From Pawnee Folklore
Again the time came for the people to go hunting. They went north to the Platte River, where there was thick timber and hills. The thick timber was full of owls and birds of all kinds and many wonderful animals. On the side of the hills were holes, and the people said that they were the homes of the water-gods, which possessed magic power. One morning Proud-Boy awoke and went to the timber. He came to the timber. He came to the homes of the water-dogs, and while he was there the people broke camp and went off. Proud-Boy’s people looked fo him, but could not find him. Some of the people said that they had seen him going towards the timber, and the father said, “My son must have been eaten by wild animals in the timber.” The people began to mourn for Proud-Boy, for they thought that he must be dead.
Proud-Boy went through the timber. Now and then he came to a hilly place thick with cedars on the side of the hills. There the water-dogs dwelt. In the timber he saw many wonderful birds. The magpies came close to him and all kinds of birds flocked to him, and the owls hooted, although it was daytime; but Proud-Boy did not hear or see the birds. His mind was always on the girl he loved and he thought of her constantly. He came to a thick willowy place and there he saw a girl, whom he thought to be the girl he loved. He ran to her and threw his arms about her neck; then he found it was a black-tail deer. The deer jumped up and threw him to the ground. He stood up and looked about.
For a time he felt dazed; then he cried. While he was crying, he heard the owls hooting close by him. Then he heard a bear, then a mountain-lion roaring close by him. He felt afraid and a shiver ran over him. He said: “Kill me, for I no longer care to live. The one I cared for is gone from me.” Again he heard some strange sounds. The screech-owl hooted so near him that it made him sleepy and he lay down and went to sleep. Towards evening before sunset he awoke. The birds were sitting all around him and one said: “My son, we take pity upon you. You are poor in heart. We have nothing to give you except the root that you see in the center. We all eat it when we are sick. We all eat it when we are wounded. Take a piece of it. Carry it with you and we will always be near you.”
Night came, and the owls and the water-gods came to him and gave him great powers. Towards morning, when the birds were flying around in a circle, singing their songs, a Buffalo came and said: “My son, you shall have a robe. My power is the Sun. When you get a robe, paint upon it the symbol of the Sun; and if you should ever be killed, have the robe thrown over your body and all these birds and animals will come and wake you from sleep. Through life the Sun will always shine upon you and warm you.” The Buffalo went off and the boy went to sleep again. He found himself in the animals’ lodge. The Bear came to him and said: “We are of four kinds, Grizzly, Cinnamon, Black, and White Bear. I represent the Grizzly and the Cinnamon Bear. I give you power to have a spirit like mine. You shall conquer the enemy. You shall know about the different roots and herbs, so that you can make medicine. When you go to your people, have them make a tipi for you, so that you may live by yourself. When you have the tipi finished, draw my picture, the Cinnamon Bear, on the south side of the entrance, and draw the Grizzly Bear on the north side of the entrance. We will guard your tipi always.”
The Mountain-Lion said, “Have my picture by the Cinnamon Bear and instead of drawing me with the fore legs upwards, draw me as I stand now, only with my mouth wide open.” The Buffalo said, “Have pictures of us all around the tipi.” The Eagle said, “Have my picture at the back of the tipi.” The Owls spoke and said, “Have our pictures one on either side of the Eagle; the Black Owl on the north side, the Red Owl on the south side.” Then all of the other birds said, “Put us upon your tipi, too.” The Buffalo arose and said: “My son, when you go among your people and kill your first Buffalo, let it be a Buffalo bull. That bull will be me, and my spirit will be with you always. Take only the scalp of the Buffalo and leave the horns on it. Hang the scalp upon a pole at the head of your bed. Now return to your people.” As Proud-Boy arose, the birds flew up into the air and the animals ran in different directions through the timber.
