Post by blackcrowheart on Oct 31, 2007 15:09:25 GMT -5
Fickle Miss Frog - Nez Perce
Long, long ago in the days of the animal kingdom. Miss Frog lived with her
father, Wekwekt, the bullfrog, in the swamps where the two great rivers come
together in Siminikum. Wekwekt was the most gifted musician in all the land.
The animals gathered every evening to hear him sing in his melodious bass
voice. Everyone was very fond of Wekwekt because he was kind and good as
well as a marvelous musician.
Miss Frog was considered the most beautiful of all the animal maidens. Many
suitors came to her door. Because of her popularity she grew very vain and
treated her admirers in a most unkind manner. Some said they came mostly to
hear Wekwekt sing, but this was not entirely true, for Miss Frog was indeed
lovely to look upon.
Of all the many suitors who called at the tipi of the bullfrog and his
daughter, Tiska, the skunk, was the most faithful. He came even when he was
ignored by Miss Frog, and whenever he had a chance for a moment alone with
her, he would beg her to marry him. But vain Miss Frog would only dismiss
him with a sniff.
"Me marry you, Tiska? Why, I can have my pick of all the young fellows in
the valley. Why should I settle for you?"
Now, Itsayaya, the coyote, thought very highly of Tiska, the skunk.
He was intelligent and handsome. Be-cause of his brilliance and his
dependable character, Itsayaya appointed him to the highest council in the
land, giving him charge over the coming and going of the salmon in the
rivers.
Miss Frog continued to turn away suitors, but they admired her so much that
at first they came back again and again. Tiska, the skunk, came, too.
Finally, all the others became tired of her foolishness and began to call on
other animal maidens in Siminikum. Wissi, the wood rat, who had been a
frequent caller at the tipi of Wekwekt, began to see Lockaz, a fragile young
field mouse. Miss Frog heard of this and the next time he came to call she
scolded him.
"I thought you loved me, you fickle rat. I knew you were beneath me all the
time. Imagine preferring a little timid field mouse to me!"
"Well, she is honest and faithful and suits me much better than you, Miss
Frog." And with that Wissi, the wood rat, left the home of Miss Frog and
never returned. In a few days she heard of his wedding to Lockaz, the field
mouse. And she wasn't even invited to the festivities.
So it went with those who had been in love with Miss Frog. She was cruel to
all of them and gradually they stopped coming, all but faithful Tiska, the
skunk. In spite of all her rebuffs, he continued to come every three days.
Finally, Miss Frog decided that if she were to have a husband at all she had
better accept the skunk.
Wekwekt, the bullfrog, prepared a great wedding feast. All the animals came
to toast the bride and groom, and it was the gayest wedding ever seen in
Siminikum. Then the newlyweds set up house in a little meadow near the
council place in Siminikum.
Miss Frog seemed happy as the wife of Tiska, and for many moons everything
went smoothly. Then one day Tiska, the skunk, came home from his work with
the salmon and found his wife gone, the fire dead, and no supper cooking.
Late that night Mrs. Skunk came home and went to sleep without speaking to
her husband.
Tiska, the skunk, was puzzled and angry, and next morning he questioned his
wife about her strange behavior.
"Where did you go, wife? I was very worried about you."
"Why should you worry about me? I can take care of myself," she answered
with a toss of her head.
The next day the same thing happened, and the day after that Mrs. Skunk
didn't come home even at night.
Tiska was puzzled and terribly worried. He went to Itsayaya, the coyote,
with his problem.
Now Itsayaya was wise and clever, and he kept his ears and eyes open, too.
He had heard that Mrs. Skunk was spending her time with Apapapap, the
lizard, up on the hillside. Apapapap had a bad reputation in Siminikum.
Itsayaya thought and thought about the problem. He was fond of Tiska, the
skunk, and hated to see him unhappy.
Then the coyote called Tiska and his wife to him and said to her, "Mrs.
Skunk, I order you to stay home where you belong. Tiska is one of the finest
of all the animal people, and you should be a good wife to him."
"And what business is it of yours, Itsayaya?" she asked. "I shall do as I
please."
"I am warning you," said the coyote. "If you leave Tiska again, I shall call
down my strongest medicine upon you and something dreadful will happen to
you."
"I don't believe it, and besides, I don't care," she said.
Then fickle Miss Frog, who was now Mrs. Skunk, packed her things in a little
buckskin bag and started up the rocky hillside to meet Apapapap, the lizard.
She was just beyond Hatwai Creek when she felt as if a great weight had been
put on her feet. Her steps moved slower and slower, until she stopped and
couldn't move any more. She has never moved since. Itsayaya used his magic
medicine to turn her to stone.
If you should care to see fickle Miss Frog, look at the hillside above
Hatwai, for she sits there just as she has all these years since the time of
the animal kingdom in Siminikum.
