There an old man lived in a long lodge with his grandson. His grandson was always fasting. One day the old man said, "Grandson, it is about that time that you should go out and dream. This is the time that they will try you. The reason that I made you fast is so that you would dream something." Then the boy informed the old man, "Grandfather, in the upper world the spirits counseled me and called me, 'Wears White Feathers for a Headdress.' In the world below they call me, 'Wears Sparrows for a Coat'." He took off his coat and shook it, and the sparrows began to sing, for the whole coat was made of living sparrows. And on his head he wore a loon and a very white feather. When he heard this, the old man was gratified, and said, "It is good, my grandson; for even if this is all you have, it will strengthen you. Grandson, beginning tomorrow they will start to test you."

The very next morning, just as his grandfather said, someone came and declared, "Wears White Feathers, you are challenged." "All right," the young man replied. They said, "We will race from here to the end of the world. You will first lay on this tree." They took a tree and bent it over, and when he lay on it, they sprang it. He landed in the fork of a great oak tree at the shore of the Ocean Sea. After they launched him, they took off running, but Wears White Feathers was stuck in the fork of the tree. As hard as he tried, he could not free himself, but he saw a hawk flying overhead, and called out to him, "Grandfather, I am stuck. See if you can come down and do something." So the hawk descended to the tree and split the fork in which the young man was caught. As soon as he was freed, he leapt from the tree and began running. His opponent was near the goal, but soon Wears White Feathers caught up to him and passed him. As he went by, Wears White Feathers said, "I'll catch a smoke while I wait for you." When he got to the tree, he found a pipe and a warclub. He sat down and smoked until his opponent came running up. The man asked, "Since I am going to die anyway, could I at least have a smoke myself?" Then Wears White Feathers said, "This must be what my brothers used to say," and he blew out the contents of his pipe and picked up the warclub and struck his opponent. Then the young man took off running again. In the evening the sound of a loon could be heard, and the old man said, "I wonder if that is my grandson, since he wears a loon on his head." The cry of the loon became louder and louder, and the old man thought to himself, "Surely this is my grandson coming." Then his grandson appeared and crossed the finish line. "It is good grandson," said the old man, "but now they will become all the more determined and will test you severely."

The next morning, they came again. "I have come to challenge you to gamble," and he added, "you stay at home and smell like a woman." When he left, the young man wondered to himself, "Why did he say that?" At night he used to see a fire lit at the second fireplace in the lodge, but the night before it had moved. He had noticed this. That morning he went off to gamble with them. Once again they put him on the same bent tree to spring him, but this time he turned into a squirrel and ran up and down the tree. Now it was time for the race to begin. They started out and soon Wears White Feathers was far ahead of his opponent, and when he arrived at the midpoint, he had plenty of time to have a leisurely smoke. When the other man got there he said, "Wears White Feathers, since I am going to die anyway, at least let me have one last smoke." "This must be what my brothers used to say," replied Wears White Feathers, and he took up the warclub there and killed the man. Some time later the old man heard the sound of the loon and knew that his grandson was approaching. Not long afterwards the young man crossed the finish line and again won the race. "It is good!" his grandfather said. Then they went home.

During night the young man awoke to see a fire down at the other end of the lodge, only this time it was much closer. The next morning they came again and challenged him to gamble. When he showed up they put him on the tree that they had bent over, but once again he turned into a squirrel and scrambled down. This race he won as well. By now he had killed off all his opponents except the youngest of them. That night he again saw the fire, and this time he could make out the form of a person. He saw that it was a woman. It was she who had fought with his brothers and killed everyone of them. This is why he lived in such a long lodge alone. The very ones that Wears White Feathers killed in the competitions were the ones that had killed his brothers. Now the last of them, the youngest, was about to contest him, so he went down to where the race was to begin. The race began and Wears White Feathers took the lead, but no sooner had he gotten ahead, than his opponent tossed a vine around him. He tried hard to unwind it, but could not get himself free until all the other one in the race went by him. His opponent yelled, "I am going on by, but you are married. You're fond of fruit and you were out picking it last night. I'll go on and be smoking when you get there." Wears White Feathers was about at his wits end when he thought of something: he broke off a piece of the vine and threw it at him, and the man went tumbling head over heals. He got free and passed the man lying on the ground. Just then the man got up and threw a bone at him so hard that it pierced his ankles so that they were pinned together, and he too went rolling over. The opponent went by saying, "I am going by and will be smoking at the goal while you are sitting around fixing your moccasin strings." However, Wears White Feathers was able finally to pull the bone out, and he promptly threw it at the man and knocked him down in turn. As he passed the man, he said, "I will go on and be smoking since you are fixing your moccasin strings." Now Wears White Feathers was at the goal and having his smoke. When the man came up he said, "Wears White Feathers, I am going to die in any case, so at least let me have a last smoke." "Well," he replied, "that must be what my brothers used to say." Then he threw out the contents of the pipe.

He took up the warclub and raised it up to deliver the fatal blow, but unexpectedly, in an instant the man changed into a pleading old woman, her hands extended out before her. This made him pause. Then he raised the club again and just as he was about to strike, there before him was a beautiful woman who gave a cry of alarm. Again he paused, and tried to deliver the blow again, but he could not bring himself to kill such a lovely woman. Then the woman spoke and said, "If you spare me Wears White Feathers, I will tell you a secret." "All right," he said. "There are two yûgiwi (princesses) who are fasting in order to dream. Let's go over there," she said, "as I am now at your command." Wears White Feathers said, "All right." "You know, they say they are really pretty," she added. This being was the one that had killed his brothers by leading them on, even though he had been defeated. That was why the woman was there, as she already knew all this would happen.

Now it was evening. He took out an arrow and fired it, and there a forked horn deer (tcahetcaga) dropped. The woman said, "I'll gather wood while you dress it." No sooner had he skinned it than it began to snow. "I'll build a grass lodge with the deer skin," said the other. They ate the venison, and once inside they sat opposite one another. Not long afterwards, a very pretty girl came in and wanted to lie with him, but he refused. Soon she came back and told him, "I want to lay here because it is so cold out." Indeed, it was very cold. Finally he relented. As the girl lay there, she teased him, so all night he played with her. When morning came, he fell asleep. The other one got up and while Wears White Feathers slept, he broke his back. As Wears White Feathers lay there groaning, his enemy did things to make him look ridiculous: he pulled his tongue way out to make it longer, then he pulled his mouth to the side; then he made his elbows longer. Then, having made him look ugly, he took everything he had, his cloak, his headdress, his pipe, and all the rest. He had even robbed him of the power of speech, so all that he could say was, "Ho (yes)." His heels were left to protrude long from the grass lodge.

The next morning the enemy took his victim and went on. Eventually they came to where the women were. Now Wears White Feathers had taken on the appearance of a homely old man, but his conqueror assumed the form of his victim. There the old man sat outside, but Wears Sparrows for a Coat went inside to met the girls. They were sisters, Hinu and Wiha. He sat in Hinu's half of the lodge. She exclaimed, "Wiha! I told you that I dreamed of Wears Sparrows for a Coat, didn't I?" Hinu was very happy. After awhile, Wiha went outside where she found the homely old man. She called back, "Hinu, your husband came with someone, but he is out here." Then the other said, "That is not an old man, that is my dog. He is in no way a human being, but only a dog." But one replied, "Never has it been told that Wears Sparrows for a Coat had a human being for a dog, but instead it is said that he has an old man for a grandfather. The old man is to be pitied, and must be admitted into our house," she said. But he objected by shaking his head while he pointed at the man. "Are you afraid of him?" she asked. He nodded his head yes. He came in just the same, so she fixed a place for him by putting down soft hay. Then she fixed some boiled meat for him. Hinu was angry about the whole thing. "My husband says that he is a dog, yet you even feed him out of a plate. You don't seem to feel contempt for anything," she said. But Wiha said, "What is it to you? Besides, he is not a dog, but a human being." When he was done eating, he smoked leaves from a weed pipe. Wiha took a pipe and mixed tobacco into the bowl, and gave this to him instead. Again Hinu scolded her: "He is a dog. Keep this up, and next I will expect to see you laying with him. You have ruined my brother's pipe for him." Then Wiha said, "What are you going to do about it? I haven't done anything to you."