Proud-Boy then went to the place where the camp had been and found that the people had gone. He followed their trail for three days and three nights. When he came near the camp of his people he waited until it was dark; then he went into the camp and found his father’s tipi. He entered it and sat by the fireplace. He spoke and said, “Mother, I am here.” His mother arose and kindled the fire. When it blazed up she saw by its light that her son was sitting there naked, with only a pair of moccasins on. She made a noise as if to cry, but Proud-Boy said, “Mother, do not cry; I am here.” His mother made a big fire, then woke her husband. When the father saw his boy he did not say anything, but remained in bed. The mother prepared some meat for him, then spread a robe upon the ground and told him to lie down.
The next morning Proud-Boy was gone, but he returned before the people started off, and went with them. When in camp he would dress up in a beautiful robe, leggings, and fine moccasins. He carried in his right hand an eagle tail for a fan. His face was painted all the time. He stood around where the boys were playing, but would never play. When he talked, he told of some great deeds that he was going to do in battle, and sometimes he said that he wanted to fight somebody. Frequently he went to the playgrounds on horseback. His horse sometimes had red paint on its nostrils, on its shoulders, and on its thighs; also at the root of its tail. At other times the horse was painted green, yellow, and black, and occasionally white. Proud-Boy often rode past the boys at play, holding his eagle fan up to his face, so that he could not be seen. While the boys were playing he would ride among them and command them to stop making a noise. Then he would tell of how he longed to fight in battle; of how he would kill and take a scalp. After he had boasted this way he would ride to his tipi, get off of his pony, and turn it loose. The children would go home and tell how Proud-Boy acted and what he said, but the people did not pay any attention. The children then gave him the name of Proud-Boy. Still he came every day, either riding or walking, to the place where the boys were playing, and continued to boast.
The people killed many buffalo while out on the hunt. After they had dried the meat they turned eastward and started to their village. When they came to their village they had many ceremonies of thanks-giving for their successful hunt, and they offered the tongue and heart of many buffalo to the gods in the heavens. They did not have to go on the hunt the following winter, for the buffalo came in droves to their village.
During the winter Proud-Boy asked his father to kill a young buffalo bull and to take its scalp, leaving the horns upon it. The father kills a bull and brought home the scalp, which was tanned and fixed up as the boy directed. He also asked that several buffalo be killed to make him a tipi, for he wanted to live by himself. The women sewed together the tanned skins, and while they worked Proud-Boy went through the camp and selected men whom he had heard were good at drawing pictures and asked them to paint his tipi. The men came, and the tipi was spread upon the ground to be painted as Proud-Boy directed. The first picture drawn was that of the Cinnamon Bear, which was at the outside of the entrance to the southeast. The Bear was painted standing, with its fore legs upward. The Grizzly Bear was drawn upon the northeast side, north of the entrance. The Mountain-Lion was then drawn next to the Cinnamon Bear, with its mouth wide open. Buffalo were then drawn all around the tipi. Then the Eagle was drawn on the west side at the top of the tipi. Then the Owls were drawn, the Red on the south side of the Eagle and the Black on the north side of the Eagle. All kinds of birds were drawn all over the tipi. When this was done, Proud-Boy told his father to select women to go out and cut cedar poles for the tipi. Women were selected and the poles were brought and prepared. The tipi was then folded and put away.
In the spring the Kitkehahki began again to make preparation for the big ceremony. They left their permanent camp and selected a place upon the Platte River to hold their ceremony. Runners were sent out to invite the other tribes to come and take part. While the people were waiting for the different tribes, who could be seen approaching in the distance, the boys were playing games. Proud-Boy joined them and talked in such a way as to make the boys believe that he was a great warrior. That night he ordered his mother to put up his tipi. The tipi was put up. Dirt was piled around the circle of the lodge. Inside the lodge, at the west side, was also piled dirt, so that there was a mound. By the mound was placed a cedar tree. At the head of the boy’s bed was hung the buffalo scalp. Upon his bed the robe was spread. It had a picture of the sun and all kinds of birds upon it.
(Footnote: In the race there was a willow stuck by the place where the old men stood, and whoever should come out first was to take the willow and stick it in the ground, thus marking the center of the circle in which to hold the ceremony. The one who did this received presents, though he did not keep them, for they were offered to the gods.)
