VANE EAM SK an
FOZ

ee See ne

17


NO.
Uda '\Gii
i

et


x

Near the end of summer the boy told his father of his experiences
when he had received his red otter medicine. He said, “I have one thing
left to do. I must go back and conquer the mighty red bird before I can feel
that I have been successful.” Late in the fall he decided to go and find the
red bird. He told his parents not to worry about him while he was gone. He
had strong medicine and would overcome red bird and return soon.

23


How Horses First Came to the Gros Ventre


i) THE INDIAN READING SERIES:
% Stories and Legends of the Northwest



18

The old man who lived in the lodge was pleased to see the boy again.
He gave the boy a red otter skin for his medicine bundle. The old man said
to him, “You are poor, so I will give you horses. I will give you these hoof
bells. Ring them and horses will come to you out of the lake. When you
leave my lodge, do not look back or look at your horses for four days. When
you sleep at night, sleep with your head facing in the direction you are
traveling.” The boy followed the old man’s advice. After four nights, he
came to the last camp he had visited. He turned around and saw a great
herd of horses following him.


om

FID mies a

Sida,

3

Wee

dM,

a

1,
S

amie at

Then he became a fat dead antelope and again the red bird recog-

nized him.

26


Red Bird’s Death

21


15


— aso _Sremers

The boy insisted that he must go on. The leader said, “You will come
to a long slope. On the other side of the slope is the lake and on the near
shore you will see a lone lodge facing the east. Do not try to enter. Ask no
questions. You must sleep each night outside the lodge at the foot ofa
different lodge pole. As you face the door of the lodge, the first pole to your
left will be the pole you start with. There are thirty poles. You must not eat
or drink while you are there. You will see many bones of others who have
tried and failed. If you succeed, a person will revive you. This person will
ask you to bring him a bird. If you see a red bird with a white topknot, do
not try to catch him. Have nothing to do with the red bird!”

The boy continued his journey and at last came to the lone lodge on
the shore of the lake. During the day he would cry and pray for help. At
night he slept by one of the lodge poles as he had been instructed. When
he was halfway around the lodge, he became so weak that he could not
stand and had to crawl from one pole to the next. By the time he reached
the last three poles, he could not even crawl and had to roll from one pole
to the other. He had become so weak, he could not even cry.


32

equce. SNe =

ft

This boy became a great man and was always successful in what-
ever he attempted to do. The two songs that he received he gave to the flat
pipe and they were sung at the end of the ceremony when the flat pipe
bundle was opened. The people today believe that the lake where the red
otter medicine was received is Devil’s Lake in North Dakota. It is named
“Old Woman’s Lodge.”


But it was too late. He was already caught by the medicine rope. The
boy transformed himself back to his person form, jumped up and started
to sing his rope song. He sang this song over and over again while making
the motions of pulling on a rope. When he saw that the bird was close
enough he made the motions of throwing the bird down. There the red
bird was, caught in the rope at his feet! He did not know how to overcome
the red bird but decided to pull out all of his feathers. When he had done
this and the red bird was naked the boy taunted him saying, “If you are
powerful do something now!”

29


Ce ~

CH f
yy,
hl

One time the older son went to visit some friends at a neighboring
camp. While he was away, enemies attacked. The younger brother, wish-
ing to help defend the camp, took his older brother’s red otter medicine
bundle and carried it into the fight. Shortly after the battle the older
brother returned and noticed that his medicine bundle was missing.
When he discovered that his younger brother had the bundle, he became
very angry and said many mean things to him.


Long ago, the Gros Ventre lived in the north country. This
was before they had horses. They only had dogs for pack
animals. At that time, the keeper of the flat pipe bundle had two
sons. One was a young man and the other was just a boy. The older
son had been to war and his medicine was the skin of a red otter,
an unusual and powerful helper.


16

Then the water monster said, “Get on my back, close your eyes and
do not open them until I tell you to.” The boy did as he was told. They
began to travel through the water. When the boy heard the water mon-
ster’s body scrape on the stones of the shore, he opened his eyes. He was
back on the island! The boy cried out for help but the water monster said,
“You should not have opened your eyes! Now I have no power to help you!”

Again, the boy wandered around the island until he saw a bald eagle
on its nest. He called to the eagle, asking for his help. The eagle replied, “I
pity you and will help you get home but you must do as I say. Hang onto
my two outer tail feathers. Close your eyes and do not open them until I
tell you to do so.” The boy obeyed, grasping the two outer tail feathers and
closing his eyes. The eagle flew away with him. As they touched the
ground, the eagle told him to open his eyes. The boy found himself back on
the shore of the lake in front of the red otter lodge.