In the morning the man went out hunting. By evening he had spotted a wildcat, and brought it back on his back. When he got back, Hinu skinned it right away, and put a kettle on to boil. She cooked it and put a piece on the plate, and passed it to Wiha, but when she reached for it, Hinu pulled it away. Hinu said, "Someone you don't like killed it for us." Wiha's heart became sad and she cried. In the morning Hinu's husband went out to hunt again. The homely old man said, "Ho," and made a chopping motion with his hand. "Do you mean an ax?" Wiha asked. He said, "Ho," and nodded his head, so she gave him an ax. Now the old man made a sign towards his back, and Wiha asked, "Do you mean packing straps?" He said, "Ho," and nodded his head, so she gave him the straps. Then he went out. He walked up to an old burnt stump and knocked it one on the side, and out came a bear. He dispatched it with an ax, then returned with it on his back. Wiha was very thankful. Right away she boiled it up, and put a piece on her sister's plate and handed it to her, but when she reached for it, Wiha snatched it back with the words, "He whom you hate killed it, so you will not want to eat it." This hurt Hinu's heart very much. He went out and got many more bears, and helped Wiha dress them. They had caches all over the place. In the morning he dipped moss into a creek that ran nearby, and it created many beavers. These they dressed as well. When he got back, Hinu said to her husband, "While you are packing back spotted wildcats, the one that you call a 'dog' is out getting many things." He replied, "It is a lot of trouble to kill this kind because they are scarce animals. Newly married men should not kill these kind for four days, it is said. That is why I do this." The next morning he hid himself nearby. Then he saw the long lanky fellow come forth. He watched as he struck a stump and a bear fell out dead. Then the lanky fellow went on out of sight. While he was gone, Hinu's husband stole the bear from him. He carried it on his back, and before he went in, he singed off its fur. He went in and said to Hinu, "Well here it is, enough for you to get your fill. I've killed a bear because they are easy to get." Hinu ran outside to get the bear, but there was nothing out there. All she saw was a burnt stump in the strapping packs. Then he came outside, and all there was left was a burnt stump. So he took his packing straps and went out again. There he saw the lanky fellow going along on the bank of the creek. There along the creek, unexpectedly, were many beavers. He stole two of these and packed them home with him. When Hinu went out to see what her husband had brought home, all she found in the packing straps was a bundle of moss. When her husband saw this, he took up his straps and went out again. When the old man got back he was dragging a string of beavers with him. "Ho, ho, ho," he said, pointing to the beavers. Wiha asked, "Did he steal them from you?" and he nodded his head yes. Then he took the burnt stump and set it aside, and it became a bear once again. The moss he put to one side, and it became a pile of beavers again. Now they had many caches of meat.

"Tomorrow is the day our mother comes, so don't go off anywhere," Hinu said to her husband. In the morning the old man hid out in the wilderness. When her mother arrived, Hinu right away announced, "Mother, I have married Wears Sparrows for a Coat." Then she added, "Mother, I believe that Wiha has married the dog he owns." Hinu offered some of the wildcat to her mother, but she would not eat it. Only the food that Wiha gave her would she eat. Hinu said, "Mother, it is a very bad thing that Wiha has done." "But daughter, that is her choice, so why do you talk this way?" her mother replied. She also said, "Tomorrow they will come to fetch you from the village, as you have dreamt for them." After she packed a bundle, their mother went home. When she got home, she told them what had happened. They said, "Our brother-in-law must be funny." They became concerned for him. The old man there said, "Never was it told that Wears White Feathers, Wears Sparrows for a Coat, was a dog. The old man, they say, is his grandfather. Thus it is always told," he said. When his in-laws were about to come the next morning, again he hid from them. They hunted for him a great deal, but could not find him. So Wiha did not go home with the rest, but remained behind crying. Then, unexpectedly, there it was. The woman that had come to him was there. "Come out," she told him. There she was. She scolded him: "I thought I would let you go, but a young girl is very sad on your account. It is because of this that I have come. I told you of this, yet you did wrong, even though I had made up my mind to let you go. Nearby is a spring. You must dip into it four times, and put on the clothes there." Thus she spoke, and gave him clothes. There where the girl was weeping, he returned. When she saw him she stopped crying and said, "They all went home some time ago, and only I remained behind looking for you." Then he took her with him to the spring and when they got there he motioned to her. "Do you mean for me to go on?" she asked. "Ho," he replied and nodded his head. So she went on. Four times he dove into the water, and the old man's form he cast off. When he saw the form he had cast off, he said, "Ho, ho! Is this what I looked like?" Then he put on the clothes. As good as he had looked before, he looked much more handsome now. He began walking back and on the way he met the young woman. He stopped to speak to her, but she went right by him as if she had not seen him. "Where are you going now? Come, let's go," he said. "Well, I am not going with you, stranger," she said. "It is me," he exclaimed, but she turned away and went on. He followed her to the spring. "There," he said, "is the cast off old man you were looking for." Only then did she believe him. She was very happy. "Take it," he told her, so she rolled the form of the old man up and packed it with her. When she returned home, they were surprised to see that she had such a handsome man with her. There too was the pretender. The first thing he said when he got there was that they should get clubs as he was going to smoke. So they made themselves clubs and waited. As he began to smoke, all kinds of noxious insects began to come out, so he had to stop. Then the others got home as he sat there. The cast off old man's form was thrown at him. He became as he had been formerly. Then they grabbed him and threw him outside. They chased after him, shouting at him. When he reached the outskirts of the village, he took off, hooting like an owl, "o o o." Then he said to him as he flew away, "In much need you shall live through this life, as you tried to abuse human beings. Whenever a baby cries, to quiet him, they will always use your name. You shall be the least among them."

His coat was very dusty, so he brushed it off and put it on. Then the birds began to sing on it. He brushed off his headdress and put it back on, and the loons sang out with beautiful voices. Then he said, "I am going to smoke tobacco, so make ready some clubs." So they made some clubs. He filled his pipe and lit it, and as he blew it from his mouth, many turkeys began to appear. The village streets were full of them. They spent the better part of the day killing turkeys. Then he said, "Put the feathers in sacks, but don't stuff them full." Even so, he stuffed his own sack full, and in the morning, unexpectedly, the people found not turkey feathers, but sacks full of wampum. However, in his sack all the wampum had shattered. He was very much ashamed. Then he went out and a great heard of buffalo he drove towards the village, and there he killed them all. Then again the people had a great time. He did this every time they needed meat.

Hinu fell in love with him and tried to marry him, but he would not consent. She bothered him a great deal, but he would not give into her. Then she announced that since she had rivals there, she would go home. She told them, "You must give me the first child that you have," then she went home. She was a Waterspirit woman. Then they had a child. It was a boy. They raised it until he could walk very lively. Then he went to the water and was taken under. And that was the last of him, but they knew who it was that had taken him. The man became lonely for his son and walked along the water's edge, and one day there he saw him. The boy said, "Father you must give up. Some day when your life has ended, you may return." So it is that they say that in the end they all went to the Waterspirit land. [1]

Commentary. "Wears White Feathers for a Headdress" -- the Hotcâk is Mâcûskakerega, from mâcû, "feather(s)"; ska, "white"; and hakere, "to wear on the head vertically". The suffix -ga indicates a personal name. In his other known waikâ, he is said to be chief of the white cranes, by which is meant egrets. Among the Ioway (borrowing from the Osage) he is Wagre Kagre (< Osage, *Wagthe Çkagthe), "White Plume", and among the Dakota, Tawatcehiska, "White Plume". See Comparative Material below and The Cave of Herok'a. He plays a role in an astronomical code, but his identity has never been explicitly stated. His mythology matches neither Bluehorn (Evening Star) nor Morning Star. The latter is friendly to the Herok'a, whereas in Wears White Feathers, the eponymous hero of that myth is with those who kill a form of Redhorn. Therefore, he is also not Redhorn/Îtcohorucika/Herok'a (Orion). The most likely candidate is Sirius, which is near Orion.

"Wears Sparrows for a Coat" -- we do not have the Hotcâk for this. Superficially, there would seem to be no connection between egrets and sparrows. However, small birds will tend to mob any very large bird, and this should include egrets. The sparrows would then form a "coat" around him.

"he wore a loon" -- loons are noted for their clarion voices. Here we have a well established practice of using sound to symbolize light and vice-versa. That he has a beautiful and loud voice means that as a star he has a beautiful and bright light. He is white, as indicated by the color of his plume.

"it will strengthen you" -- the loud sound, which symbolizes bright light, is the very definition of the strength (magnitude) of a star.

"someone" -- normally the opponents against which the good spirits struggle are the Giants, but here the opponents are never identified. These opponents, in celestial terms, may be clouds.

"Wears White Feathers was stuck" -- it is typical in mythology the world over for the periphery to be equated with the underworld, as both exemplify the region outside the ego- or ethno-centric core, the outside where threats to security lie (as opposed to the heavens, which are an outside viewed as superior, literally and metaphorically). As a star, like Sirius, during the late spring and early summer, he is stuck in the lower world, the counterpart of the edge of the world where the myth has him captured. In a forested environment like Wisconsin, a star will first descend into the trees, just as when it first rises above the horizon, it will seem to be launched out of the trees. All this implies that the star in question is one of those that dips below the horizon for part of the year.

"hawk" -- in world mythology, the hawk is the bird of the sun (vide, for instance, Apollo and Horus). It is when the sun enters the constellation of Taurus that Sirius rises from being locked in the earth. When Sirius first sets and is absent from the sky altogether for a period in early summer, it appears to sink into the trees. There it becomes "glued", and at the same time it is with the sun (the hawk). Eventually the hawk-sun brings it back up and the hawk-sun flies away while the white plumed Sirius is now free to move in the sky again.

