Post by blackcrowheart on Sept 20, 2007 14:15:35 GMT -5
Enough is Enough - Cheyenne
One Cheyenne man of long ago had a pointed leg. By running and jumping
against trees he made his leg stick in them. When he said the magic word, he
dropped again to the ground. Sometimes on a hot day he would stick himself
high on the tree trunk for greater shade. However, he knew he could not do
this trick more than four times in one day.
A white man came along, saw him perform, and cried out, "Brother, sharpen my
leg!" Cheyenne man said, "That's not too hard. I can sharpen your leg." So
the white man stood on a large log, and with an axe the Cheyenne sharpened
his leg. "But you must remember never to perform your trick more than four
times in one day, and keep exact count."
White man then went down toward the river and saw a large tree growing on
the bank. Toward this he ran, jumped, and thrust his leg into the tree,
where it stuck. He called himself back to the ground. Again he jumped
against another tree, but only counted one. The third time he only counted
two. The fourth time, birds and animals stood by and watched as the white
man jumped high and pushed his leg on the tree, up to his knee. But he only
counted three.
Then coyotes, wolves, and other animals came to see him. Some asked, "How
did the white man learn the trick?" They begged him to show them, so they
could stick themselves to trees at night. The white man became even prouder
from all of this admiration, and the fifth time he ran harder, jumped
higher, and half his thigh entered the tree and there he stuck fast. Then he
counted four.
He called and called to bring himself down to the ground again, but he still
stuck fast. He called out all night and the next day-but nothing helped him.
He asked his animal friends to find the Cheyenne who had taught him the
trick, but no one knew whom to look for. The white man had forgotten the
secret of freeing himself, and after many days stuck in the tree, he starved
to death
Taken from George Bird Grinell. Journal of American Folklore 13 [1900 page
169]
One Cheyenne man of long ago had a pointed leg. By running and jumping
against trees he made his leg stick in them. When he said the magic word, he
dropped again to the ground. Sometimes on a hot day he would stick himself
high on the tree trunk for greater shade. However, he knew he could not do
this trick more than four times in one day.
A white man came along, saw him perform, and cried out, "Brother, sharpen my
leg!" Cheyenne man said, "That's not too hard. I can sharpen your leg." So
the white man stood on a large log, and with an axe the Cheyenne sharpened
his leg. "But you must remember never to perform your trick more than four
times in one day, and keep exact count."
White man then went down toward the river and saw a large tree growing on
the bank. Toward this he ran, jumped, and thrust his leg into the tree,
where it stuck. He called himself back to the ground. Again he jumped
against another tree, but only counted one. The third time he only counted
two. The fourth time, birds and animals stood by and watched as the white
man jumped high and pushed his leg on the tree, up to his knee. But he only
counted three.
Then coyotes, wolves, and other animals came to see him. Some asked, "How
did the white man learn the trick?" They begged him to show them, so they
could stick themselves to trees at night. The white man became even prouder
from all of this admiration, and the fifth time he ran harder, jumped
higher, and half his thigh entered the tree and there he stuck fast. Then he
counted four.
He called and called to bring himself down to the ground again, but he still
stuck fast. He called out all night and the next day-but nothing helped him.
He asked his animal friends to find the Cheyenne who had taught him the
trick, but no one knew whom to look for. The white man had forgotten the
secret of freeing himself, and after many days stuck in the tree, he starved
to death
Taken from George Bird Grinell. Journal of American Folklore 13 [1900 page
169]