After traveling many days, he came to a camp of people who spoke
the same language as he. They welcomed him and said they knew his
father and asked many questions. He told them of his story and of his desire
to find the red otter. When he left this camp, he continued traveling to
the East and came to another camp where he met people who spoke
his language. They too, treated the boy kindly and asked him many
questions.

After leaving this camp, he came to a third camp where he was well
received and questioned about his journey. When he told the story of his
search for the red otter, the leader of the village told him, “You are going
on a dangerous venture that many people have tried and failed. Not far to
the east is a big lake where the red otter lives.” The leader warned the boy
again of the dangers of his search and asked him to stay with them.


24

ano. SHES

When he arrived at the lake he said, “I wish to be a dead yearling
buffalo.” He had been given the power to change himself into whatever he
wished to be. He became a dead yearling buffalo. Many kinds of birds
came and feasted on his body. At last the red bird came but he lit a short
distance away. After watching for a time he flew over the dead
buffalo and said, “There is my friend the red-bush-berry eater trying to
trap me.” He flew away.


Level V Book 17





He made it to the last pole and the next morning he heard someone
inside the lodge say, “Wife, bring in our son. He is poor, tired and weak.” A
woman came out and dragged him into the lodge and then around to the
rear of the lodge, opposite the door. There the man doctored him and fed
him. He cut some meat into four pieces and gave the pieces to the boy.
Every time he would eat a piece another would appear, so there were
always four. He slept inside the lodge that night but no one spoke to him.

Next morning, the old man asked, “Son, why did you sleep around
my lodge? What do you want?” The boy told him his story and asked for
ared otter medicine. The old man said, “That is easy, but first you must get
up before sunrise and go along the shore of the lake among all of my birds.
Catch one and bring it back to me. The birds are tame and will not harm

”

you.


31


30

The red bird just shook himself and was covered with feathers
again. He tried to fly away but was still caught in the rope. The boy pulled
him back again and removed all of his feathers. This happened four times
and then the red bird was helpless. He had no more power to restore his
feathers. The boy said to him, “You did not pity me when I needed help.
Now I do not pity you.” He left the red bird to freeze when the weather
turned cold.


He told his younger brother that if he wanted a sacred medicine
bundle, he should go out and get his own, like he himself had done.

The younger brother felt very sad about this. He went into the hills
and prayed and cried, asking for help and guidance. His mother, seeing
her son unhappy, asked him, “What is wrong, and why do you feel so bad?”
He told her, “I have decided to journey to the place where my older brother
received the red otter medicine, far to the East toward the rising sun.” His
mother told her husband about their youngest son’s intentions. They both
pleaded with him not to go on such a dangerous trip but their pleading
was in vain. The boy’s mother gave him food and extra moccasins for the
trip and he started for the land of the red otter.


At the camp the boy told the leader, “If each person from the camp
will bring a rope they can have a horse.” The camp crier announced this
and everyone got a horse. The boy told the people in the camp, “You must
be kind to your horses and donot mistreat them.” He left the camp and
rattled his hoof bells so his horses would follow him. At each camp the boy
visited on the way he gave the people horses. When he arrived home he
still had many horses left. Everyone was glad to see him again and
welcomed him back. His parents were happy to have him home and proud
of what he had accomplished.

When the excitement of his return was over he told the leader,
“Have each person bring a rope and I will give each a horse.” Everyone in
the camp received a horse except the boy’s older brother. The boy did not
give his brother a horse because of the mean way he had treated him when
he had borrowed the red otter medicine to help defend the camp.

19


sly

mod ws

,
=o. Sw ees

cm

On the fourth try he thought a fat dead wolf would be good because
all of the birds like it. This time before he changed himself into a dead wolf
he placed a medicine rope that had been given to him by the old man
on the ground nearby.

27


This work has not as yet been published and is afforded all
protections under the U.S. Copyright Law (PL. 94-553) effective
January 1, 1978.

Copyright in the published edition will be held by and in the name of the
Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Tribes of the Fort Belknap Reservation.

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transcribed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written
permission of the author agency identified below.

The project presented or reported herein was performed
pursuant to a grant from the National Institute of Education,
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. However, the
opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the
position or policy of the National Institute of Education,

and no official endorsement by the National Institute of
Education should be inferred.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
710 S.W. Second Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204


12

One day the boy came upon a baby water snake. He picked up the
snake and took a strip of his clothing and tied it around the snake’s neck.
Then he let it go.

The next day, while he was wandering around the island, he heard
someone singing behind him. The song was:

Iam here

Iam present

Iam going to you.
He stopped and listened. The song was sung a second time. Then the
singer said, “My father wants you. He is inviting you to visit him.” The
boy heard the speaker repeat the song four times. But, when he turned
around, he saw no one. The voice said, “Follow me.” It was the little water
snake still wearing the strip of clothing he had tied around it’s neck.