"smoked" -- smoke is isomorphic to clouds. Stars are often enrapped in clouds, and it is for this reason that Morning Star is called "Likes Wearing Blankets". In Bladder and His Brothers, we learn that Morning Star's brothers are all clouds, and that he himself is the founder of the Thunder Clan, which has obvious association with clouds.

"this must be what my brothers used to say" -- as a star himself, his brothers may be presumed to be stars. This implies an element missing in this story, but familiar from other myths: a set of brothers going out one at a time to meet a challenger, but never returning. They may now be in the underworld, since the consequence of defeat in this contest is death, and for a star that is not to appear back in the above-world. This is modeled on smoking, since clouds occlude stars and make it seem as if they were no longer in the world.

"warclub" -- in the Dakota versions (see below), which are very similar to the Hotcâk, one of the names given to the protagonist with a white plume is Tcáxpi, which means "warclub". In recent times when steel was introduced, bright metal spikes were usually affixed to warclubs (called hikixwadjkra). The glint of light from the edge of this warclub blade may be homologized to the twinkle of bright stars.

"in the evening the sound of a loon could be heard" -- that is, once the sun sets and the star once again begins to rise above the horizon, it can be seen. Crossing the finish line is crossing above the horizon.

"you stay at home and smell like a woman" -- in numerous waikâ, an expecially holy (wákâtcâk) person always stays at home. Such people are found invariably to be incarnate spirits. Spirits are said to have a distinctive smell.

"the second fireplace .. the night before it had moved" -- in Hotcâk mythology, the fireplace in the astronomical code is reserved for the sun. The second fireplace, which would represent the second brightest object (apart from the moon, which is not associated with fire), and which would be near the first fireplace in the same lodge, ought to be the Morning Star. The is reinforced by the fact that it had moved. The motion of the Morning Star is not only relative to the horizon, but because it is a planet, its motion is also relative to the fixed stars.

"he turned into a squirrel and ran up and down the tree" -- this may be an image of the dirunal rising and setting of a star. At this point he cannot be sent to the underworld (= periphery).

"his opponent tossed a vine around him" -- in the celestial code, what is life threatening to a star is anything that causes it to disappear from the sky. This can be occluson by the horizon, clouds, vegetation, the moon, or the light of the sun. In the world of botany, a vine is a sun-loving plant that is parasidic, twisting itself around its victim and crippling it. It is the right representative of occlusion by vegetation in the context of a race. However, vegetation also can occlude clouds and planets as well, so the hero is able to throw a piece of it at his opponent's legs with the same result.

"bone" -- the bones are the beginnings of an animal at its core, and are all that remain after its death. The sliver of a moon represents its white beginning as well as its end. The moon is one of the things that can occlude a star and remove it from the race. It disappears from view and is as if it were lying on the ground. However, the moon does not occlude clouds. Only the contrary is the case, so Wears White Feathers cannot throw the bone back at his opponent the way he did with the vine stick. However, occlusion of the moon is only temporary, and the race is back on.

"in an instant the man changed" -- clouds are shape-changers and almost anything can be seen in them.

"a cry of alarm" -- here again we have sound for light, the cloud's beauty resting in its white brilliance. The club may represent the light of the sun which follows after Sirius in the summer months, and is the only thing capable of dissipating clouds.

"he took out an arrow and fired it, and there a forked horn deer (tcahetcaga) dropped" -- as the stars rise, Sirius is just behind Orion, which contains a star that is said to be the Chief of the Herok'a. These are diminuative beings who are in command of archery, and whose arrows never miss their mark. In front of Orion is the constellation that the Hotcâgara call Tcacîtc, the "Deer Rump", and which we know as the Pleiades. These events take place in the evening, so the Pleiades are the first to set, followed by Orion and finally by Sirius.

"a grass lodge with the deer skin" -- during the winter, about the time it starts to snow, ca. November 20, Sirius, Orion, and the Pleiades all lie on the horizon in the west, opposite the sun which is rising at this time on the opposite horizon (ca. 7:15 am). They are "in the grass" so to speak together with the Pleiades, the Deer Rump, whose hide is here being used as their canopy. The color of the hide of a deer on its interior is white, just as the outer surface of the stars seem to be. The canopy of white deerskin is probably the celestial vault with its stars and the moon.

"they sat opposite one another" -- on the hypothesis that White Feather's (Sirius') opponent is Morning Star, while Sirius is on the western horizon, Morning Star is rising before the sun on the eastern horizon, so they are on opposite sides of the celestial sphere.

"a very pretty girl came in and wanted to lie with him" -- this should be the full moon which, being in opposition to the sun, would be found on the western horizon at this time along with Sirius, Orion, and the Pleiades. This alignment only last a few days at best, so the appearance of the full moon there would not occur every year, but it must occur whenever the moon is full at that time of the year. In the myth concerning Orion, a pretty girl is described as hinûk-cî-ra, "the fat woman", which describes the full moon in contrast to its other phases. They are of course reclined since they are on the horizon at this time.

"so all night he played with her" -- when the moon is full or nearly so at this time of the year, it may come into conjunction with Sirius, which in allegorical terms would be to come into intimate contact with it.

"he fell asleep" -- sleep and death are often homologized. Here the closing of his eye, which is his light going out, is his sinking below the horizon. As we have seen, at this time of the year, that would occur exactly after sunrise, which is to say, as the myth does, "in the morning".

"the other one got up" -- here it seems more reasonable to identify the opponent of White Feathers (Sirius) with Morning Star, inasmuch as when Sirius sets at this time of year (November) in the west, the Morning Star will rise in the east. So as Sirius "fall asleep" the Morning Star "gets up".

"he broke his back" -- this is a symbol of the buffalo, whose large hump gives him the appearance of one whose back is broken. Buffalo are identified with stars in some contexts, because they travel in vast herds across the plain of the night sky, but also go to ground. Their chief is Bluehorn (Evening Star). See Bluehorn's Nephews.

"having made him look ugly, he took everything he had" -- these characteristics are consistent with his having been transformed into a dog. However, as Sirius sinks below the horizon, he does indeed lose everything. All his attributes are now those of Morning Star, and Sirius is not seen in the sky at all.

"he had even robbed him of the power of speech" -- here again we have sound for light.

"ho (yes)" -- this is a scherzo. The word ho in Hotcâk, also means "voice". In foreign parallels (see below), he is made completely mute. That this is what was once said of him in an earlier version of this story is made clear by the fact that more than once he is said to nod without making any sound.

"the enemy took his victim and went on" -- this is an indication that we are moving on in time (space for time). Now in the opposite time of year, the axis of Sirius-Orion-Pleiades lines up on the western horizon just as it has in late November. The difference is that in late May, Morning Star rises right above them, and from that time on, Sirius disappears from the night sky altogether. He is now traveling with Morning Star, but as a weak inferior.

"his conqueror assumed the form of his victim" -- now that Sirius is below the horizon (ugly old man), his place has been taken by Morning Star, which is very close to Sirius in appearance. Both are very high magnitude "stars". So in a very real sense, Morning Star can pass himself off as Sirius.

"the old man sat outside" -- here again outside = beneath the horizon, that is, periphery = underworld. Sirius does not rise from late May to early August, and so is "outside the lodge".

"she fixed a place for him by putting down soft hay" -- this seems to describe the initial phase of the rising of Sirius -- it is still in the grass of the horizon, but it is at least inside the lodge, albeit in the the periphery of the lodge.

"wildcat" -- wildcats (bobcats) are associated with menstruation and the moon. The symbolism here, however, is obscure. Nevertheless, we learn from the related Omaha (spitting off from the ancestors of the Hotcâgara, ca. 1000 AD), that one of their clans, the Tapá (Deer's Head = Pleiades), used to conduct certain rites now lost, but which seem to have pertained to stars, the night sky, and creation. "In them the wildcat skin and the fawn skin were used, their spotted appearance having a symbolic reference to the heavens at night." [1.1] The Pawnee also assign the wildcat the same valence. "It is conceived that there are four great powers in the heavens: the Bear, Mountain Lion, Wild Cat, and Wolf. The first two are represented by constellations, but the cat skin, because of its spots, was, in its extended form, taken as representing all the stars. The wolf is a definite star (Sirius)." [1.2]

"they should get clubs as he was going to smoke" -- for some reason, pipes are being called "clubs". This no doubt has some connection to the reason why in the Dakota version of this story, which is quite close to the Hotcâk, the hero is called Tcáxpi, "Warclub". A possible explanation is that smoke is symbolic of clouds, and clouds have the power of occluding stars. Occlusion is homologized to death, so what produces "clouds" is therefore like a club. That there were pipes that doubled as tomahawks is suggested by the existence of the word mâzdanihura, which literally means "iron pipe", but which Kinzie translates as "pipe tomahawk". [1.3]

"threw him outside" -- this symbolizes the disappearance of the Morning Star from the sky after a period of 265 days. His disappearance from the lodge coincides with his assumption of the form of an old man.

