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STORIES
THE IROQUOIS
TELL THEIR
CHILDREN
[Illustration]
MABEL POWERS
(YEH SEN NOH WEHS)
AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY
NEW YORK CINCINNATI CHICAGO
Copyright, 1917, by
MABEL POWERS.
_All rights reserved._
W. P. 9
[Illustration]
TO ALL THE CHILDREN WHO ASK
HOW AND WHY,
ESPECIALLY THOSE RED CHILDREN
WHO SEE WITH WONDER EYES,
AND THOSE PALEFACE CHILDREN
WHO YET BELIEVE IN FAIRIES,
THESE STORIES ARE LOVINGLY DEDICATED
[Illustration]
CONTENTS
PAGE
ACKNOWLEDGMENT 8
FOREWORD BY THE CHIEFS 9
INTRODUCTORY
HOW THE STORIES CAME TO BE 11
WHY I WAS CALLED THE STORY-TELLER 13
THE LITTLE PEOPLE 18
STORY-TELLING TIME 23
HOW THE IROQUOIS GIVE THANKS 27
A FIREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER 34
IROQUOIS WONDER STORIES
HOW THE WHITE MAN CAME 45
WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 49
HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT 60
WHY THE PARTRIDGE DRUMS 66
HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED TO HEAL 69
WHY DOGS CHASE FOXES 75
WHY HERMIT THRUSH IS SO SHY 79
HOW GOOD AND EVIL CAME TO BE 85
HOW A BOY WAS CURED OF BOASTING 90
WHY THE CUCKOO IS SO LAZY 95
HOW THE COON OUTWITTED THE FOX 99
WHY THE GOLDFINCHES LOOK LIKE THE SUN 103
WHAT THE ASH AND THE MAPLE LEARNED 107
HOW THE WOMAN OVERCAME THE BEAR 112
WHY THE WOODPECKER BORES FOR ITS FOOD 115
WHY THE ICE ROOF FELL 119
WHY THE CHIPMUNK HAS BLACK STRIPES 122
HOW TWO INDIAN BOYS SETTLED A QUARREL 125
HOW MICE OVERCAME THE WARRIORS 130
WHY CROWS ARE POOR 135
WHY THE INDIAN LOVES HIS DOG 139
GREEDY FAWN AND THE PORRIDGE 145
WHY HOUNDS OUTRUN OTHER ANIMALS 152
WHY INDIANS NEVER SHOOT PIGEONS 155
HOW OLD MAN WINTER WAS DRIVEN BACK 159
WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 168
WHY THE HARE HAS A SPLIT LIP AND SHORT TAIL 176
CORN PLUME AND BEAN MAIDEN 180
HOW THE ROBIN BURNED HIS BREAST 187
IROQUOIS FAIRY STORIES
HOW MORNING STAR LOST HER FISH 195
HOW LITTLE SHOOTER LOST HIS LUCK 201
HOW AN INDIAN BOY WON HIS NAME 205
HOW THE FAIRIES WORKED MAGIC 211
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
If the Red Children had not welcomed the writer to their lodge fires,
these stories the Iroquois tell their children could not have been
retold. With one or two exceptions, the ideas found in the stories have
been had from the lips of the Indians themselves. To ARTHUR C.
PARKER--_Ga wa so wa neh_--for his careful review of the stories and
assistance in securing authentic Iroquois illustrations; and to the
following story-tellers who so kindly welcomed her to their lodges, and
told her stories, the writer is most grateful.
EDWARD CORNPLANTER (_So son do wah_--"Great Night") Seneca Wolf
WILLIAM PATTERSON (_Ga reh hwonts_--"Power has come down") Tuscarora Deer
MOSES SHONGO (_Ho non da a suh_--"Keeper of the hills") Seneca Wolf
CLIFFORD SHONGO (_Ouhn yah dah goh_--"Very dark blue sky") Seneca Wolf
CHARLES DOXON (_Hoh squa sa ga dah_--"Woodsman") Onondaga Turtle
DANIEL GEORGE (_Jo ha a ga dah_--"Roadscraper") Onondaga Eel
MARY PRINTUP (_Wah le sa loh_) Mohawk Snipe
DAN WILLIAMS
(_Oh geh rah u reh ru ha neh_--"Running Bear") Tuscarora Bear
ELI HENRY Tuscarora Deer
HARRIETT PEMBLETON (_Gah do rehn tah_--"Dropping Husks") Tuscarora Turtle
AMOS KILLBUCK
(_Har wen do dyoh_--"He has forsaken early dawn") SProject Gutenberg
Stories the Iroquois Tell Their Children
Powers, Mabel
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