The Dog that became a Panther
Version 1

from W. C. McKern’s Notebook

(266) There was once a chief's son who took no interest in either war or hunting. He only liked to visit with people. He had a dog, a light colored, small dog. This dog he always treated well. Some young men were going out deer hunting. They said to each other that they would like to take along this young man, who was never interested in hunting. They thought he would make a good camp tender. So they invited him and he accepted. They hunted a few days, and then one day they saw men's tracks near their camp. Some wanted to go straight home without returning to camp. "If they kill this fellow, that's only one," they said. So they went straight home without telling the chief's son about it.

The chief's son was left alone with his dog. He waited for the hunters until it was very late, but they did not come. Then the dog spoke to him. He understood, although he had never heard him speak before. He told him what had happened and just what had been said. The dog said, "Don't worry, they won't kill us. Don't try to fight; I'll fight them all alone. I'll watch over you tonight. You can sleep. (267) But the man was afraid and could not sleep. The dog kept going out and coming in again. "It is almost daylight now," said the dog. "Do not go outside when you hear them cry out. Stay in the lodge. I am going out to fight when they come, but do not attempt to look at me." The dog came inside from time to time while the fight progressed.

About noon, the fight still progressed. They used to give a war whoop once in a while while they fought, and the chief's son wondered about this. He thought he would like to look out and see what was happening, but the dog had told him not to look while he was fighting. So he peeked out of the lodge to see the dog fight. At the same time he looked at the dog he gave a low cry. Then the dog ran away from the enemy and came right in the lodge. They had shot him in the forepaw with an arrow. He told the man to pull it out. "They have me started now, so I'll finish it up," he said. "If you want to fight with them, you can follow me. They won't kill you," said the dog. When he went out he saw the dog. He looked like an angry lion. He was very angry and (268) killed them off faster than before. Then the man started fighting to help the dog. The dog said, "It is good of you to help me out. We will now exterminate them in a short time." Finally they killed them all. The dog said, "Now we must go home and we will take all the scalps home. Those who returned to the village have reported that we were both killed." So they took their scalps and went home. The dog kept his appearance of a lion.

Dreamstime

A Panther (Mountain Lion, Cougar, Puma)

Finally they came to the village. All were much astonished. Those who had returned were told by their parents how wrong they had been. They had been afraid to fight, and they had deserted the chief's son and reported that he had been killed. The dog told his master, "It is not right for me to live with you now. I will stay here in the woods. I shall know if any of the enemy are coming and I shall always be here to help." After that, the lion would come and tell the chief's son when the enemy were coming. Then the chief's son would go out to meet them and fight them. So he became a brave man. Whenever he was (269) ready to hunt deer, the lion went with him. They killed much game on such occasions. So he became a great hunter.¹

The Dog that became a Panther
Version 2

collected by W. C. McKern

Charles M. Russell, 1898
An Indian Dog

(321) This young man was a chief's son. He took no interest in hunting and wars. He preferred to go about visiting with the people. His dog was small and light colored. The man was never known to mistreat his dog.

Some young men planned to go hunting for deer. They thought that they would like to take along the chief's son, this young man who was never interested in hunting. They thought he would be useful as a camp tender. So they invited him to come along. He accepted their invitation. They hunted for several days.

One day they discovered men's tracks near the camp. These they observed while returning from hunting. Some said, "Let us return to the village without going back to the camp. Some enemy awaits us there. If they kill this fellow, that is but one. Let the rest of us escape." So they returned home without telling the chief's son about the strange tracks.

The chief's son was left alone with his dog. He waited for the hunters until it was very late, but they did not come. Then the dog spoke. The chief's son thought that it was strange that a dog should talk. He could understand perfectly every thing that the dog said. He told the chief's son what had taken place and all that had been said by the hunters. "Do not worry, my brother," said the dog, "they shall not kill us. You need not fight; I'll watch over you tonight. Go right to sleep."

But the man was afraid to sleep. The dog kept going out and coming in again. "It is nearly dawn now," he said. "Do not go out- side when you hear their war whoop. Stay in the lodge. I am going out to fight them when they come, but do not attempt to look at me."

Soon after that the dog went out and the fight began. The dog came into the lodge from time to time during the battle. The fight was still raging at midday. Once in a while the chief's son heard a war whoop outside. He wondered about that. He thought it would be fun to look and see what was happening, but the dog had told him not to look at him while he was fighting. Nevertheless the chief's son peeked out the door of the lodge. That was when the dog gave a low cry and ran from the enemy. He came running into the lodge. There (322) was an arrow through his fore paw.⁶⁶ He told the man to pull it out. Then the dog said, "That settles it; they have me started now. I am going out and finish it. If you wish to join in the fight, just follow me. No harm will come to you."

The chief's son decided to help in the fight. So he left the lodge. The dog was there fighting. He looked like an angry panther. He was ferocious. He threw himself at the enemy with ever increasing rage. The man took his place in the fight beside the panther. Then the panther said, "It is good of you to help me out. We'll soon exterminate these fellows." Before long they had killed them all.

Then the panther said, "Now we can return home. We shall take all these scalps with us. Those who returned to the village have reported that we were both killed." So they took the scalps and journeyed home-ward. The dog remained in the form of a panther.

Finally they came to the village. Everyone was much astonished at seeing them. Those hunters who had returned without them were told by their parents of the great wrong they had done. They had been afraid to fight and they had deserted the chief's son. Then they had lied, saying that he was dead.