Taken from Tales of the Nimipoo - From the Land of the Nez Perce Indians,
Eleanor B. Heady, 1969
www.realduesouth.net/WolfsRetreat/N/NezPerce-058.htm
Long, long ago in the days of the animal kingdom. Miss Frog lived with her
father, Wekwekt, the bullfrog, in the swamps where the two great rivers come
together in Siminikum. Wekwekt was the most gifted musician in all the land.
The animals gathered every evening to hear him sing in his melodious bass
voice. Everyone was very fond of Wekwekt because he was kind and good as
well as a marvelous musician.
Miss Frog was considered the most beautiful of all the animal maidens. Many
suitors came to her door. Because of her popularity she grew very vain and
treated her admirers in a most unkind manner. Some said they came mostly to
hear Wekwekt sing, but this was not entirely true, for Miss Frog was indeed
lovely to look upon.
Of all the many suitors who called at the tipi of the bullfrog and his
daughter, Tiska, the skunk, was the most faithful. He came even when he was
ignored by Miss Frog, and whenever he had a chance for a moment alone with
her, he would beg her to marry him. But vain Miss Frog would only dismiss
him with a sniff.
"Me marry you, Tiska? Why, I can have my pick of all the young fellows in
the valley. Why should I settle for you?"
Now, Itsayaya, the coyote, thought very highly of Tiska, the skunk.
He was intelligent and handsome. Be-cause of his brilliance and his
dependable character, Itsayaya appointed him to the highest council in the
land, giving him charge over the coming and going of the salmon in the
rivers.
Miss Frog continued to turn away suitors, but they admired her so much that
at first they came back again and again. Tiska, the skunk, came, too.
Finally, all the others became tired of her foolishness and began to call on
other animal maidens in Siminikum. Wissi, the wood rat, who had been a
frequent caller at the tipi of Wekwekt, began to see Lockaz, a fragile young
field mouse. Miss Frog heard of this and the next time he came to call she
scolded him.
"I thought you loved me, you fickle rat. I knew you were beneath me all the
time. Imagine preferring a little timid field mouse to me!"
"Well, she is honest and faithful and suits me much better than you, Miss
Frog." And with that Wissi, the wood rat, left the home of Miss Frog and
never returned. In a few days she heard of his wedding to Lockaz, the field
mouse. And she wasn't even invited to the festivities.
So it went with those who had been in love with Miss Frog. She was cruel to
all of them and gradually they stopped coming, all but faithful Tiska, the
skunk. In spite of all her rebuffs, he continued to come every three days.
Finally, Miss Frog decided that if she were to have a husband at all she had
better accept the skunk.
Wekwekt, the bullfrog, prepared a great wedding feast. All the animals came
to toast the bride and groom, and it was the gayest wedding ever seen in
Siminikum. Then the newlyweds set up house in a little meadow near the
council place in Siminikum.
Miss Frog seemed happy as the wife of Tiska, and for many moons everything
went smoothly. Then one day Tiska, the skunk, came home from his work with
the salmon and found his wife gone, the fire dead, and no supper cooking.
Late that night Mrs. Skunk came home and went to sleep without speaking to
her husband.
Tiska, the skunk, was puzzled and angry, and next morning he questioned his
wife about her strange behavior.
"Where did you go, wife? I was very worried about you."
"Why should you worry about me? I can take care of myself," she answered
with a toss of her head.
The next day the same thing happened, and the day after that Mrs. Skunk
didn't come home even at night.
Tiska was puzzled and terribly worried. He went to Itsayaya, the coyote,
with his problem.
Now Itsayaya was wise and clever, and he kept his ears and eyes open, too.
He had heard that Mrs. Skunk was spending her time with Apapapap, the
lizard, up on the hillside. Apapapap had a bad reputation in Siminikum.
Itsayaya thought and thought about the problem. He was fond of Tiska, the
skunk, and hated to see him unhappy.
Then the coyote called Tiska and his wife to him and said to her, "Mrs.
Skunk, I order you to stay home where you belong. Tiska is one of the finest
of all the animal people, and you should be a good wife to him."
"And what business is it of yours, Itsayaya?" she asked. "I shall do as I
please."
"I am warning you," said the coyote. "If you leave Tiska again, I shall call
down my strongest medicine upon you and something dreadful will happen to
you."
"I don't believe it, and besides, I don't care," she said.
Then fickle Miss Frog, who was now Mrs. Skunk, packed her things in a little
buckskin bag and started up the rocky hillside to meet Apapapap, the lizard.
She was just beyond Hatwai Creek when she felt as if a great weight had been
put on her feet. Her steps moved slower and slower, until she stopped and
couldn't move any more. She has never moved since. Itsayaya used his magic
medicine to turn her to stone.
If you should care to see fickle Miss Frog, look at the hillside above
Hatwai, for she sits there just as she has all these years since the time of
the animal kingdom in Siminikum.
Taken from Tales of the Nimipoo - From the Land of the Nez Perce Indians,
Eleanor B. Heady, 1969
www.realduesouth.net/WolfsRetreat/N/NezPerce-058.htm