to have a war dance.

They braided each other's hair, and one little boy was so vain that, while his companion was braiding his hair, he kept admiring himself in a little piece of looking-gla.s.s that he held in his hand. After all had their hair finished, they put on the dance costumes just as they had seen their fathers do. Each wore the roach on his head, beads around his neck, and the belt; then each took his little bow and they started to have the dance.

When the girls heard their little brothers playing outside, they went to the doors of their lodges to watch them. Then the boys had to do their best, of course, to show the girls what brave warriors they were going to be.

[Ill.u.s.tration: KEPT ADMIRING HIMSELF IN A LITTLE PIECE OF LOOKING-GLa.s.s.]

An old grandfather was sitting out-of-doors sunning himself; so the boys brought a tom-tom, and asked him to make music for them. Then they danced the war dance in earnest--a true imitation of their fathers. They danced for several hours, until they were so tired they could dance no longer; then they retired to a tepee, which they made believe was their council house, and in council they decided that the little girls would surely have much more respect for them in the future.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE LITTLE GIRLS WOULD HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR THEM.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

TAKING CARE OF THE PONIES.

Out in the real wild West, where the PONCA Indians live when they are at home, there are bears, mountain lions, wolves, foxes, and many other wild animals, always roaming about in quest of food.

Every evening, when it begins to get dark, the little boys have to go out and gather together all the horses, drive them to the village, and picket them for the night where the men can watch and keep them safe, not only from wild animals, but from Indians belonging to hostile tribes, out on horse-stealing expeditions.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WOLF.]

After the horses are safely picketed around camp, the small boys can play and have a good time; but they have to go to bed early because they have to be up very early in the morning. When the boys are all through with their breakfasts they drive the horses first to water for a drink, and then over to the canons where some of them are hobbled and allowed to feed all day. When the boys hobble their horses they tie their front legs together down near the hoofs, so that the horses can only take short steps, and cannot run or wander off very far.

While the little boys are out herding they keep their bright little eyes wide open to see everything. Sometimes they shoot at the little prairie dogs with their bows and arrows; but the prairie dogs have very bright eyes, too, and down they go into their little holes before the arrows can hurt them.

The wise little owls live with the prairie dogs and they come out and sit near the holes watching for mice. The little boys shoot birds, rabbits, and various other small animals while they are out tending the horses.

Sometimes when Indian mothers are very busy or want to visit, they hobble their little ones by tying their feet together, so that they can take short steps only. Then the babies can play out-of-doors, and the mothers are sure they cannot get very far away from home.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WISE LITTLE OWLS.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

THE BABIES AND THE WOODp.e.c.k.e.rS.

One day two WINNEBAGO Indian mothers took their little baby boys and put them on a blanket to play together. They were two happy little children, and after they had finished the bowl of dinner their mothers had given them, they didn't cry, but started playing with their little fingers and toes, and trying to catch the little stray rays of suns.h.i.+ne.

They were sitting in the shade of a little sapling, and suddenly they heard a little "tap! tap!" against the tree. The babies looked all around, but they couldn't see anything. Then they heard another, "tap!

tap!" just like the first one. This time they looked at the tree, and, can you tell what they saw? Two great, big woodp.e.c.k.e.rs, with great red heads. The babies thought they were such pretty birds, but they did not know what to say to them, and so were a little bashful; while the woodp.e.c.k.e.rs were very curious to know what new kind of animal they had found.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE BADGERS COME OUT OF THEIR HOLES.]

You see there were no nice fat little worms in the young tree, and so the birds may have thought that the children had a bowl full of their favorite food, and they had themselves come too late.

Little Indian children learn to know wild animals very early. Sometimes the badgers come out of their holes to look at them, and then the children are very much frightened because badgers are wise animals and play many tricks on people.

At night, when they lie awake in their little beds, the children hear the wild geese talking to one another as they fly over the village. Then the mother tells them what bird is making the noise, and she also tells them, that when the geese fly south it will be too cold before very long for their babies to sit out of doors and when they fly toward the north, Spring is on the way with its beautiful suns.h.i.+ne.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WILD GEESE TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER AS THEY FLY.]

[Ill.u.s.tration]