Post by Okwes on Apr 2, 2007 19:07:44 GMT -5
Crane and His Brothers - Winnebago
One day Crane encountered his younger brother, who suggested to him that
they live together. Crane thought it would be a good idea, most especially
because his brother was such a good hunter. One day some visitors showed up
at their new dwelling and said, "Crane, I see that you are now living here
and living pretty well at that." "Yes," replied Crane, "my brother kills
much game and we eat very well." The visitors asked where they could build
lodges nearby, to which Crane replied, "Anywhere at all, there is plenty of
space around here." They asked, "What does your brother hunt mostly?" Crane
told them, "Raccoons." This appealed to them greatly, so they slipped in and
robbed Crane of all his meat. Soon after, Crane's brother came back with a
fresh kill, so Crane went out to fetch water. On the way the visitors met
him and asked him what he was fetching water for. He replied that his
brother had been successful in the hunt. Upon hearing that, they went back
and stole even that meat. So Crane and his younger brother spent a hungry
night without their accustomed evening meal. The next morning the younger
brother went out hunting and was again successful, but later the same thing
happened once again, and they were beginning to feel weak from hunger. After
they were robbed a third time, they resolved to find another place to live.
On his hunting expedition, the brother had seen a good place to move, so
they decided to leave the next day. His younger brother went ahead, while
Crane kept walking up and down the hill, making so many tracks it would be
impossible to follow him. Yet when the visitors asked, Crane told them
everything. When Crane arrived at their new homestead, his younger brother
already had the meal prepared. Soon the visitors showed up again, and asked
where they could build their lodges. Everything happened as before, only
this time when they stole the meat, the visitors beat the younger brother
almost to death. Crane declared, "This time they have gone too far. I had
not punished them because I had taken pity on them." He marched right over
to the visitors' lodge, and clubbed the first one he found sitting there,
then he did the same to the next two, but the fourth one escaped through the
smoke hole in the lodge roof. This last one escaped to a tree branch where
he gave a hoot. Crane told him, "I have not killed you, for what would the
world call a 'hoot owl' if I had? You shall be condemned always to flee from
people, and the only time that you will eat is when you have killed a
mouse." Crane returned home and told his younger brother, "I have done
wrong. The Creator did not create me for this purpose. I have killed my
younger brothers. It is not good that we should live together after this."
The younger brother was a screech owl. The two of them parted company and
have never lived together since.
Paul Radin, "The Crane," [unpublished] Winnebago Notebooks (American
Philosophical Society Library) #48.
One day Crane encountered his younger brother, who suggested to him that
they live together. Crane thought it would be a good idea, most especially
because his brother was such a good hunter. One day some visitors showed up
at their new dwelling and said, "Crane, I see that you are now living here
and living pretty well at that." "Yes," replied Crane, "my brother kills
much game and we eat very well." The visitors asked where they could build
lodges nearby, to which Crane replied, "Anywhere at all, there is plenty of
space around here." They asked, "What does your brother hunt mostly?" Crane
told them, "Raccoons." This appealed to them greatly, so they slipped in and
robbed Crane of all his meat. Soon after, Crane's brother came back with a
fresh kill, so Crane went out to fetch water. On the way the visitors met
him and asked him what he was fetching water for. He replied that his
brother had been successful in the hunt. Upon hearing that, they went back
and stole even that meat. So Crane and his younger brother spent a hungry
night without their accustomed evening meal. The next morning the younger
brother went out hunting and was again successful, but later the same thing
happened once again, and they were beginning to feel weak from hunger. After
they were robbed a third time, they resolved to find another place to live.
On his hunting expedition, the brother had seen a good place to move, so
they decided to leave the next day. His younger brother went ahead, while
Crane kept walking up and down the hill, making so many tracks it would be
impossible to follow him. Yet when the visitors asked, Crane told them
everything. When Crane arrived at their new homestead, his younger brother
already had the meal prepared. Soon the visitors showed up again, and asked
where they could build their lodges. Everything happened as before, only
this time when they stole the meat, the visitors beat the younger brother
almost to death. Crane declared, "This time they have gone too far. I had
not punished them because I had taken pity on them." He marched right over
to the visitors' lodge, and clubbed the first one he found sitting there,
then he did the same to the next two, but the fourth one escaped through the
smoke hole in the lodge roof. This last one escaped to a tree branch where
he gave a hoot. Crane told him, "I have not killed you, for what would the
world call a 'hoot owl' if I had? You shall be condemned always to flee from
people, and the only time that you will eat is when you have killed a
mouse." Crane returned home and told his younger brother, "I have done
wrong. The Creator did not create me for this purpose. I have killed my
younger brothers. It is not good that we should live together after this."
The younger brother was a screech owl. The two of them parted company and
have never lived together since.
Paul Radin, "The Crane," [unpublished] Winnebago Notebooks (American
Philosophical Society Library) #48.