"an owl" -- the owl often stands for celestial objects of the night, stars in particular, since it is a night flier.

"sacks full of wampum" -- turkeys and crustaceans have interesting things in common. The wampum (Hotcâk, worucik) consists of small crustacean shells, ideally white in color. These are the exoskeleton of an aquatic animal that does not swim. The feathers of a turkey are the external covering of a flightless bird. So the crustacean is an aquatic counterpart to the turkey, and specifically, therefore, the feathers of the turkey are the counterpart to the shells of the crustacean. These turkeys are created in an unusual way. They are produced when a star, Sirius, smokes tobacco in a pipe, then blows out the smoke, which then precipitates turkeys. The word for smoke is xi. It also means "fog, mist". So the smoke of the dry heat with which Sirius is so strongly associated, is also correlated with the watery mist and fog of clouds. The smoke is drawn through the tube of the pipe, and one word for tube is tcop. Then Sirius expells it from his mouth. The word for breath is ni, the same word that denotes water. So the smoke coming out is also ni, breath and water, a reflection of the xi that is both smoke and mist. The strange unity of a water cloud and a fire cloud, the kind of cloud common during the dog days, then precipitates turkeys. The windpipe from which the xi is exhaled is a pa-tcop, a head-tube. The turkey feathers are then overloaded (xi) in a bag (pâ). This causes the wampum that is produced to be crushed, the word for which is patcop. The product of this process is crushed wampum, which in many ways parallels snow, a feather-like entity that mediates between the wet and the dry, and precipitates from clouds.

However, turkey feathers have a special meaning. Since they are used as the vanes on arrows, they are responsible for allowing arrows to fly. So, ironically, a flightless bird gives wings to the arrow. The word for arrow in Hotcâk is mâ. However, mâ is a homonym, and also means "year, time". So the arrow becomes the symbol of time, and the turkey feather is the means by which it can "fly". Given the stellar code predominant in this waikâ, it should be clear that White Feather's wampum, in its shattered form, represents stars. Stars function as keepers of time, and especially in this waikâ of the time of seasons and annual cycles. We see that when Sirius is on the western horizon in alignment with Orion and the Pleiades, the snow falls and the season of cold prevails. So Sirius, White Feathers, functions to indicate the beginning of winter; just as on the opposite horizon at the opposite time of the year, this same configuration serves to mark off the hottest time of the year, the dog days. Here is where we encounter another fortuitous hommonym: in a rare meaning of the word, mâ can also mean "shells". The stellar shell flecks are time incarnate, shell-time, mâ. His shattered shells are therefore the counterparts of turkey feathers which give wing to mâ, "arrows, years (time)", becoming themselves the means of flight for the Arrow of Time.

"a great heard of buffalo he drove towards the village, and there he killed them all" -- the buffalo represent stars. In is in this sense that Evening Star is said to be the chief of the Buffalo Spirits. When Sirius finally emerges from below the horizon it brings up the rear of all the stars, since when the sun sets, it is on the horizon. All the buffalo that it drives before it will set, which is symbolically expressed by death, as we have seen.

"then he went to the water and was taken under" -- genealogy among the Hotcâgara is rather like that in the West, with a "family tree" containing the ancestors in the highest branches. The creative process usually procedes from the top down, so that genealogical descent is expressed in arboreal terms by sinking roots. The word redjû means both "roots" and "descendants". So, in stellar terms, a child of Sirius would be one of the smaller stars below him. So as the stars of Canis Major begin to sink below the horizon for the year, the lower stars will be the first to disappear and the last to reappear. It is as if they slipped below the Ocean Sea.

"they all went to the Waterspirit land" -- the sojourn of Sirius in the sky above must come to an end, and when it does he slips like his son into the Ocean Sea, disappearing from the sky for a number of months. Wears White Feathers, as a wading bird, is also a member of the water world.

Comparative Material. The closely related Ioway have a good parallel to this story, although its ultimate provenance seems to be Osage. Two young women went out to the wilderness to cry to the spirits that they might be blessed to marry White Plumed Man (Wagre Kagre). Many animals came forth and pretended to be him, but when questioned, they could not hide their real identity, so the sisters continued on. Finally, a man came to them wearing a white plume. The girls asked him, "What sort of things do you normally kill?" He replied, "I kill such things as deer, bear, turkeys -- those things that people normally eat." The older sister accepted him immediately, but her younger sister remained sceptical. They argued, and in the end, the younger sister said, "Then you marry him. I'm going to wait." So the older sister married this man, but the only game animals he ever brought home were rabbits. One day a voice came to the younger sister and announced that at noon the next day White Plume would appear. Just as it had presaged, White Plume appeared with a chorus of birds announcing his arrival. The younger sister accepted him. The next day the two who claimed to be White Plume went out hunting, and the second one brought home deer and bears, but the first could only manage rabbits. His father-in-law quickly appreciated who he was, and even the elder sister realized that her husband was an imposter, but this only made her jealous. The next day the two of them went hunting again. While they were out the imposter changed White Plume into a dog, and when he returned he said White Plume went another direction, but that he had found his dog. The younger sister treated the dog well and even let it sleep in the lodge. When they went hunting, this dog could flush out bears, but the imposter, who in reality was a Giant, could only get rabbits. One day the dog spoke to the younger sister and instructed her on how to help him. She took him to a hollow log, where he entered at one end, and upon emerging at the other, he had shed his skin like a snake, and now he had returned to his human form. Once again the two went out hunting, but during the expedition the Giant froze to death. [2] [continuation of the story].

Among the Dakota we find a very extensive parallel to our Hotcâk story. A young boy named Tcáxpi (Chacopee, "Warclub"), lived alone with his grandfather and long believed that they were the only people around. One day he came upon the ruins of a village that had been burned out, and when he told his grandfather of it, the old man would say nothing. The next day when the boy was wandering about, a voice called to him, "Wearer of the White Feather!" Tcáxpi turned and saw a man whose head alone was made of flesh, the rest of his body was of wood. The wooden man told him of his parents and how the Giants had destroyed their village leaving only him and his grandfather alive. Man of Wood urged him to avenge himself against the Giants. He gave him an invisible vine to throw around the legs of his competitors. The wooden man told the boy to go home and dream, and when the boy had dreamt, he found beside him a large white feather, a pipe, and a sack. When he smoked the pipe, a flock of pigeons issued from the smoke. He put the white feather on his head. The next day he set out for the lodge of the Giants, which he found in the middle of the forest. He raced the youngest Giant, whom he tripped up with his invisible vine. As the price of victory, he cut off the Giant's head. He won four more times, and beheaded each of his opponents. Then, as he was headed off to play the last Giant, he encountered the Man of Wood, who told him that he would meet the most beautiful woman in the world. But the Man of Wood cautioned him that she would be his downfall unless he turned himself into an elk. Shortly thereafter, he did meet the most beautiful woman in the world, but "she" was really the sixth Giant in disguise. She wept copious tears and said that she had come to marry him, but because he had turned into an elk, she would be without a husband. So he returned to his normal form and soothed her grief. He ended up sleeping with his head in her lap. However she turned back into a Giant, and taking an ax, the Giant broke Tcáxpi's back. Then he turned Tcáxpi into a dog. He took the white feather and put it on his own head. The prophecy that Wearer of the White Feather (Ta-watciñhe-ska) would achieve unparalleled greatness had reached far and wide. He was spoken of in a village in which lived the two daughters of the chief. Each of these girls had resolved to marry Wearer of the White Feather. When the elder saw a man approaching with a single white feather in his hair, she ran to him and induced him to marry her. The younger sister, who was kind and gentle, took the dog into her own lodge and took good care of it. As the Giant went hunting, he chanced upon the dog and saw him throw a stone into the river. The stone turned into a beaver, which the dog promptly killed. The Giant did the same thing, and he too obtained a beaver. He brought it home to his wife, but when she went outside the lodge to fetch it, all she found was a stone. The next day the dog pulled down a withered branch which turned into a deer. The dog then killed the deer. The Giant duplicated this feat perfectly, but when his wife went out to fetch the venison, she found only a withered branch. The older daughter visited her father the chief and told him of the hunting skill of her husband and his dog. The chief summoned the two of them to his lodge. However, the messengers found not a dog but a magnificent warrior; one who, unfortunately, was completely mute. When they arrived at the chief's lodge, they began to smoke the pipe that the man wearing the white feather produced. Nothing unusual happened until they passed it to the mute warrior, Tcáxpi, whose smoke soon turned into a flock of pigeons; and no sooner had this happened, than he recovered his speech. He told the assembly of all that had happened to him. As to the Giant who had masqueraded as Wearer of the White Feather, the chief transformed him into a dog, and had his people stone it to death. Then Tcáxpi proved his powers by taking a buffalo hide and cutting it into small pieces. These he strew over the prairie, and on the following day, each piece became a buffalo. They were able to slay numerous buffalo that day. Then Tcáxpi took his wife home to meet his grandfather, who was overjoyed at the great achievement of his grandson. [3]

