From Pawnee Folklore
After Yellow-Corn’s mother had put up her tipi, she began to look for her daughter. She went to different tipis and at each place she was told that Proud-Boy had taken her daughter to his tipi. She asked where Proud-Boy’s tipi was, and she was told to go to the other village, that there she would see a tipi that had pictures of birds and animals upon it. The mother went and saw the tipi. She entered and said: “My son, I have come after my daughter. She is married and we are expecting her husband to come any day. He has been gone for many moons. He is a warrior and has many brothers who are not afraid of anybody.” But Proud-Boy said: “Mother, this girl has been in Proud-Boy’s mind since the first time he saw her. Now Proud-Boy has brought her to his tipi. She is now his wife, and if your son-in-law comes home and gets angry Proud-Boy will take care of himself. The old woman arose and went home. The next day the old woman went and again asked for her girl, but the girl refused to go, for she was happy with Proud-Boy. Ceremonies were performed, but Proud-Boy and Yellow-Born remained in their tipi all the time, and never attended. After the big ceremony there were other dances, but these two never went.
One morning some one yelled and said: “There is a straight smoke going up over the hills to the south. It is the smoke of some warriors!” People went out of their tipis and saw the smoke. Then men riding fine horses and holding in their hands long poles, with scalps upon them, were seen coming over the hills. They were a victorious party of warriors. Men, women, and children ran to meet them and to learn of their deeds. Some one yelled and said: “These are the warriors who went out some time ago. They have killed people and taken their scalps and ponies.” Proud-Boy knew what was coming, so he told Yellow-Corn not to be afraid; that he would take care of her. When the victorious warriors came into camp, Yellow-Corn’s husband was told that his wife had been carried away by Proud-Boy and that she was living with him.
The warrior said nothing, but went to his own home, not to the tipi of his wife’s mother. Apparently he did not care because his wife had left him. His brothers came into the tipi where he sat and they said: “Brother, you are a great warrior. The chiefs call you brave. You make war on the enemy and bring home many scalps and ponies. You have made buffalo holy. Your smoke went to the heavens. You are anointed by the priest. The heavens and the gods know you. Will you let Proud-Boy take Yellow-Corn from you, and he a young man who has never yet killed a buffalo, and who has never walked over this earth to attack the enemy in his own camp? Let us get our bows and arrows and kill both Proud-Boy and Yellow-Corn. Then, my brother, you will be looked upon as a great warrior and you can marry some other woman. Come, my brother.” This is the way these warriors talked to their brother.
At last he gave in and promised his brothers that he would help kill the two. The news was spread, and Proud-Boy’s father was told that the brothers were planning to kill his son. The father told his boy, and Proud-Boy said: “My father, I am a young man, but I have a strong heart. Tell our people not to fight for me. Let them come and kill me. I will not run. When they have killed Yellow-Corn and me, take us into my tipi and lay us side by side on my bed; then spread my robe over us. Then leave the tipi. You will see us again.” The man looked at his son and wondered if he could come to life again.
In the evening the news that Yellow-Corn and Proud-Boy were to be attack the next day was spread throughout the village. That night Proud-Boy took the root that had been given him while he was in the timber, and ate of it, and gave some of it to Yellow-Corn. Then he said: “Yellow-Corn, will you stay by me? Will you be killed with me?” She said, “Yes, it is all right. I will die with you.” Then the boy said: “Yellow-Corn, do not be frightened, for we shall come to life. It is now time that people should know who I am.”
Early in the morning Proud-Boy arose and went out of the tipi. It was a clear day and the birds were singing. He called Yellow-Corn and said: “Bring the buffalo scalp. Let my father, the Sun, look upon it.” The scalp was brought out and hung outside of the lodge. Proud-Boy told his mother to cook nothing for them. His father was out watching. Proud-Boy and Yellow-Corn went into the tipi. Proud-Boy painted Yellow-Corn and gave her some root to eat. Some people in the village yelled and said, “The warriors are coming!” The boy and the girl seated themselves in front of the buffalo scalp. The men came and rode by them and around them, shooting at them with arrows. Two of the men had guns and these two were the ones who shot and killed them. The other men rode their horses over them. The people ran from their camp to see the dead Proud-Boy. His father told the men to put up their bows and arrows. They obeyed and rode off.
The father and the mother took the dead bodies and laid them upon Proud-Boy’s bed, and then covered them with the painted robe. The entrance to the tipi was then closed. The people stood afar off and watched. They said: “The parents do not cry, and the bodies have been taken into the tipi. There must be something wonderful in the tipi.” When the Sun was near noon, the people saw a straight dust going up from the tipi. They pointed to the dust. There were noises in the tipi. Mountain-Lions and Buffalo were bellowing. Birds were singing, and Owls hooting. There was a great dust coming out from the top and sides of the tipi. The noise ceased and the dust went away. The news went through the village that wonderful things were going on in Proud-Boy’s tipi. Some people said, “We understood the animals and the birds took pity of Proud-Boy and gave him power.”
Again the dust was seen and the noises heard. The news of this was taken to the men who had killed the boy and the girl. The warrior said: “I am sorry that I killed the boy. I knew that the boy was wonderful when I heard that he had a wonderful tipi, but it can not be helped now.” The noises continued for a time, then subsided. When this had happened four times and the dust had settled, Proud-Boy came out of the tipi and said: “Mother, prepare food for us, for we are hungry.” This was in the afternoon. The mother boiled some meat and fed Proud-Boy and Yellow-Corn. The news went through the camp that Proud-Boy and Yellow-Corn were alive, and the men who had killed them heard of it. The next morning the young man said: “Father, you see my bow and arrows, my shield and spear? I shall not use them to fight against these men; but before the moon disappears every one of them shall die.”
The next morning the young man sat in his tipi and took from under his bed a water-dog. This he pointed toward the village of the men. When the sun was high the leading warrior was found dead in his bed. Every day after that a man died until all of the men who had anything to do with the killing of the boy were dead. The people knew why the men had died and did not question. They said: “Let us make Proud-Boy our chief.” But the boy said: “No, I can not be chief. I will be a medicine-man. I will cure people of their sickness. I will teach my people to do wonderful things. My wife will wait on the women, for she will know how to prescribe for them.” From that time Proud-Boy was a great medicine-man. All the people painted their tipis in imitation of his.
Source:
The Pawnee Mythology: Part 1, George A. Dorsey, 1906
Kotharian Lightning 