14

The boy followed the snake into the water. After traveling a short
distance, he saw a lodge with water monsters painted on the cover, As he
approached the lodge, the snake said, “You took pity on me so my father
will pity you. Follow his instructions carefully.” The snake opened the
lodge door and the boy entered. He saw two big water monsters there. One
of the water monsters said, “Whoever thinks about our last born and
pities him does right and is good and kind. Since you did this, we will help
you.” He gave the boy a rope and said, “With this rope you can overpower
the red bird. When you use it, sing this song: ROPE, HAVE PITY ON ME!
Sing this song as long as is necessary or as long as you wish or need to use
the rope. I also give you the power to change yourself into any bird or
animal you may wish to be and the power to change back to yourself
again. You can change whenever you feel it is necessary.”


---/M]) THE INDIAN READING SERIES
ee Stories and Legends of the Northwest

How Horses First Came To The Gros Ventre

Red Bird’s Death
Level V Book 17

By members of the Gros Ventre Elders Board
from the Fort Belknap Reservation

Raymond T. Gone, Sr.
Theresa Lame Bull
Vernie Perry

Mae Stiffarm
George Birdtail

Narrated by Raymond T. Gone, Sr.

Preston Stiffarm, Coordinator Fort Belknap
Education Department

Joseph Coburn, Director
Pacific Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory

Dedicated to Raymond T. Gone, Sr.



Next, the boy turned himself into a fat dead elk and the same thing
happened.

25


THE INDIAN READING SERIES: Stories and Legends of the
Northwest is a collection of authentic material cooperatively devel-
oped by Indian people from twelve reservations. Development ac-
tivities are guided by a Policy Board which represents the Indian
community of the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest Indian
Reading and Language Development Program Policy Board mem-
bers are:

@ Lloyd Smith-Warm Springs
Chairman

© Clement Azure — Devils Lake Sioux

© Walter Moffett — Nez Perce

e Emmett Oliver — Quinault

© Bob Parsley — Chippewa

@ Helen Redbird — Cherokee

@ Max Snow

e Jeanne Thomas — Warm Springs

@ Bill Yellowtail — Crow


Booklets available in the Level IV sequence are listed below. Numbers refer to the Planned Sequence of use
in the Teacher’s Manual. Materials developed by these tribes and others in the Northwest are included in
the Levels I, II and III sequences.

i

3.

4.

5.

10.

11.

. Warm Springs Animal Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

. Snail Women at Sq*a’le

The Suquamish Tribe of the Port Madison
Reservation

Blue Jay — Star Child/Basket Woman
Muckleshoot Tribe

Assiniboine Woman Making Grease
Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation

Coyote
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

|. How the Summer Season Came

Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Belknap
Reservation

. Little Weasel’s Dream

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

. Fort Hall Stories

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

. The Bear Tepee

Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Sioux Stories and Legends
Sioux Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation

Kootenai Stories
Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

Chief Mountain’s Medicine

Gros Ventre Tribe from the Fort Belknap
Reservation

Coyote the Trickster

Burns Paiute Reservation

Running Free

Shoalwater Bay

Salish Coyote Stories

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Coyote and the Cowboys
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

Napi’s Journey

Blackfeet Tribe

Warm Springs Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

Tepee Making

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Baskets and Canoes
Skokomish Tribe

Warrior People
Blackfeet Tribe


28

Many birds came to feast on the dead wolf and soon the red bird
appeared, landing on the downwind side. He came close but stopped just
outside of the rope and said to another bird, “Throw me a nice piece of fat.”
The bird threw the piece of fat but it landed inside of the rope. The red bird
picked up the fat, smelled it and then said, “That is my friend red-bush-
berry eater! You can’t fool me!”


10

In the morning after the fourth night, the boy went out before
sunrise. He approached the lake, heard a great noise, and saw many birds
along the shore. Soon, he saw the red bird and decided to catch another
but the red bird got in the way. Each time he tried to catch a bird, the red
bird was always in the way. This prevented him from catching the bird he
wanted. He thought, “Perhaps it is all right to catch the red bird. It is red
and must go with the red otter.” The boy caught it by the legs and when he
did, it was as if his hands were stuck. He could not let go! The red bird flew
up into the air with him, circled around, and then flew down and dropped
him on an island in the middle of the lake.

The boy was alone on the island with no one to help him. When he
was hungry, he ate berries, moss, plants, frogs and even clay to keep from
starving. He did not lose hope and continued to pray and cry for help and
power. Each day the red bird would fly over him and say, “This red-bush-
berry eater is not dead yet!”


ano. SE

13