Here's another and very lengthy variant of the Tcáxpi tale, probably from the Mdewakaton band of Dakota. There once lived a young couple who were very happy. The young man was noted throughout the whole nation for his accuracy with the bow and arrow, and was given the title of "Dead Shot," or "He who never misses his mark," and the young woman, noted for her beauty, was named Beautiful Dove. One day a stork paid this happy couple a visit and left them a fine big boy. The boy cried "Ina, ina" (mother, mother). "Listen to our son," said the mother, "he can speak, and hasn't he a sweet voice?" "Yes," said the father, "it will not be long before he will be able to walk." He set to work making some arrows, and a fine hickory bow for his son. One of the arrows he painted red, one blue, and another yellow. The rest he left the natural color of the wood. When he had completed them, the mother placed them in a fine quiver, all worked in porcupine quills, and hung them up over where the boy slept in his fine hammock of painted moose hide. At times when the mother would be nursing her son, she would look up at the bow and arrows and talk to her baby, saying: "My son, hurry up and grow fast so you can use your bow and arrows. You will grow up to be as fine a marksman as your father." The baby would coo and stretch his little arms up towards the bright colored quiver as though he understood every word his mother had uttered. Time passed and the boy grew up to a good size, when one day his father said: "Wife, give our son the bow and arrows so that he may learn how to use them." The father taught his son how to string and unstring the bow, and also how to attach the arrow to the string. The red, blue and yellow arrows, he told the boy, were to be used only whenever there was any extra good shooting to be done, so the boy never used these three until he became a master of the art. Then he would practice on eagles and hawks, and never an eagle or hawk continued his flight when the boy shot one of the arrows after him. One day the boy came running into the tent, exclaiming: "Mother, mother, I have shot and killed the most beautiful bird I ever saw." "Bring it in, my son, and let me look at it." He brought the bird and upon examining it she pronounced it a different type of bird from any she had ever seen. Its feathers were of variegated colors and on its head was a topknot of pure white feathers. The father, returning, asked the boy with which arrow he had killed the bird. "With the red one," answered the boy. "I was so anxious to secure the pretty bird that, although I know I could have killed it with one of my common arrows, I wanted to be certain, so I used the red one." "That is right, my son," said the father. "When you have the least doubt of your aim, always use one of the painted arrows, and you will never miss your mark." The parents decided to give a big feast in honor of their son killing the strange, beautiful bird. So a great many elderly women were called to the tent of Pretty Dove to assist her in making ready for the big feast. For ten days these women cooked and pounded beef and cherries, and got ready the choicest dishes known to the Indians. Of buffalo, beaver, deer, antelope, moose, bear, quail, grouse, duck of all kinds, geese and plover meats there was an abundance. Fish of all kinds, and every kind of wild fruit were cooked, and when all was in readiness, the heralds went through the different villages, crying out: "Ho-po, ho-po" (now all, now all), Dead Shot and his wife, Beautiful Dove, invite all of you, young and old, to their tepee to partake of a great feast, given by them in honor of a great bird which their son has killed, and also to select for their son some good name which he will bear through life. So all bring your cups and wooden dishes along with your horn spoons, as there will be plenty to eat. Come, all you council men and chiefs, as they have also a great tent erected for you in which you hold your council." Thus crying, the heralds made the circle of the village. The guests soon arrived. In front of the tent was a pole stuck in the ground and painted red, and at the top of the pole was fastened the bird of variegated colors; its wings stretched out to their full length and the beautiful white waving so beautifully from its topknot, it was the center of attraction. Half way up the pole was tied the bow and arrow of the young marksman. Long streamers of fine bead and porcupine work waved from the pole and presented a very striking appearance. The bird was faced towards the setting sun. The great chief and medicine men pronounced the bird "Wakan" (something holy). When the people had finished eating they all fell in line and marched in single file beneath the bird, in order to get a close view of it. By the time this vast crowd had fully viewed the wonderful bird, the sun was just setting clear in the west, when directly over the rays of the sun appeared a cloud in the shape of a bird of variegated colors. The councilmen were called out to look at the cloud, and the head medicine man said that it was a sign that the boy would grow up to be a great chief and hunter, and would have a great many friends and followers. This ended the feast, but before dispersing, the chief and councilmen bestowed upon the boy the title of White Plume. One day a stranger came to the village, who was very thin and nearly starved. So weak was he that he could not speak, but made signs for something to eat. Luckily the stranger came to Dead Shot's tent, and as there was always a plentiful supply in his lodge, the stranger soon had a good meal served him. After he had eaten and rested he told his story. "I came from a very great distance," said he. "The nations where I came from are in a starving condition. No place can they find any buffalo, deer nor antelope. A witch or evil spirit in the shape of a white buffalo has driven all the large game out of the country. Every day this white buffalo comes circling the village, and any one caught outside of their tent is carried away on its horns. In vain have the best marksmen of the tribe tried to shoot it. Their arrows fly wide off the mark, and they have given up trying to kill it as it bears a charmed life. Another evil spirit in the form of a red eagle has driven all the birds of the air out of our country. Every day this eagle circles above the village, and so powerful is it that anyone being caught outside of his tent is descended upon and his skull split open to the brain by the sharp breastbone of the Eagle. Many a marksman has tried his skill on this bird, all to no purpose. "Another evil spirit in the form of a white rabbit has driven out all the animals which inhabit the ground, and destroyed the fields of corn and turnips, so the nation is starving, as the arrows of the marksmen have also failed to touch the white rabbit. Any one who can kill these three witches will receive as his reward, the choice of two of the most beautiful maidens of our nation. The younger one is the handsomer of the two and has also the sweetest disposition. Many young, and even old men, hearing of this (our chief's) offer, have traveled many miles to try their arrows on the witches, but all to no purpose. Our chief, hearing of your great marksmanship, sent me to try and secure your services to have you come and rid us of these three witches." Thus spoke the stranger to the hunter. The hunter gazed long and thoughtfully into the dying embers of the camp fire. Then slowly his eyes raised and looked lovingly on his wife who sat opposite to him. Gazing on her beautiful features for a full minute he slowly dropped his gaze back to the dying embers and thus answered his visitor: "My friend, I feel very much honored by your chief having sent such a great distance for me, and also for the kind offer of his lovely daughter in marriage, if I should succeed, but I must reject the great offer, as I can spare none of my affections to any other woman than to my queen whom you see sitting there." White Plume had been listening to the conversation and when his father had finished speaking, said: "Father, I am a child no more. I have arrived at manhood. I am not so good a marksman as you, but I will go to this suffering tribe and try to rid them of their three enemies. If this man will rest for a few days and return to his village and inform them of my coming, I will travel along slowly on his trail and arrive at the village a day or two after he reaches there." "Very well, my son," said the father, "I am sure you will succeed, as you fear nothing, and as to your marksmanship, it is far superior to mine, as your sight is much clearer and aim quicker than mine." The man rested a few days and one morning started off, after having instructed White Plume as to the trail. White Plume got together what he would need on the trip and was ready for an early start the next morning. That night Dead Shot and his wife sat up away into the night instructing their son how to travel and warning him as to the different kinds of people he must avoid in order to keep out of trouble. "Above all," said the father, "keep a good look out for Unktomi (spider); he is the most tricky of all, and will get you into trouble if you associate with him." White Plume left early, his father accompanying him for several miles. On parting, the father's last words were: "Look out for Unktomi, my son, he is deceitful and treacherous." "I'll look out for him, father;" so saying he disappeared over a hill. On the way he tried his skill on several hawks and eagles and he did not need to use his painted arrows to kill them, but so skillful was he with the bow and arrows that he could bring down anything that flew with his common arrows. He was drawing near to the end of his destination when he had a large tract of timber to pass through. When he had nearly gotten through the timber he saw an old man sitting on a log, looking wistfully up into a big tree, where sat a number of prairie chickens. "Hello, grandfather, why are you sitting there looking so downhearted?" asked White Plume. "I am nearly starved, and was just wishing some one would shoot one of those chickens for me, so I could make a good meal on it," said the old man. "I will shoot one for you," said the young man. He strung his bow, placed an arrow on the string, simply seemed to raise the arrow in the direction of the chicken (taking no aim). Twang went out the bow, zip went the arrow and a chicken fell off the limb, only to get caught on another in its descent. "There is your chicken, grandfather." "Oh, my grandson, I am too weak to climb up and get it. Can't you climb up and get it for me?" The young man, pitying the old fellow, proceeded to climb the tree, when the old man stopped him, saying: "Grandson, you have on such fine clothes, it is a pity to spoil them; you had better take them off so as not to spoil the fine porcupine work on them." The young man took off his fine clothes and climbed up into the tree, and securing the chicken, threw it down to the old man. As the young man was scaling down the tree, the old man said: "Iyashkapa, iyashkapa," (stick fast, stick fast). Hearing him say something, he asked, "What did you say, old man?" He answered, "I was only talking to myself." The young man proceeded to descend, but he could not move. His body was stuck fast to the bark of the tree. In vain did he beg the old man to release him. The old Unktomi, for he it was, only laughed and said: "I will go now and kill the evil spirits, I have your wonderful bow and arrows and I cannot miss them. I will marry the chief's daughter, and you can stay up in that tree and die there." So saying, he put on White Plume's fine clothes, took his bow and arrows and went to the village. As White Plume was expected at any minute, the whole village was watching for him, and when Unktomi came into sight the young men ran to him with a painted robe, sat him down on it and slowly raising him up they carried him to the tent of the chief. So certain were they that he would kill the evil spirits that the chief told him to choose one of the daughters at once for his wife. (Before the arrival of White Plume, hearing of him being so handsome, the two girls had quarreled over which should marry him, but upon seeing him the younger was not anxious to become his wife.) So Unktomi chose the older one of the sisters, and was given a large tent in which to live. The younger sister went to her mother's tent to live, and the older was very proud, as she was married to the man who would save the nation from starvation. The next morning there was a great commotion in camp, and there came the cry that the white buffalo was coming. "Get ready, son-in-law, and kill the buffalo," said the chief. Unktomi took the bow and arrows and shot as the buffalo passed, but the arrow went wide off its mark. Next came the eagle, and again he shot and missed. Then came the rabbit, and again he missed. "Wait until tomorrow, I will kill them all. My blanket caught in my bow and spoiled my aim." The people were very much disappointed, and the chief, suspecting that all was not right, sent for the young man who had visited Dead Shot's tepee. When the young man arrived, the chief asked: "Did you see White Plume when you went to Dead Shot's camp?" "Yes, I did, and ate with him many times. I stayed at his father's tepee all the time I was there," said the young man. "Would you recognize him if you saw him again?" asked the chief. "Any one who had but one glimpse of White Plume would surely recognize him when he saw him again, as he is the most handsome man I ever saw," said the young man. "Come with me to the tent of my son-in-law and take a good look at him, but don't say what you think until we come away." The two went to the tent of Unktomi, and when the young man saw him he knew it was not White Plume, although it was White Plume's bow and arrows that hung at the head of the bed, and he also recognized the clothes as belonging to White Plume. When they had returned to the chief's tent, the young man told what he knew and what he thought. "I think this is some Unktomi who has played some trick on White Plume and has taken his bow and arrows and also his clothes, and hearing of your offer, is here impersonating White Plume. Had White Plume drawn the bow on the buffalo, eagle and rabbit today, we would have been rid of them, so I think we had better scare this Unktomi into telling us where White Plume is," said the young man. "Wait until he tries to kill the witches again tomorrow," said the chief. In the meantime the younger daughter had taken an axe and gone into the woods in search of dry wood. She went quite a little distance into the wood and was chopping a dry log. Stopping to rest a little she heard some one saying: "Whoever you are, come over here and chop this tree down so that I may get loose." Going to where the big tree stood, she saw a man stuck onto the side of the tree. "If I chop it down the fall will kill you," said the girl. "No, chop it on the opposite side from me, and the tree will fall that way. If the fall kills me, it will be better than hanging up here and starving to death," said White Plume, for it was he. The girl chopped the tree down and when she saw that it had not killed the man, she said: "What shall I do now?" "Loosen the bark from the tree and then get some stones and heat them. Get some water and sage and put your blanket over me." She did as told and when the steam arose from the water being poured upon the heated rocks, the bark loosened from his body and he arose. When he stood up, she saw how handsome he was. "You have saved my life," said he. "Will you be my wife?" "I will," said she. He then told her how the old man had fooled him into this trap and took his bow and arrows, also his fine porcupine worked clothes, and had gone off, leaving him to die. She, in turn, told him all that had happened in camp since a man, calling himself White Plume, came there and married her sister before he shot at the witches, and when he came to shoot at them, missed every shot. "Let us make haste, as the bad Unktomi may ruin my arrows." They approached the camp and whilst White Plume waited outside, his promised wife entered Unktomi's tent and said: "Unktomi, White Plume is standing outside and he wants his clothes and bow and arrows." "Oh, yes, I borrowed them and forgot to return them; make haste and give them to him." Upon receiving his clothes, he was very much provoked to find his fine clothes wrinkled and his bow twisted, while the arrows were twisted out of shape. He laid the clothes down, also the bows and arrows, and passing his hand over them, they assumed their right shapes again. The daughter took White Plume to her father's tent and upon hearing the story he at once sent for his warriors and had them form a circle around Unktomi's tent, and if he attempted to escape to catch him and tie him to a tree, as he (the chief) had determined to settle accounts with him for his treatment of White Plume, and the deception employed in winning the chief's eldest daughter. About midnight the guard noticed something crawling along close to the ground, and seizing him found it was Unktomi trying to make his escape before daylight, whereupon they tied him to a tree. "Why do you treat me thus," cried Unktomi, "I was just going out in search of medicine to rub on my arrows, so I can kill the witches." "You will need medicine to rub on yourself when the chief gets through with you," said the young man who had discovered that Unktomi was impersonating White Plume. In the morning the herald announced that the real White Plume had arrived, and the chief desired the whole nation to witness his marksmanship. Then came the cry: "The White Buffalo comes." Taking his red arrow, White Plume stood ready. When the buffalo got about opposite him, he let his arrow fly. The buffalo bounded high in the air and came down with all four feet drawn together under its body, the red arrow having passed clear through the animal, piercing the buffalo's heart. A loud cheer went up from the village. "You shall use the hide for your bed," said the chief to White Plume. Next came a cry, "the eagle, the eagle." From the north came an enormous red eagle. So strong was he, that as he soared through the air his wings made a humming sound as the rumble of distant thunder. On he came, and just as he circled the tent of the chief, White Plume bent his bow, with all his strength drew the arrow back to the flint point, and sent the blue arrow on its mission of death. So swiftly had the arrow passed through the eagle's body that, thinking White Plume had missed, a great wail went up from the crowd, but when they saw the eagle stop in his flight, give a few flaps of his wings, and then fall with a heavy thud into the center of the village, there was a greater cheer than before. "The red eagle shall be used to decorate the seat of honor in your tepee," said the chief to White Plume. Last came the white rabbit. "Aim good, aim good, son-in-law," said the chief. "If you kill him you will have his skin for a rug." Along came the white rabbit, and White Plume sent his arrow in search of rabbit's heart, which it found, and stopped Mr. Rabbit's tricks forever. The chief then called all of the people together and before them all took a hundred willows and broke them one at a time over Unktomi's back. Then he turned him loose. Unktomi, being so ashamed, ran off into the woods and hid in the deepest and darkest corner he could find. This is why Unktomis (spiders) are always found in dark corners, and anyone who is deceitful or untruthful is called a descendant of the Unktomi tribe. [4]

