Indian Legends: BIG BOY MAKES MANY ANIMALS AND BUGS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22444, 13 June 1936, Page 8 (Supplement)

Indian Legends: BIG BOY MAKES MANY ANIMALS AND BUGS

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No. 12. HEN Rig Roy had made Grasshopper and Redbird and Man and Woman, lie knew he must make animals to be sure that Man and Woman could live on the world. If they ate only fruit and berries they would not be Btrong when White Owl sent the cold wind down from the north and since White Owl would also send snow there must bo animals for Man to track in the snow. So Rig Roy took clay from the sand and went to work again. He made a buffalo, and he made it big so that its skin would be big and Man would have much leather when he killed one. He'gave it a hump so that Man would have much good meat. Ho gave it horns so that Man would have horn from which to make spoons, and he gave it big shoulderblades for Man to use for hoes when he should learn to plant corn. Ho made two buffaloes and lie said to them: "You shall have many children, so many that they will make the Big Plains black." Then he made a rabbit. He looked at Grasshopper and he gave it long legs so that it could run fast. He said: "You shall have many children, and because your fur shall be warm and Man shall want it, I shall give you long ears. Then you can hoar Man when he goes to hunt you." And lie gave Rabbit a long tail at first, like Coyote has. Then he said, "There should bo some | one to live in the trees as Rabbit lives on the ground." So he made Squirrel. He gave Squirrel a long tail, too, but becauso Squirrel was to livo in the trees ho did not give it long ears like Rabbit had. "Squirrel!," ho said, "you shall leap from hranch to branch, and if you have long ears they may get caught in the leaves. T shall give you short ears." And ho did. Then ho made another animal that he thought would be like Deer. But Deer had run away into the woods, and Bit' Boy could not remember how ho had made it. So he made this new animal bigger than Deer, and when ho came to make the liorns ho made them another way. The horns were also bigger than Deer's horns, and a different shape. When he put the hair on this animal he made it coarso and did not fasten it tight, /or ho knew that somo day the

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Little People would find that out and do something with the looso hair. When lie had this animal finished he blew on it and said: "Stand up and run!" It stood up and ran and it was tho Elk. Big Boy looked at Elk a long tim® and ho said. "You shall live hero now, but somo day you shall not like it here and shall go to the backbone *of the world. There you shall live." Then Big Boy made other animals. When he made Coyote he made him very wise and said: "Sometimes you shall be a great person, and sometimes you shall be a funny man." But he did not make Coyote with the long nose ho lias now. And when he made Mountain Lion h© did not give him the pushed-in face lie has now. Then ho made still other animals. Then Big Boy was tired. He went home to his grandmother's lodge. _ He said to her: "I have made many things, f am tired. I would like to go and see my father." The old woman said: "The Sun is your f cither." . . •'I shall go to see the Sun," said Big Boy. Then his brother, Little Boy, came and said: 'I shall go to Bee the with you." „ v Big Boy was angry. Ho said: x will not like to go as fast ss I go. * will be afraid." Then he lay down slept. But next day they both wen see their father, the Sun. Next Story—The Twins Seek the B uni