For the Children

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16846, 23 September 1922, Page 15

For the Children

SY A H PA HE- AND HIS STORIES. AYe boys need to visit Yah-Pahe’s tepee often and listen to his 6tories. His tepee, like all of the others, was inode ol buffalo skins, and all of them were ot the same shape. But Yalvpahe's was easy to find, even right after the tribe had moved camp. For his tepee was usually pitched on the edge of the village; and on its. side, to the 1 ♦it of *the door, there was the big red picture of a bear which he had painted there. One thing that we hoys liked about Yah-palie was that lie treated us as though we were men. When we would let him know that we were at his door, lie would call out: “It is well with you my friends; come in.’’ When we entered his tepee we did not sit down to the right of the doorwav, for that was the place for the firewood ; and next to that was the place for his wife. Neithei did we turn to the left, wheir we went in ; for on that ride, next to the doorway, was the place for the dogs, and next to them was the place for the older children of the family. But Yah-pahe always invited us to sit at liis left side, which was the place for honoured guests; while he. as head of the family. sat against the wall at the back of the tepee facing the door. On the earth floor there were mattresses of grass, and against the walls were the piles of robes. Yah-pahe*s quiver, in which were his bow and arrows, was always within his reach, leaning against a pole of the tepee, and just above his head there swung from a pole his ilneld made of thick buffalo rawhide. To us boys that shield was u wonderful thing. It was about the size of the head of an ordinary snare drum, and there were curious red, yellow and and blue figures painted on it. We always called him Grandfather. This was a title of respect, used byIndian children when they spoke- of a man of years. Yah-pahe could tell many kinds o[ stories. »Somc of them were about won. derfui people and things ; some were religions stories and told only after fasting £ud prayer; some were only for the purpose of nmuring the young er c hildren : others were of adventure; i ..mi .... 1.: i • .

of the trible. But nearly all of them were intended to teach us useful lessons. For, as we had no such thingas books or newspapers, story telling was about the onlv way by which we cculd learn of what had taken place, and of the objects of nature. While Yah -pa he was telling his stories .he always seemed to be living over again what he had done. And he always talked in two languages at the same time. That ri. in the spoken lan guage of the trible. and in the sign languge. with his hands. The sign language, which was used by all the Indian.: who lived on the great plains, > helped in making plain to us what the story teller said. But the one thing of which he seemed most careful was to teli us something which would do us good. One night, as two of us sat at Yahi pahe’s side in his tepee, he threw a handful of dry cedar bark on the fire which at once lighted up the place, i Then he began in hL- soft guttural voice: “ Now. my friends, there are the beavers. They are a very wise people. They do not talk much, but they ! work much. Every one of them minds his own business and does his share of work. They all trv to live in peace. But they know how to defend themselves when they have to. The beaver's children are obedient, and > their father-) are kind to the ' j mothers and they provide well for their - i families It would be well with all peo_ ■ j pie. if they lived as good lives as the l j beavers do.” 1 The old 6tory-teller. ceased, threw an- » other handful of cedar bark on the fire « and seemed to be looking at something - far away. Then, in a changed manner, ' he went on : “ One day of the old time - when everything spoke the same language. the Beaver was building his house in a little lake. He needed just r one more tree to finish it, and this he 1 found right on the edge of the water. He_ began work on the tree to cut it down. Pretty soon he heard a voice . say: ‘ \ r ou! down there!’ • “ The Beaver stopped work, looked all around! He didn’t see anybody. ; Then he looked up into the tree. There ho saw the Porcupine, sitting out on the end of a limb which stuck over the

y ‘ It is well with you my friend,’ said the Beaver. “ But the Porcupine paid no attention to his friendliness. You!’ said he again. ‘You! why are you cutting mv tree down?’ “This was sucli a surprise to the Bearer, that he could not make a single word noise come into his mouth. But at last he said: * Why ! Porcupine ! I never heard anvone soy such words. When T want a tree. I cut it down. Never before did I hear anyone say, ' This is my tree.’ when .another person had it. “The Beaver went to work again, but the Porcupine stood up on the limb, made scare noises in his throat, and his quills stuck straight out all over his body. “ ‘O'!’ the Beaver, * don’t do that; come down and 3’il siiowyouiny new house.’ “ As the Beaver said the last word, he struck the water so hard with his broad, flat tail that it made a loud noise. That startled the Porcupine, so that he jumped before he knew rt. Down into the water he went. When the Beaver saw how he was splashing, he jumped right in and pulled him out. Then he eat down and began to rub his nose ** ‘ Uni! um ! urn!’ said he, and he rubbed his nose, and rubbed it. “ ‘Well, well!’ said the Porcupine, ‘ ray good wishes to*~you, my friend, but you .'peak a queer language.’ “ ‘May be so* replied the Beaver, looking at the Porcupine’s quills ; ‘ but liow do you think I would talk if l was all nose?’ Then lie laughed. ‘ Now, my friend/ said he, ‘ come on' over and look at mv nice new house.' “ ‘Thank jo■&, no!’ said the Porcupine, looking across the water, ‘ I can’t swim.’ “ ‘ Well/ said the Beaver, ‘ you put your hands on my shoulders, put your nose against the back of my neck, hold your breath, and I’ll tak4 you over.' " After much coaxing, the Porcupine did as he was told. Then with him on his back, the Beaver dived into the lake and came up in his house. “ 'This first floor, which is just above th© water/ said the Beaver, ‘ and which, as you see. reaches hallway across the house, is my dining roost. And this,’ said he, taking the Porcupine to the upper floor, ‘is. as you sod, covered with grass, and is my living-bedroom. The light comes in from above through the network of sticks. • . Here I am always safe.* “ When the Beaver took his visitor back to the shore the Porcupine shook the water from his body. “ ‘ YVell! well I well!” said he, and started for home.” We boys knew the story was ended. Without a word we started home, for in our language there are no words lor