The panther now told the chief's son, "It is not proper for me to live with you now. I shall stay here in the woods. I shall know if any of the enemy are coming and always be on hand to help you." After that the panther would always report to the chief's son the approach of an enemy party. Then the chief's son would go out to engage them in battle. So all looked up to him as a brave warrior. And whenever he wished to hunt deer, the panther would join him and together they would kill great quantities of game. Thus he gained the reputation of a great hunter.

"Now the time has come for me to leave," said the panther, "but whenever you wish to see me and talk with me. I shall meet you at a certain place. There I shall be with you." That is the agreement they made. Then the panther went away, and the people of the village saw him no more.²

McKern's Notes

⁶⁶ This accident resulted from the fact that the chief's son looked at the fighting dog contrary to the latter's instructions.

Commentary to Version 1: "lion" — McKern adds parenthetically, "Lion = cũk|djánikĕ – [the informant] thinks it is panther." There are variants of this form (šųkją́nįke, šų́kjąįke, šųkją́įk) still in use today (Miner, Helmbrecht-Lehmann). The alternance, -nįk- ~ -įk-, reflects the two forms that mean "little, small." The optional -e- on the end of the word derives from dropping the suffix -ge, "species, type, kind, sort" (-k-ge > -ke). McKern notes that cũk = šųk means "dog," thus leaving -ją- to be interpreted. The appropriate sense of this word that applies here is, "to curl around, to wrap around," thus giving the meaning, "the kind of dog that wraps around a little." Among North American carnivores, dogs attack with their mouths only, whereas mountain lions wrap their arms and legs around their prey to bring it down.

"brave man" — in Hōcąk this expression is wągwášošé, which can also be translated as "brave," or "warrior."

Links: Cougars, Disease-Giver, Wolf & Dog Spirits.

Stories: mentioning mountain lions (Cougars, Pumas, Panthers): The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, The Four Steps of the Cougar, Bladder and His Brothers (v. 1); relating to dogs or wolves: The Gray Wolf Origin Myth, A Man and His Three Dogs, White Wolf, Wolves and Humans, The Wolf Clan Origin Myth, The Old Man and His Four Dogs, Worúxega, The Dogs of the Chief's Son, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Wild Rose, The Man Whose Wife was Captured, The Resurrection of the Chief's Daughter, The Canine Warrior, The Dog Who Saved His Master, The Raccoon Coat, Wojijé, The Big Eater, Why Dogs Sniff One Another, The Healing Blessing, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Trickster Loses His Meal, Sun and the Big Eater, Redhorn's Sons, Trickster, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Meadow Lark, Hog's Adventures, Holy One and His Brother, The Messengers of Hare, Pete Dupeé and the Ghosts, Grandmother's Gifts, The Hocąk Migration Myth, Bladder and His Brothers, The Stench-Earth Medicine Origin Myth, The Old Man and the Giants, Rich Man, Boy, and Horse, Kunu's Warpath, Morning Star and His Friend, Black Otter's Warpath, Black Otter’s Sacrifice to a Thunder, Whiskey Making, Chief Wave and the Big Drunk, Peace of Mind Regained (?); about scalping: The Woman's Scalp Medicine Bundle, Hare Retrieves a Stolen Scalp, The Scalping Knife of Wakąšucka, The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits, Moiety Origin Myth, Turtle's Warparty, White Fisher, Black Otter's Warpath, Wazųka, Great Walker's Warpath, The Unlucky Horse, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, The Fox-Hocąk War.

Themes: seeing the approach of an enemy warparty in a dream: The Moiety Origin Myth, The Dogs of the Chief's Son, Wazųka, Porcupine and His Brothers; a man is blessed with the ability to foresee the approach of enemies: Wazųka, White Fisher, The Moiety Origin Myth, The Annihilation of the Hocągara I, Big Thunder Teaches Cap’ósgaga the Warpath, The Fleetfooted Man; a group of men leave one of their own comrades behind alone to fight against an overwhelming force of enemy warriors: How Little Priest went out as a Soldier, Fighting Retreat, dogs rescue humans from their enemies: Wolves and Humans, A Man and His Three Dogs, The Old Man and His Four Dogs, The Dogs of the Chief's Son, The Canine Warrior, The Dog Who Saved His Master; a person is told by a spirit that he should not look upon someone during a particular period of time, but curiosity gets the better of the person and he looks anyway, causing the object of his gaze to be injured: The Man who Defied Disease Giver, Snowshoe Strings, Sunset Point; an animal spirit transforms himself from one kind of animal into another: The Orphan who was Blessed with a Horse (Thunderbird > horse), Bear Clan Origin Myth (bear > blackbird > bear), White Wolf (wolf > dog), A Man and His Three Dogs (wolf > dog), The Were-fish (raccoon > fish), Lake Wąkšikhomįgra (Mendota): the Origin of Its Name (raccoon > fish), The Spirit of Maple Bluff (raccoon > fish); a mountain lion fights alongside a man in battle: The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion; violating the terms of a blessing does harm: The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, The Necessity for Death, Hare Retrieves a Stolen Scalp, White Wolf, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, Disease Giver Blesses Jobenągiwįxka, The Greedy Woman, Trickster, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Meadow Lark (meadow lark), Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle; someone aided by a spirit friend is left for dead by his colleagues, only to be saved by his friend and brought back alive to the grief of those who left him for dead: Waruǧábᵉra, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion.

Notes

¹ W. C. McKern, Winnebago Notebook (Milwaukee: Milwaukee Public Museum, 1927) 266-269.

² W. C. McKern, "Winnebago Dog Myths," Yearbook, Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee, 10 (1930): 321-322.