Crane and His Brothers
by Paul Radin
The page numbers indicate where a page ends, rather than where it begins.
[1] Once the Crane was going about, and he met his brother. "Ho, my dear younger brother from (1) henceforth let us live together. I have been thinking about this winter," he said. The other replied, "Alright, you have decided well. Let us do it." So (2) they lived together, and the younger brother was a very successful hunter.
As they were living thus, some travelers came to them (3) and said, "Ho, here the Crane is living." He replied, "Oh yes; I am living here. My younger brother kills plenty of game, as you see me eating." (4) They asked him, "Say, Crane, tell us where we can live (5) so we can build our houses. The Crane told them that they could live anywhere, "There is plenty of land unused," he said.
Then the travelers said to him, "Say Crane, bring us some fire." (6) This Crane did for them and they asked him, "What is it that your brother kills?" The Crane answered, "He only kills racoons," (7) and some of them I boil, and some I hang up to dry."
So among themselves they said, "About two of you go and bring some fresh ones (8) to boil, and the others can bring some of the others." So they stole some food from the Crane." (9)
That evening the brother came home, and brought home some game, so the other Crane went hurriedly for water. He saw the travelers again; and they said to him, "Say Crane (10) what are you going for?" The answer was, "My older brother has killed and brought home some game. So I am going to get some water and boil them. He brought home some racoons, which I have (11) laid inside the door."
The travelers said to themselves, "Let us go over and take them away." So then the Crane got back he found the meat gone. [2] (12) So they had to do without an evening meal. In the morning the older brother went out hunting again, altho he had nothing to eat. (13) As usual he brought home some game that night, so the younger brother took his pail and was noisily going for water. They asked him about it. (14) He told them, "My older brother has brought home some game, and I am going for water with which to boil it."
So the travelers came and stole the food. The hunter (15) was worn out for lack of food, since it had been a long time since he had any food because the others stole it all for them. Finally the younger brother said, "It is time for us to look for another place to live, so let us move away from here." (16) So in the morning he went to look for a new place to live.
In the evening he brought home a small racoon. And the other went again for water, while the travelers never go anywhere, (17) so they could watch them. So they saw him going for water and they asked him, and he told them again. Then they came (18) and took away the food.
When he came back from getting water, the racoon was gone and the younger brother said, "If we stay on living here we will starve to death. I have found a fine place in which to live." (19) The older brother agreed, so the other planned how they should escape. (20)
Then the day came for them to escape the younger brother said, "My older, brother, there is a grove over this way. The land is beautiful and clear, and it is fine wood land. It will make a good dwelling place. Let me start first and you follow behind and hide our tracks so that they cannot find us."
So they packed their pails, and started and made their tracks untraceable. They went to a place opposite a hill, but they [3] were seen. (21) (22) (23) Again they asked him, but he told them, "When my brother kills you always steal it from us, so we have moved away. So he told me to make my tracks hard to follow and I am doing it." (24)
He was going back and forth over the hill, until evening came. The other brother was was working when he got there, and had a little house all finished. The meal was prepared for the older brother, and it was the first one he had eaten in a long time. (25)
When they had finished the travelers found them. These who had abused them said, "Ho Crane, so here you are living." (26) (27) He replied, "Yes, we are living here." So they said, "Well point us out a place to camp." (28) Crane told them, "There is plenty of room, you can pick out a place." He lent them fire. (29)
In the morning the older brother went hunting again. And that evening brought home some more racoons. (30) The younger brother went for water in order to boil it, and told them exactly where he had placed the three racoons. So they went and took them. (31) (32)
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To his surprise, "You have come home?" The younger brother was almost killed, and was besmeared with blood. He got angry and said, "They've gone too far. Because we have taken pity on them, I have not punished them. (34) They will not realize it."
He ran over and came in, and saw one sitting there. This one he clubbed to death, so he did three others. One of them went out thru an opening in the roof, (35) and was the only one they did not kill. He lit in a large tree. An owl began to hoot, hoot, hoot saying, "You mean ugly thing, you have treated me badly, even tho I took pity on you. If I wished to kill you (36) I [4] could. But the humans shall call you hoot-owl, so I have not killed you. Whenever you see any person you will have to flee from him. All you shall eat shall be mice," (37) and he came back to his younger brother.
He told his younger brother, "This, I could have done to them long ago, but you were afraid. Long ago (38) I could have done this to them and I have not done right, I have done wrong; for I have killed my younger brothers and never again shall we live together. And you will live wherever you wish to live. (39) It is not good for us to be together. The Creator made the younger brother a screech owl.
Therefore they went in different directions. (40) In the beginning they had dwellings for homes. It was thru Crane's actions that they live separately (they have said.)
It is ended
Notes
1 Paul Radin, "The Crane," Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society) Winnebago IV, #8e: 1-4 (typewritten English translation, second version).