The episode of body reshaping finds an interesting parallel in a Ute story. In the days when the world was young, Bobcat had a long snout and a very nice tail. One day Coyote came upon him while he was sound asleep. Coyote pushed in his face and flattened completely. Then he snipped off Bobcat's tail. When Bobcat awoke, he found that he had become a pug nosed, bobtailed creature, and he was furious. He discovered that it was Coyote who had done this to him. Now in those days coyotes had a flat face and a very short tail. When Coyote was himself lost in deep sleep, up came Bobcat to do his worst. First he took Coyote by the nose and pulled his whole face out; then he reached back and gave Coyote such a pull on his tail that when he stood up it touched the ground. When Coyote returned to his wife, she laughed at his ridiculous appearance. [5]

This Pawnee story is of interest because it portrays the confusion between Sirius and Morning Star. "In the story of the creation legend, the gods forgot to invite the Wolf Star to their council, and he continued to harbor deep resentment against all of them, particularly being jealous of the Evening Star in the west and of Paruksti, the personified storm out of the west that the gods sent to inspect their handiwork when the earth was complete. On his journey of inspection to earth, Paruksti carried the people in a whirlwind bag. Whenever Paruksti was tired or lonesome, he set down the bag and the people came out, set up camp, and had a buffalo hunt. Then he gathered them up again and went on his way. Wolf Star in his anger placed a wolf on earth to follow after Paruksti, and, one day while Paruksti was asleep with his head pillowed on his whirlwind bag, the Wolf, thinking he would get something good to eat, gently lifted his head and dragged the bag out onto the open prairie. The people came out and set up camp, but were unable to get any buffalo in this barren place. They entertained the Wolf at a feast of dry meat, not realizing his identity. When Paruksti awoke and came over the hill they realized that the Wolf was an impostor and chased him, succeeding, as a result, in surrounding and killing him. But this did not please Paruksti. He told them that they would have to take the Wolf's skin, dry it, and make a sacred bundle of it and ever after be known as the Skidi or Wolf People. Moreover, that while the gods had intended that they were to live forever, since they had killed the first animal on earth, they had brought death upon themselves and also the men with their lances to make war." [6]

