| The land comes alive with the stories of our
ancestors. The origin of one of our clans has its beginning
on the butte where these rocks lie.
"There was a man who was very fond of hunting.
When he skinned an antelope with pronged horns, he would
wear the skin over his body as a decoy and walk up to
the herd away from the wind and against the sun and
when he came close he would shoot. Then he would pack
the animal home on his back. So they named him 'Packs
Antelope'.
"A pair of Thunder-birds and their young lived
on top of a high butte (called Thunder Butte) which
no one could climb. Every year when the birds grew a
new coat of feathers they would shake off their old
feathers and the wind would carry them in the direction
of a lake named Skunk Lake. A great Serpent which lived
in the depths of the lake would come out of the lake,
cause a
heavy fog to envelope the butte and, under
its cover, would climb the butte and devour the young
thunder-birds. Now the bird watched Packs Antelope and,
seeing how powerful he was and how skillful with the
bow and arrow which had been given to the Indian by
the good spirits, decided to carry him away as he slept
to its nest on the butte. One day when he grew drowsy
after the hunt and lay down to rest, it took him away
in its claws and when he awoke he was amazed to find
himself on a flat butte with sheer rocks on the sides
too steep to climb. As he looked over, the wind blew
upward into his face. It was impossible to descend!
"As he stood crying he noticed two birds in
the nest, one a male the other a female, and the female
said, 'Stop crying, brother and come over to us!' and
she told him not to fear, for their father had adopted
him as one of their own. She related to him the danger
they were in from the serpent and how her father had
seen how brave he was and had brought him there to help
them. She sang to him her father's song which he used
when he wished to kill anything and her mother's song,
and she gave him the right to sing both songs. The brother
objected but the sister said she gave them to use when
he fought the serpent because she was afraid of its
power. These songs do not belong to me (Bear's Arm)
hence I cannot sing them; I do not understand them well.
"Away out in the south-east in the direction
of the Kildeer mountains they heard the thunder. The
girl said, 'That is my father's voice.' The next sound
of thunder was the voice of the mother. A dark cloud
lay on the horizon and a windstorm arose. He lay down
flat, the hot wind went by and when he looked up there
were the two parents of the Thunder-birds. The male
bird told him he would do all he could to shift the
wind but he had to trust the boy's skill. The serpent's
breath smelled like something spoiled burning; he would
know by this smell when it was approaching. It was double-headed
and on the throat of each head was a white spot where
it was vulnerable. When that spot was hit the snake
would open its mouth and thus make an easy mark, but
he must guard himself against the lightning. The sandstone
on the butte would be no protection, hence he must have
a barricade of rocks of a more solid composition brought
from other hills. Then the birds taught him their songs
and departed.
"The next day Packs Antelope bade the birds
shake their feathers. The wind was at that time blowing
toward the lake. Packs Antelope took in his hand all
the arrows he had and slid them forward. Four fell ahead
of the rest. He straightened these, tested the heads
to see if they were tight, tightened his wristlet made
of hide to protect his wrist in pulling the string.
He kept guard and after midnight felt the fog surrounding
the butte. They could hear the snake coming and smell
something like old moccasins burning. He knew the serpent
was approaching.
| "He went over to the heap of stones where it
generally appeared, got behind it and waited for the
snake to show its head. When the head came he watched
for the white spot on the throat, drove an arrow in,
dodged the lightning emitted by the serpent, and when
the creature opened its mouth he shot a second arrow
and could hear the head fall and the rocks tumble. He
ran around to the second barricade and sent an arrow
into the white spot on the second throat, dodged the
lightning and shot an arrow into the open mouth. Just
as he had shot the last of the four arrows the sun rose
over the hills to the east. The fog ascended into the
clouds. He went along the edge of the cliff and could
see the double-headed snake circling the butte. On the
side he had shot first the stones had fallen and he
thought he could climb down. |
Pack's Antelope
Drawing by David Ripley |
"Just then the thunder sounded, a cloud came
over him, a great wind blew and a few drops of rain
fell. There were the birds sitting on the butte. Fourfold
was their joy when they saw the snake. Thunder-bird
laid four of his war implements before Packs Antelope
and told him to take his pick. He chose a mean looking
implement as he had been instructed by the daughter.
Thunder-bird said he had chosen well; this was the most
powerful implement of the four. It was to be used when
he sang the songs the daughter had taught him. He instructed
him to go to the edge of the butte, make a motion as
if to cut up the snake and instantly it would fall to
pieces. He did so and the serpent fell into four parts.
Then he was instructed to go to the edge, face each
direction in turn and invite the birds from the four
corners of the earth to a feast. When the birds came,
one part was given to those from each direction - north,
south, east, and west, and they blessed their son and
promised that he should be a leading man of his people,
a successful warrior and one able to control rain. After
he had gone back to his own clan, whenever they had
made a good kill if a rainstorm was coming he should
wave his arms and the rain would split and go around
them, or by motioning with his arms he could draw the
rain toward them.
"The birds wished Packs Antelope to remain
with them for a time. They roamed over the breaks of
the Little Missouri and he used his power to destroy
many of the evil things beneath the earth. Our grandfather
who lives in the river thought, 'Now Packs Antelope
has done his duty in killing the serpent and he should
refuse further expeditions and live among his own people.' |