After the lodge was completed, Proud-Boy took his pony and painted the nostrils, the shoulders, the hips, and the root of the tail with red clay. He tied some eagle feathers to the tail and the mane. He dressed in his robe, leggings, and moccasins, took his eagle fan, and rode to the place where the boys were playing. As he rode among them, he said, “Boys, I am going to watch the people as they enter the village, and when I see the girl that I love I am going to take her home with me.” As the tribes approached from all different directions and entered the village, Proud-Boy mounted his pony and robe to the place where they entered the village. He watched one tribe as it passed, but he did not see among all the people any girl that he cared for. Then he rode back to the place where the boys were playing their games and told them that he had not seen the girl he loved among the people.
The next day another tribe entered the village. Proud-Boy arrayed himself and his pony as he had done the day before. Then he rode among the boys and said, “Boys, I am going to watch the people come, and if I see the girl I love I shall take her home with me.” Proud-Boy rode to the entrance of the village, and there he saw straight up on his pony, holding his eagle fan over his face. He watched and watched until all had passed, but the girl did not come. He went to the boys and told them there was no girl that he liked among the people who came that day. The next day another tribe came from the east, and again the boy arrayed himself and rode among the boys and said, “Well, boys, I am going again.” He went and watched as he had done before, but he did not see the girl he was looking for. He did not go to his home, but rode around the village. In the village he saw all of the people crowded around his tipi. They did not go near it, but admired it from a distance. They thought that it was a wonderful tipi, and they marvelled at the pictures, for it was the first tipi with pictures upon it that was ever seen among the Kitkehahki. Some said: “Proud-Boy must be a wonderful boy. It may be that the animals took pity upon his spirit and gave him great power when he was in the woods for several days.”
While Proud-Boy was listening to what the people were saying, he saw at a distance some people coming with pack ponies. He rode to the entrance of the village and waited until they came up. As they came nearer he saw that there were only two people, an old woman and a young girl. He watched them as they approached. The girl looked up at him and he saw that she was Yellow-Corn. He dashed out to meet her, and as he rode he felt a great happiness. He did not speak to Yellow-Corn, but turning to the old woman he said: “I love your daughter. I have come to take her with me. May she go?” The old woman looked at the young man and she remembered that his people had always treated her daughter well. She said, “Yes, she may go.” Proud-Boy put Yellow-Born upon his pony’s back and the two rode off. As they came near the place where the boys were playing, he made several grunts, so that the boys would notice him. Then he took the girl to his tipi.
When they reached the tipi, Proud-Boy helped Yellow-Corn from the pony and turned it loose. He led her into the tipi. She sat down upon the robe and looked around at the mysterious things in the tipi. Proud-Boy went out and told his mother to bring some food. His mother came and placed before them a wooden bowl of pemmican and water. She then went out and Proud-Boy and Yellow-Corn ate together. While they were eating, Proud-Boy spoke and said: “Yellow-Corn, did you know hat I cared for you? Did you notice me in all the ceremonies? Did you know that I tried to be near you in the race? Did you know that I was angry and sad when I heard that you were married to some warrior? I went off, and while I was gone I got these things that you see. I did not bring you here that you might eat and then go back to your mother. I brought you to my tipi to stay as my wife. You are the first woman to enter my tipi, with the exception of my mother, who brings me my food.”
The girl said: “I knew that you loved me. I saw you many times, but, as you know, women have not the right to say whom they shall marry, and so I had to marry the man who was chosen for me. It will be best, Proud-Boy, that I go to my mother’s tipi. This is the first time that I have been separated from her. As you know, I have a husband, who is a great warrior and is not afraid of anybody. He has killed many enemies and brought scalps and counted coup. He will soon come home, for he has been gone for many moons.” The boy said: “Proud-Boy knows all these things, but Proud-Boy learned to love you and brought you to his tipi, and here you are to stay. He is not afraid.” The girl at last consented to remain.
Source:
The Pawnee Mythology: Part 1, George A. Dorsey, 1906
Kotharian Lightning 