The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-03-20
HASKELL INDIANS
TELL OLD FABLES
Legends Are Handed Down
to Each Generation
Aesop Outdone.

Kansas City. March 90 The day OF
the blanket.clad. feather-bedecked In
dian OF the leather stocking days may
have passed but the fables and legends
Of that period religiously are passed
from generation To generation by the
rcd men. Last month the student ap-
prentices In printing at the Haskell in
stItutc. Lawrence Kas.. translated
several OF them into English and
printed them In a booklet artistically
decorated with swastikas and Indian
blanket designs. All hampers have
been taken from the Imagination in
the legends and they are told just as
they were dreamed a century ago.
And mixed with the fancy are touches
Of humor OF the typical Indian kind.
How could Aesop have improved on
this old Sioux fable. for instance:
"Onco there was lobster on the
river bank summing himself when sud-
denly a fox came along. The fox said
to the lobster: You think you are big
because you have pair of pincers. but
] can outrun you II happened to be
just one mile to the road. The lob
ster said. 7 will give you your length
start of me-
80 the fox started off. AS he did
so the lobster caught bold of his tail
and held tight until they reached the
road. when the fox turned around. AS
he did not see the lobster he began to
laugh. but then the lobster said: What
arc you laughing about? | have been
here waiting for you for long time.
Tho fox saw that he was beaten. so he
went on very sad for letting the lob
ster fool him so badly
Ant and the Bear.
Then there Is this fable of the ant
and the bear. typical of the Indian OK
PLANTATION Of the characteristics OF ami
mails:
"Once upon time the ant and the
bear had "A quarrel. The bear said he
wished 1t would be night and day for
six months every year. He wished
this because he stays In his house all
winter. they say. and comes out in
summer. The ant said she wished 1t
would be night and day all the time,
like IL is now.
so they made up their minds to
race and see which one of them would
win their wish. So they started. and
the big bear would say: Night and
day. night and day all the time. They
said the one who would say his wish
the most for week would win. The
ant would jump up and down all the
time and say her wish. The bear
would say his wish for while. then
go and eat. But the ant wouldn't go
and eat. so she was getting very thin
and small. The bear was afraid now.
SO he quit. ard she won the wish.
1T IL SAID that the ant was as Dig
as the bear till they got in this quar-
rel. and she got small. II is said the
bear will always eat the ants when
they come across any. 1t Is because
the ant beat the bear. and SO 1t is to-
day. night and day, and | am glad it
IL, too. Aren't you?"
Fancy Is given n free flight in the
old Miami tale OF the seven beavers
who went from Indiana back in the
days Of Tippecanoe on hunting trip
away down big river. While two
stayed In camp to cook, five went out
to kill game. They found big turtle
and got upon Its back to ride. Their
feet stuck to It's shell and IL ran into
tho river and they were drowned.
The two comrades went back to the
Indians and brought man who had
power over water to help them find
the missing Ave. Here is what hap
pencd:
"The old man went to the waters
edge and called up fish. He cut
piece OF Its flesh of and burnt IT, He
said TO Il: You are not the one that
killed the hunters Then he called up
an eel and cut piece of itsfiesh. He
burnt II and said: You did not kill
the hunters 80 he let II CO. Then he
called up the turtle. which was guilty.
He cut of a piece OF it's flesh and
burnt II. He said: You are the one
that killed the hunters Then he burnt
the turtle up and saved the ashes
The turtles ashes were taken back
TO Indiana and n bag of them given TO
every brave making II possible for him
TO be anything he desired. One brave
Just wanted to rest and he did until
his tribcsmen became fired of his loaf.
Ing and took him TO an island where
nc went TO sleep and they left him
there. Here Is the Indian story of his
awakening:
"Thc next day this lazy man heard
the waters roar. He went to the water
and saw large snake coming with
horns like the largest trees. He said
90 hA Ia czt h., htpk
tops OF my horns and I will take you
home. You will become smart and