"it pierced his ankles so that they were pinned together" -- the same sort of thing occurs in the Greek myth of Oedipus. Since it was prophesied that his son would slay his father, Laios had him exposed shortly after his birth. For good measure, a golden pin was inserted through his ankles, or in some accounts, an iron spike. Thus, ever after he was "Swollen Foot" (Oedi-pus). [7]

"that is my dog" -- the identification of Sirius with a dog is very widespread. The Greeks called Sirius "the Dog Star". He was said to be the hunter Orion's companion. As is the case in the Dakota version, in the Iowa-Osage version above, White Plume is literally turned into a dog. The Osage call Sirius, Shô´ge Agak'egô, the "Dog as though Suspended in the Sky", as it says in this prayer:

Verily, the Chief Messenger
Hastened to
The side of the heavens,
Where lay Shô´ge, the dog (Sirius) as though suspended in the sky,
And returned with him to the people,
They spake to him, saying: O grandfather,
The little ones have nothing of which to make their symbols. [8]

The Pawnee also recognize Sirius as a wolf. "Tirawahat placed Wolf Star eighth in the heavens because he himself was a god for the wolf family and through the wolves would help the people." [9] As Jimm Goodtracks observes, "The Pawnee name for the star is Tskirixki Tiuhats (Wolf He is Deceived). It's said it appears in the southeast just before the rising of the morning star and 'deceives the wolves' by getting them to prematurely howl to greet the morning when Sirius appears, without waiting for the true beginning with the rise of Morning Star." [10] This shows that the confusion is between Sirius and the Morning Star (of Venus).

Links: Wears Sparrows for a Coat, Bird Spirits, Squirrels, Waterspirits, Owls, Loons, Wildcats (Bobcats), Beavers, The Cave of Herok'a.

Stories: about Wears White Feathers (Wears Sparrows for a Coat): Wears White Feathers on His Head; about two sisters: The Twin Sisters, Bluehorn Rescues His Sister, The Old Man and the Giants, The Dipper, Bluehorn's Nephews, The Markings on the Moon, The Man Who Fell from the Sky; mentioning squirrels: The Brown Squirrel, Wears White Feathers on His Head, The Animal Spirit Aids of the Medicine Rite, Porcupine and His Brothers, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, Trickster and the Eagle; mentioning beavers:Hare Retrieves a Stolen Scalp, White Wolf, The Dipper, The Animal Spirit Aids of the Medicine Rite, The Chief of the Herok'a, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, Turtle and the Merchant; mentioning (spirit) bears (other than were-bears): White Bear, Blue Bear, Black Bear, Red Bear, Bear Clan Origin Myth, The Shaggy Man, Bear Offers Himself as Food, Hare Visits His Grandfather Bear, Hare Establishes Bear Hunting, The Woman Who Fought the Bear, The Wolf Clan Origin Myth, Hotcâk Clans Origin Myth, The Messengers of Hare, Bird Clan Origin Myth, The Hotcâk Migration Myth, Red Man, Hare Recruits Game Animals for Humans, Lifting Up the Bear Heads, Hare Secures the Creation Lodge, The Two Boys, Creation of the World (v. 5), Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, The Brown Squirrel, Snowshoe Strings, Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, East Enters the Medicine Lodge, Lake Winnebago Origin Myth, The Spider's Eyes, How the Thunders Met the Nights, The Race for the Chief's Daughter, Trickster's Tail, cf. Fourth Universe; in which wildcats (bobcats) are characters: Hare Kills Wildcat, The Choke Cherry Wild Cat, The Chief of the Herok'a, The Warbundle of the Eight Generations, Silver Mound Cave; about buffaloes and Buffalo Spirits: Buffalo Clan Origin Myth, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, The Blessings of the Buffalo Spirits, Bluehorn Rescues His Sister, Bluehorn's Nephews, Redhorn's Father, The Woman who became an Ant, Buffalo Dance Origin Myth, The Blessing of Cokeboka, The Creation of the World (v. 3), The Annihilation of the Hotcâgara I, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, The Red Feather, Wazûka, Holy One and His Brother, The Orphan who was Blessed with a Horse; in which owls are mentioned: Owl Goes Hunting, Crane and His Brothers, The Spirit of Gambling, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, The Chief of the Herok'a, Partridge's Older Brother, Warughápara, Wears White Feathers on His Head, Keramanic'aka's Blessing, The Annihilation of the Hotcâgara I, The Green Man; mentioning hawks: The Boy who was Captured by the Bad Thunderbirds, Partridge's Older Brother, The Woman who Loved her Half-Brother, Warughápara, Holy One and His Brother, The Thunderbird, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Creation Council, Wonághire Wâkcik Clan Origin Myth, The Race for the Chief's Daughter; mentioning loons: Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, The Raccoon Coat, Great Walker's Medicine, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth; about turkeys: The Birth of the Twins, Earthmaker Sends Rucewe to the Twins, Bluehorn's Nephews, Black and White Moons, The Annihilation of the Hotcâgara I; mentioning sparrows: Turtle's Warparty; about Bird Spirits: Crane and His Brothers, The King Bird, Bird Origin Myth, Bird Clan Origin Myth, Wears White Feathers on His Head, The Boy who was Captured by the Bad Thunderbirds, The Thunderbird, Owl Goes Hunting, The Boy Who Became a Robin, Partridge's Older Brother, The Woman who Loved Her Half-Brother, The Foolish Hunter, Ocean Duck, Earthmaker Sends Rucewe to the Twins, The Quail Hunter, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Hotcâk Arrival Myth, Trickster Gets Pregnant, Trickster and the Geese, Holy One and His Brother (kaghi, woodpeckers, hawks), Porcupine and His Brothers (Ocean Sucker), Turtle's Warparty (Thunderbirds, eagles, kaghi, pelicans, sparrows), Kaghíga and Lone Man (kaghi), The Old Man and the Giants (kaghi, bluebirds), The Bungling Host (snipe, woodpecker), The Red Feather, Trickster, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Meadow Lark, Warughápara, The Race for the Chief's Daughter, Black and White Moons, The Markings on the Moon, The Creation Council, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, Earthmaker Blesses Wagícega (Wecgícega), Hare Acquires His Arrows, Keramanic'aka's Blessing (black hawk, owl), Worúxega (eagle), The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men (eagle), The Gift of Shooting (eagle), Hotcâk Clans Origin Myth, Wonághire Wâkcik Clan Origin Myth, The Hotcâk Migration Myth, Blue Jay, The Baldness of the Buzzard, The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster (buzzards), The Shaggy Man (kaghi), The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth (kaghi), Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers (Loon), Great Walker's Medicine (loon), Roaster (woodsplitter), The Spirit of Gambling, The Big Stone (a partridge), Trickster's Anus Guards the Ducks, The Fleetfooted Man, The Journey to Spiritland (v. 4) -- see also Thunderbirds; in which Waterspirits occur as characters: Waterspirit Clan Origin Myth, Traveler and the Thunderbird War, The Green Waterspirit of Wisconsin Dells, The Lost Child, River Child and the Waterspirit of Devil's Lake, Bluehorn's Nephews, Holy One and His Brother, The Seer, The Mulberry Picker, The Creation of the World (vv. 1, 4), The Sioux Warparty and the Waterspirit of Green Lake, The Waterspirit of Lake Koshkonong, The Waterspirit of Rock River, The Boulders of Devil's Lake, Devil's Lake -- How it Got its Name, The Diving Contest, The Lost Blanket, Redhorn's Sons, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, Great Walker's Warpath, White Thunder's Warpath, The Descent of the Drum, The Shell Anklets Origin Myth, The Daughter-in-Law's Jealousy, Snowshoe Strings, The Thunderbird, Hare Retrieves a Stolen Scalp (v. 2), The Two Children, The Twins Join Redhorn's Warparty, Earthmaker Sends Rucewe to the Twins, Paint Medicine Origin Myth, Warughápara, Ocean Duck, The Twin Sisters, Trickster Concludes His Mission, The King Bird, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Great Walker's Medicine, V. 2, Peace of Mind Regained, How the Thunders Met the Nights, The Boy who was Captured by the Bad Thunderbirds, The Shaggy Man, The Woman who Married a Snake (?), Hare Secures the Creation Lodge, Ghost Dance Origin Myth I; mentioning oak: Thunderbird Clan Origin Myth, Wolf Clan Origin Myth, The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head, The Children of the Sun, Turtle's Warparty, The Shell Anklets Origin Myth, Warughápara, The Creation Council, Young Man Gambles Often, Sun and the Big Eater, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, The Roaster, The Human Head, The Shaggy Man, Wears White Feathers on His Head, Peace of Mind Regained, The Dipper (leaves); mentioning springs: Trail Spring, Vita Springs, The Resurrection of the Chief's Daughter, Bear Clan Origin Myth, vv. 6, 8, Bird Clan Origin Myth, The Woman Who Fought the Bear, Bluehorn's Nephews, Blue Mound, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, The Lost Child, The Wild Rose, The Omahas who turned into Snakes, The Two Brothers, Snowshoe Strings, The Daughter-in-Law's Jealousy, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, How the Thunders Met the Nights, The Mulberry Picker, The Orphan who was Blessed with a Horse, Rich Man, Boy, and Horse, The Two Boys, Warughápara, Wazûka, The Man Who Fell from the Sky, Turtle and the Witches.

