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009 - Iktomi And The Turtle · Old Native American Legends

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  Speaker 1: Old Indian Legends by Zitkala Shah, section nine. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Old Indian Legends section nine. Iktomi and the Turtle. The
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  Speaker 1: huntsman pot Kasa, which means turtle, stood bent over a
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  Speaker 1: newly slain deer. The red tipped arrow he drew from
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  Speaker 1: the wounded deer was unlike the arrows in his own quiver.
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  Speaker 1: Another stray shot had killed the deer. Potkasa had hunted
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  Speaker 1: all the morning without so much as spying an ordinary blackbird.
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  Speaker 1: At last, returning homeward, tired and heavy hearted, that he
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  Speaker 1: had no meat for the hungry mouths in his wigwam,
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  Speaker 1: he walked slowly with downcast eyes. Kind ghosts pitied the
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  Speaker 1: unhappy hunter and led him to the newly slain deer,
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  Speaker 1: that his children should not cry for food. When Patkassa
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  Speaker 1: stumbled upon the deer in his path, he exclaimed, good
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  Speaker 1: spirits have pushed me hither. Thus he leaned long over
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  Speaker 1: the gift of the friendly ghosts. How my friend, said
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  Speaker 1: a voice behind his ear, and a hand fell on
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  Speaker 1: his shoulder. It was not a spirit this time, it
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  Speaker 1: was old Iktomi. How Iktomi answered Patkassa, still stooping over
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  Speaker 1: the dear my friend, you are a skilled hunter, began Iktoma,
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  Speaker 1: smiling a thin smile which spread from one ear to
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  Speaker 1: the other. Suddenly raising up his head, pot Kassa's black
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  Speaker 1: eyes twinkled as he asked, Oh you really say so, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: my friend, you are a skillful fellow. Now let us
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  Speaker 1: have a little contest. Let us see who can jump
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  Speaker 1: over the deer without touching a hair on its hide,
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  Speaker 1: suggested Iktomi. Oh I fear I cannot do it, cried
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  Speaker 1: put Kassa, rubbing his funny thick palms together. Have no
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  Speaker 1: coward stout put Kassa. I say you are a skillful
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  Speaker 1: fellow who finds nothing hard to do. With these words,
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  Speaker 1: Iktoma led pot Kassa a short distance away in little puffs.
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  Speaker 1: Pot Kassa laughed uneasily. Now you may jump first, said Iktomi.
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  Speaker 1: Pot Kasa, with doubled fists, swung his fat arms to
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  Speaker 1: and fro, all the while biting hard his upper lip.
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  Speaker 1: Just before the run and leap, Iktomai put in let
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  Speaker 1: the winner have the deer to eat. It was too
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  Speaker 1: late now to say no. Pot Kassa was more afraid
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  Speaker 1: of being called a coward than of losing the deer.
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  Speaker 1: Oh wah, he replied, Still working his short arms at length,
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  Speaker 1: he started off on the run. So quick and small
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  Speaker 1: were his steps that he seemed to be kicking the
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  Speaker 1: ground only the leap, But put Kassa tripped upon a
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  Speaker 1: stick and fell hard against the side of the deer.
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  Speaker 1: He he, he exclaimed Iktomi, pretending disappointment that his friend
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  Speaker 1: had fallen. Lifting him to his feet, he said, now
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  Speaker 1: it is my turn to try the high jump. Hardly
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  Speaker 1: was the last word spoken than Iktomi gave a leap
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  Speaker 1: high above the deer. This game is mine, laughed he,
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  Speaker 1: patting the sullen Patkasa on the back. My friend watched
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  Speaker 1: the deer while I go to bring my children, said Iktomi,
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  Speaker 1: darting lightly through the tall grass. Pat Kassa was always
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  Speaker 1: ready to believe the words of scheming people and to
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  Speaker 1: do the little favors anyone asked of him. However, on
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  Speaker 1: this occasion he did not answer, yes, my friend. He
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  Speaker 1: realized that Iktomai's flattering tongue had made him foolish. He
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  Speaker 1: turned up his nose at Iktomi, now almost out of sight,
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  Speaker 1: as much as to say, oh, no, Ikto, I do
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  Speaker 1: not hear your words. Soon there came a murmur of voices.
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  Speaker 1: The sound of laughter grew louder and louder. All of
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  Speaker 1: a sudden it became hushed. Old Iktomai led his young
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  Speaker 1: Iktomi brood to the place where he had left the turtle.
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  Speaker 1: But it was vacant. Nowhere was there any sign of
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  Speaker 1: Patkasa or the deer. Then the babies did howl. Be still,
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  Speaker 1: said father Iktomai to his children, I know where Patkasa lives.
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  Speaker 1: Follow me, I shall take you to the turtle's dwelling.
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  Speaker 1: He ran along a narrow footpath toward the creek near by.
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  Speaker 1: Close upon his heels came his children with tear streaked faces. There,
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  Speaker 1: said Iktomi in a loud whisper, as he gathered his
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  Speaker 1: little ones on the bank. There is Potkasa broiling venison.
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  Speaker 1: There is his teepee, and the savory fire is in
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  Speaker 1: his front yard. The young Iktomis stretched their necks and
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  Speaker 1: rolled their round black eyes like newly hatched birds. They
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  Speaker 1: peered into the water. Now, I will cool pot Cassa's fire.
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  Speaker 1: I shall bring you the broiled venison. Watch closely. When
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  Speaker 1: you see the black coals rise to the surface of
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  Speaker 1: the water, clap your hands and shout aloud, For soon
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  Speaker 1: after that sign I shall return to you with some
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  Speaker 1: tender meat. Thus saying, Iktomi plunged into the creek, splash, splash.
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  Speaker 1: The water leaped upward into spray. Scarcely had it become
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  Speaker 1: leveled and smooth, than there bubbled up many black spots.
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  Speaker 1: The creek was seething with the dancing of round black
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  Speaker 1: things the cooled fire. The coals laughed the brood of Iktomi's.
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  Speaker 1: Clapping together their little hands, they chased one another along
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  Speaker 1: the edge of the creek. They shouted and hooted with
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  Speaker 1: great glee. AHAs said a gruff voice across the water.
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  Speaker 1: It was Patkasa in a large willow tree, leaning far
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  Speaker 1: over the water. He sat upon a large limb. On
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  Speaker 1: the very same branch was a bright burning fire, over
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  Speaker 1: which Patkasa broiled the venison. By this time the water
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  Speaker 1: was calm again. No more danced those black spots on
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  Speaker 1: its surface, for they were the toes of Old Iktomi.
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  Speaker 1: He was drowned. The Iktomi children hurried away from the creek,
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  Speaker 1: crying and calling for their water, dead father and of
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  Speaker 1: Section nine. Recording by Robert Scott, July thirty first, two
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  Speaker 1: thousand seven.