From Pawnee Folklore
(Introductory Note: Told by Roaming-Scout, the most learned of the Skidi priests living. The tale relates to a historical event at the time when a devout man known as Coming-Sun communicated with Pahohatawa, who gave him great power; so that he taught the people that Pahohatawa still lived, was one of the gods in the heavens, and that he should be worshipped with the other heavenly gods. By the fact that Coming-Sun lost his power by preferring woman, which he had been warned not to do, it shows that reverence for the gods and obedience to their commands is to be held higher than the desire for women.)
A long time ago, when the Skidi were living upon the Loupe River, there was a young man in the village by the name of Coming-Sun. One night Coming-Sun had a dream. Some one spoke to him and said: “To-morrow I want you to stand upon that high hill. You shall stand up there for four days and nights.” He then awoke, and early in the morning he took his robe and told his friends that he was going up on a high hill and that they should not look for him. He went up on the high hill and that they should not look for him. He went up on the high hill and cried all day and all night. The second day and night he cried, and the third day and night he cried, but did not see any sign of mysterious beings. The fourth day and night he stayed there and in the night he stood and cried. When he felt weak, he lay down and some one came and said, “Stand up; I have now come.” Coming-Sun stood up and there by him was a man who said: “I promised to take pity upon you if you would come to this hill. Now look in yonder valley.” Coming-Sun looked, and he could see, as plainly as though it were day, a man came up from the ravine and go toward the spring. The mysterious being told Coming-Sun to run down and try to head off the man. Coming-Sun then ran down, but before he could catch up with him the man disappeared in the ravine. The man was dressed like a warrior; he had the otter on, with the hawk and mother-corn attached to it. As soon as the man disappeared Coming-Sun went back to the hill.
He again cried, and after a time he heard the same voice that had spoken to him, and he looked and there stood the man again. He said: “You can not run. You did not head off the man. Now look down in the valley.” When Coming-Sun looked he saw some warriors driving ponies. The voice said: “Run as fast as you can and head them off.” Coming-Sun ran down, and just as he was close to them the warriors drove their ponies into the ravine and disappeared. Then Coming-Sun went back to the hill and cried. The voice spoke to him again. He looked, and there was the mysterious being, who said: “You can not run. This time I want you to do your best to head off some of the people who are coming. Look,” he said, “they are coming.” Coming-Sun looked, and there was a great crowd of warriors coming with long poles with scalps upon them. Coming-Sun ran, and before he caught up with them they disappeared into the ravine.
Coming-Sun returned to the hill and continued to cry. It was nearly morning when the mysterious being came to him and said: ‘I will make myself known to you. I am Foot-Prints-upon-Bank-of-River. Have you no bag of medicine about you?” Coming-Sun said that he had not. The man said: “Why, look at me; I am a wonderful being; I am North-Wind, I am all kinds of birds, I am also all kinds of animals; even the grass and trees; and here I carry a little bag of medicine upon my belt. Now, I give you this bag of medicine. I tried to make a warrior out of you, but you can not head off the warriors. I then tried to give you many ponies, but you could not head them off. I then tried to help you scalp the enemy, but you could not head them off. I will make you a medicine-man, and make you brave so that you can count coup on your enemy. Whenever you join a war party it will be successful, for you are among them and you have seen these things that I have shown you, but you can never be a leading warrior. Go to your home, for it is now daylight. Hereafter I shall visit you at night. Take this downy feather and wear it upon your head. When you want to call the buffalo put this downy feather upon a pole, and set the pole in the direction where you want the buffalo to come from.”
Coming-Sun became a great man. He invited his brothers and told them where to go to capture ponies. They went, and he went with them, and whatever he told them came true. He prophesied many things and they came true. The mysterious being visited Coming-Sun each night, and each time brought him some things that were wonderful. One night he brought some buzzard feathers. If the enemy found the people, they were to stick the buzzard feathers on their heads in a circle, and the company of warriors were to stand in a circle and great clouds of dust were to rise, and they were to be covered up and hidden, so that the enemy would not find them. When the people saw the powers that Coming-Sun had, they asked him to call the buffalo. He placed his tipi apart from the others and he put the downy feather upon a pole and set it in the ground. He then told a company of men to go to a certain place and call buffalo. They went, and they found the buffalo as he had told them they would. Once a big drove of buffalo was brought by Coming-Sun, and the people killed them.
One night after he had been talking to the mysterious being in his tipi, a woman came into his tipi and told him that she was going to stay with him. While the woman was in his tipi, another young man came and took down the feather that he had upon the pole and carried it off. When he tried to call the buffalo he failed. The wonderful being came and told him that he was sorry that he thought more of women than of powers he was receiving from him, for he had made him a great medicine-man and a brave man. The being left Coming-Sun and went to other parts of the country and visited other people. Coming-Sun felt very sad and regretted his foolishness. In a few years he became blind and died.
Source:
The Pawnee Mythology: Part 1, George A. Dorsey, 1906
Kotharian Lightning 