The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-01
THE STONE MOTHER.

woman, Klt-sl-nao, who sits alone on
the mountain, Wise One?"
"Yes, l know of Kit-si mao, the one
who weeps alone" said the Talking
Pine "Would you like to hear the sto-
~, T'solo the wanderer?'
"Tell the story, Wise One listen. "
"Once, long time ago. this woman,
Kit-si-nao, lived there on that island
and was happy, for she had many sons
and daughters to make her heart glad,
and she loved them dearly.
'This was good, for it is well to have
many sons and daughters.
"Kit-si-nao was of the Crow totem,
and in the same island was another
mother who was of the totem of Hootza,
the wolf, and who was Skoolt-ka.
"Now this woman, Skoolt-ka, the
wolf, had only one little child, and this
one was small and not strong, like the
children of Kit-si-nao, the Crow, but
Skoolt-ka loved it all the more, because
it was all she had and was small and
weak.
Zone day, in the moon when birds
nest, this child was playing by the lodge
door, when Kit-si-nao came by, and she
laughed at it and made fun because it
was a weak child and did not run like
her children did.
"Then the child began to cry and
Skoolt-ka came and heard the words of
Kit-si-nao. Then her heart was heavy
because of this, and she sat and mourn
ed long time, SO long that her Tah-
l., hn
and said, why do you weep?
/" Il weep because my thoughts are
heavy with the words of Kit-si-nao,'
said Skoolt-ka.
"'And what are the words Of Kit-si-
mao? Give me the talk, said Hoot-za,
the wolf, and then Skoolt-ka gave him
the talk of Kit-si-nao this way:
:" 'Ho, no! You are the little one!
You do not run. Your feet are tender
| and the stones hurt you. You must ride
on the back of your mother. You have
ne lrothers and no sisters, and you are
always by your mothers door. Why do
you not play with the other children?
Because you are afraid. Ho, no! You
are the little one'
this talk he was angry and called all
the tribe of the wolves, and they came
and sat in a council, and Hoot-za, the
chief, told them of the words of Kit-si-
mao and asked what should be done.
"The tribe of Hoot-za then thought
deeply, as the council pipe was smoked,
| and then it was decided that Kit-si-nao
must be punished for her bad deed of
laughing at little weak child. So the
wolves ran to her lodge and killed and
ate all the children of Kit-si-nao, the
crow mother, because of her bad deeds.
"Then Kit-si-nao was very sad and
went up on the mountain where you saw
her and wept all the rest of her days
| for the children who were gone
"As she sat there Colesick, the keep
err of the dead, came and changed her
into stone and left her there, as warn
ing to all people not to laugh at those
who are small and weak, and that is
| why you saw Kit-si-nao, the stone moth
er sitting there weeping on the noun
| tain side by the big water.
'Now, T'solo, the wanderer, the
moon makes short shadow, and soon
Spe-ow will open the daylight box and
your paddle is tired from laying i'll the
| canoe. Come again when Polil1ely, the
night, is young, and we will have other
| tales that it is well to know.
So then left the Talking Pine and
I went to my lodge to wait until another
time and to think about Kit-si-nao, the
stone mother, and her evil eds.-"To-
/ ta,n Ta1es ~