Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-11-27
How Two Medicine Derived Its Name

1
for sublimity. and romantic surround
ings, the Two Medicine region Is un-
surpassed The river. crystal clear: the
falls. heosed in by giant cliffs: and
the mountain-locked lakes. all unite
to render 1t beautiful beyond the
power Of words to portray. 1t must be
seen to be appreciated.
The peculiar name 1t bears Is not
the product Of some white mans fer
tile imagination: 1t was given 1t long
ago by those OF the Blackfeet nation
OF Indians who claimed northwestern
Montana as their own. The story of
how 1t CHANGED to be conferred Is told
by Three Sons, war chief Of the
South Piegans. to one in whose veins
the blood Of his people mingled with
that Of the white race the old chief
held in undisguised contempt Un-
fortunately, the Interpretation Of the
story lacks the poetic imagery given
1t by the Blackfeet tongue, but must
be rendered in homely prose-
The Story Told by Three Sons
Many. many years no." said Three
Sons, lin the early part OF the last
century, the Sun God was angry at
our people, and sent great drouth to
afflict them. Day after day his pitiless
rays beat down upon the land, the
fierce heat killing the grass, and dry
ing up the pools Of water and the
smaller streams. The buffalo, whose
flesh was our real food" as we called
| it, drifted far away, in what direction
we did not know. Nothing was left ex-
cept scanty remnant Of small game,
such as deer antelope, and birds, most
of the latter having sought refuge in
the tree-clothed mountains where the
Indians feared to go, believing that the
forest was the home of evil spirits. The
Blackfeet, you should know, were In
dams Of the plains, and not of the
mountains. They had been driven
steadily westward before the con-
stantly advancing white wave. until
they reached the Rockies.
Week followed week and brought no
relief to the stricken people, although
the medicine men tasted and beSousilt
the sun god to aid in their extremity.
The silence Of night was disturbed by
the beating Of their drums, and their
loud lamentations, to which the coy
otes and wolves responded with lugu-
brious howls from the nearby hills,
and the village dogs voiced their
misery. All was useless, our god was
deaf to the offered petitions.
Finally the small game disap-
peared; the supplies of the people
we're exhausted: the famine stared
them in the face. Children cried from
hunger, and the few remaining gaunt
dogs were slain that they might gnaw
the bones.
Iron Horse Calls q Council
Then it was that Chief Iron Horse,
no longer able to endure the sights
and sounds Of the starving people by
whom he was surrounded, called them
in council and said: I'VE have griev-
ously offended our father the sun. Let
us therefore, set up two medicine
lodges in his honor, lest one may not
suffice to appease his wrath, so that
he will permit the rain again to visit
us. There is no time for delay now;
death is in every tepee."
The Sun Answers
THE people listened to his words,
which report carried far even to the
North Piegans, whose home is on
Belly river, and to all the South Pie
gans Weak as they were, from lack
of food, they fastened to bring in
poles to build the lodges, one at the
lower end of Upper Two Medicine lake
and the other near where the Midway
river joins the Two Medicine. Here,
with appropriate ceremonies, they i'm
plored their god to grant them re-
lief. For five days and nights they
tasted and called upon the sun to par
don them, and tell them what to do,
until at length the answer was vouch-
safed:
"Send messengers to Chief Noun
tain, where you shall learn my Will
"Obedient to this command, seven
men we're chosen for the mission, they
being more conversant with the ways
of the Great Spirit they worshiped
under the form of the sun, and at
once they set out. Days of anxious
waiting passed, and then the wise men
returned to acknowledge their failure
to secure the promised aid. They never
reached the mountain, having been
terrified by fearsome sights and
sounds, they shuddered to relate,
which made it impossible to go on,
and they were forced to hasten back
to the lodges.
Sixteen of the bravest warriors,
among them Iron Horse, were then
selected to make the journey, as 1t was
thought their courage, fortified by
their number, would enable them to
run the gauntlet of the dreadful
things which beset their way, and safe
w reach the mountain. This they did
only to be more severely tried at the
journeys end. The whole mountain
was illuminated by constant flashes OF
lightning, and peals Of thunder shook
it as if by an earthquake, while balls
of fire shone in the tree tops.
The Thunder Bird
when their eyes became accus-
toned to the glare, behold! at the
summit was seen the Thunder Bird,
clothed in garments, one side of these
differing from the other in color. He
had the head of moose, with long
ears, and on his shoulders were
black wings.
"At the awful sight, the warriors
fell prostrate-all but one-1ron Horse.
He, with the memory of his suffering