Themes: a boy lives alone with his grandfather: How the Thunders Met the Nights, The Dipper; a flock of birds are a man's constant companions: The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head (black swallows); a young man has a living bird with a clear voice as his headdress: The Dipper (black hawk); racing to the end of the world and back: Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, The Green Man, The Roaster, Young Man Gambles Often, Sun and the Big Eater, The Big Eater; contestants race to an oak tree at the edge of the world and back: Young Man Gambles Often, Sun and the Big Eater, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, The Roaster; one man finishes so far ahead of the competition in a foot race that he has time to smoke a pipe before they reach the finish line: Sun and the Big Eater, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Moiety Origin Myth; in an athletic competition, one side throws objects at the other to impede their progress: The Green Man, Sun and the Big Eater; prisoners have their bones broken by their captors: The Green Man, The Raccoon Coat; two girls dream (have a fasting vision) of a particular spirit: The Markings on the Moon (v. 2); a great spirit changes his form in order to decieve someone: The Skunk Origin Myth (Turtle), The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head, The Man with Two Heads, The Children of the Sun, The Baldness of the Buzzard, Trickster's Tail, Trickster Gets Pregnant, The Elks Skull, Trickster Soils the Princess, The Seven Maidens; a man assumes the role of a woman: Berdache Origin Myth, Trickster Gets Pregnant; a spirit turns into a person of radically different age: Morning Star and His Friend, The Messengers of Hare, The Dipper, The Chief of the Herok'a; as someone is about to be killed, he changes into the kind of person that his opponent cannot bring himself to kill, and is thereby spared: The Dipper (a baby); a spirit assumes the form of another person: Trickster, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Meadow Lark, Trickster and the Mothers; a spirit's "dogs" turn out to be another kind of animal: Porcupine and His Brothers (frogs), Turtle's Warparty (frogs), Chief of the Herok'a (grizzly, wolf, otter, beaver), The Red Man (alligators), Bladder and His Brothers (giant raccoon); someone fires a "blind shot" with an arrow and fells a deer: Morning Star and His Friend; a woman abuses someone with whom she is living: Partridge's Older Brother, The Woman who Loved Her Half-Brother, The Quail Hunter, Snowshoe Strings, The Red Man, The Chief of the Herok'a, Bluehorn's Nephews, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, Bluehorn Rescues His Sister, The Were-Grizzly; two (spirit) women twist the mouth and deform the face (and other body parts) of a sleeping man: Snowshoe Strings; a man kills a game animal by simply striking the knoll (or stump) in which it is hiding: Redhorn's Father, Bird Clan Origin Myth, Trickster and the Children, Snowshoe Strings; the fruit of the hunt is stolen: Porcupine and His Brothers, Crane and His Brothers, White Wolf, The Brown Squirrel; someone goes out searching for a missing person who was dear to them: The Woman who Married a Snake, Warughápara, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, A Man's Revenge, The Man Whose Wife was Captured, Bluehorn Rescues His Sister, Ghost Dance Origin Myth II, Snowshoe Strings; a woman is forbidden to join her husband when he goes off to a place kept secret from her: The Markings on the Moon, The Chief of the Herok'a, The Man who Defied Disease Giver, cf. The Sky Man; a repulsive looking, but holy person, is transformed into an attractive person after gaining the support (or rejection) of his or her lover: The Red Feather, The Skunk Origin Myth, The Chief of the Herok'a; a man is transformed when he dives into the water from a particular place: The Woman who Married a Snake, The Diving Contest; as a punishment, a spirit decrees that someone be transformed into an animal: The Skunk Origin Myth (skunk), The Brown Squirrel (squirrel), How the Hills and Valleys were Formed, v. 3 (worm), Warughápara (owl), The Chief of the Herok'a (owl), Hare Kills a Man with a Cane (ant); human turns into a (spirit) animal: How the Thunders Met the Nights (Thunderbird), Warughápara (Thunderbird), The Dipper (hummingbird), Elk Clan Origin Myth (elk), Young Man Gambles Often (elk), Sun and the Big Eater, (horse), The Reincarnated Grizzly Bear, Partridge's Older Brother (bear), The Woman who Loved her Half-Brother (bear), Porcupine and His Brothers (bear), The Shaggy Man (bear), The Roaster (bear), Wazûka (bear), White Wolf (dog, wolf), He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle (buffalo), The Brown Squirrel (squirrel), The Skunk Origin Myth (skunk), The Woman who Married a Snake (snake, Waterspirit), The Omahas who turned into Snakes (four-legged snakes), How the Hills and Valleys were Formed, v. 3 (earthworms); an evil spirit is turned into an owl: Warughápara, The Chief of the Herok'a; hunters kill an entire herd of animals: Redhorn's Father, The Roaster, The Twins Visit Their Father's Village, The Mulberry Picker, Snowshoe Strings, Morning Star and His Friend, The Two Boys; a woman takes the initiative in courtship: The Seduction of Redhorn's Son, The Resurrection of the Chief's Daughter, Trickster Gets Pregnant, Redhorn and His Brothers Marry, (see also, Redhorn's Father); frustrated love: White Flower, The Resurrection of the Chief's Daughter, The Twin Sisters, The Woman who Loved her Half-Brother, Partridge's Older Brother, The Stone Heart, Snowshoe Strings, Rainbow and Stone Arch; marriage to a yûgiwi (princess): The Mulberry Picker, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Race for the Chief's Daughter, The Daughter-in-Law's Jealousy, The Big Stone, Partridge's Older Brother, Redhorn's Sons, The Seduction of Redhorn's Son, The Resurrection of the Chief's Daughter, River Child and the Waterspirit of Devil's Lake, The Roaster, Soft Shelled Turtle Gets Married, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, White Wolf, The Two Boys, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, The Shaggy Man, The Thunderbird, The Red Feather, The Orphan who was Blessed with a Horse, The Birth of the Twins, V. 3, Trickster Visits His Family, The Woman who Loved Her Half-Brother, Redhorn's Father, Morning Star and His Friend, Thunderbird and White Horse, Rich Man, Boy, and Horse, Shakes the Earth, The Nightspirits Bless Tciwoit'éhiga; a Waterspirit demands a human sacrifice: The Seer, River Child and the Waterspirit of Devil's Lake; someone is offered to a Waterspirit: The Shaggy Man, River Child and the Waterspirit of Devil's Lake, White Thunder's Warpath, Warughápara, The Seer; a Waterspirit takes a child: The Lost Child, The Two Children; a human lives with Waterspirits: The Mulberry Picker, The King Bird, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, The Daughter-in-Law's Jealousy.

Notes:

[1] Paul Radin, "Old Man and His Grandfather," Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society Library) #53, 1-107.

[1.1] Alice C. Fletcher and Francis La Flesche, The Omaha Tribe (Lincoln: The University of Nebraska Press, 1992 [1904-1905]) 177.

[1.2] James R. Murie, Ceremonies of the Pawnee. Studies in the Anthropology of North American Indians (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press for the American Indian Studies Research Institute, Indiana University, 1989) 45.

[1.3] Col. John Harris Kinzie (1803-1865), Notebook compiled at Prairie du Chien in 1826 (Chicago: Chicago Historical Society) sv "Marztarneehoorar".

[2] "7. White Plume," in Alanson Skinner, "Traditions of the Iowa Indians," The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 38, #150 (Oct.-Dec., 1925): 427-506 [458-461].

[3] "Tau-Wau-Chee-Hezkaw, or The White Feather," in Henry R. Schoolcraft, Schoolcraft's Indian Legends, ed. Mentor L. Williams (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1991 [1956]) 34-38; Lewis Spence, Myths of the North American Indians (London: George G. Harrap & Company, 1916) 296-301.

[4] Quoted from Marie L. McLaughlin, Myths and Legends of the Sioux (Bismark, North Dakota: Bismarck Tribune Company, 1916).

[5] "Bobcat and Coyote Have Their Faces Done," in Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz (edd.), American Indian Trickster Tales (New York: Penguin-Putnam, Inc., 1998) 45-46.

[6] Gene Weltfish, The Lost Universe (New York: Basic Books, 1965) 328-329, see also 108-109, 277.

[7] Hesiod, Theogony 411; Plutarch, Theseus 6b; Carol Kerényi, The Heroes of the Greeks (London: Thames and Hudson, 1959) 93.

[8] Francis La Flesche, A Dictionary of the Osage Language, Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 109 (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1932) s.v. Shô´-ge a-ga-k'e gô; Louis F. Burns, Osage Indian Customs and Myths (Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 2005 [1984]) 204.

[9] Murie, Ceremonies of the Pawnee, 39.

[10] Jimm Goodtracks, personal communication, 4.9.2006.