The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1923-10-04
INDIAN LODGE TALES.
Stories Told by the Navajo In.
dians, In Paraphrase.
BY Ford G.. Frick.

world was young, and the Chosen
People lived in happiness in the
shadow of the Great Peak which
pointed the way to Heaven. there
was born to the Chief of the Tribe
a daughter.
This daughter grew to woman
hood, and was much loved by all
the members of the tribe, for she
was the most beautiful girl in all
the world. Her hair was as black
as the clouds of night; her eyes as
deep and blue as the sky. Her
skin was white-and not red like
that of the Indians who knew her.
Her voice was as soft as the south
wind and as sweet as the voice of
the birds that sang to her from the
trees. And from all around, from
near and far, came the warriors of
the tribes to WOO her and claim her
for their wife.
AS she grew older her fame
spread, and even distant tribesmen
came to look upon her and to love
her. Her fathers lodge was filled
with precious gifts which they
brought-bows and arrows, and
skins and wampum and beads and
war jackets and all the other preci-
Gus things which they possessed.
But the MAIDEN loved all the war
riors alike, and none of them would
she marry though they asked her
many times; until finally there
came to the tribe Dakotah from
| the North and when he had wooed
the MAIDEN for many moons, and
she still refused him he became
angry. One night he crept to the
chiefs lodge, where the maiden
was sleeping, and stole the maiden
away and mounted on his horse and
rode into the East.
When the tribemen discovered
what had happened, they mounted
on their ponies and started in pur.
suit and for many days and many
nights they continued the chase,
until at last they came upon the
warrior as he was crossing the
Great river to the eastward. When
the warrior saw that he was cap.
tured, he drew his knife from its
sheath and plunged it into the
maiden's heart, and so she died.
And then the warrior himself fell
! upon the knife.
So the tribesmen, with sorrow
and tears, carried the maiden home
and laid her down at the door to
her fathers lodge, and the whole
tribe wept and would not be com
forted. Finally the Manitou, see
ing their grief, appeared to the
fathers of the tribe and to them he
said:
"Grieve not my children, that
your daughter is lost to you. For
l am your father and l will look
over you, and your daughter will
take with me to live in the Happy
Hunting Ground where she can
look down upon you and see you
and love you. And as a token of
my promise, I will leave with you
a signify which you will know
that the beautiful maiden is with
me forever.
As he spoke he stopped to a
stream and drew a goard of water
and this he sprinkled upon the dead
body of the maiden; and when the
water fell. there was a great cloud
came down upon the earth, and
from the cloud came two birds and
these picked up the body of the
maiden and flew away with it to
the westward where was the sum
NIT of the great peak where lived
the Manitou. And where the body
had lain, there sprang up three
flowers, and in their center they
were blue as the eyes of the maiden
who had gone, and at their outer
edge they were as white and beauti.
full as her skin.