Told by Mrs. Joseph Kenice.
The other plan that Nanabush made to get these ducks was this: He and
his mother made a big camp (lodge or wigwam) and invited all the
different kinds of ducks to come to a big dance on such a day set apart
for the dance. All the ducks came and when they came up Nanabush
started to sing a song. Before the dance started he told the ducks that
they had to keep their eyes closed when they danced and had to dance
around the middle of the camp. Nanabush seated himself near the door
and as the ducks would dance near him he would grab them and twist
their necks and throw them behind him (York exemplified this by
gestures) and got quite a lot this time. But one of the birds, a diver,
opened her eyes a little bit and saw what Nanabush was doing. She made
for the door and told all the ducks to run away. Nanabush made for the
one that told on him. He got the duck in the door as she was going out
and reached out his foot and stamped on her as she went past, and this
is the reason the diver has flat feet and legs that stick out behind.
These are some of Nanabush’s works while he lived. This ends this
story.
Note by G. E. L.—The song that Nanabush sang for the ducks was called
“Ki-ah-wah-na,” which, according to York, means “Something that has
been used to get such a thing or to do such a thing with. May have been
an axe or a knife, etc.” This is very indefinite, but is just what York
explained, that it was difficult to understand. I fail to see any
connection with the ducks as in other variations of this story.