_Arikara_
The Arikara were the first to find the maize. A young man went out
hunting. He came to a high hill. Looking down a valley, he saw a
buffalo bull near where two rivers joined. When the young man looked
to see how he could kill the buffalo, he saw how beautiful the country
was. The banks of the two rivers were low, with many trees. The
buffalo faced the north; therefore he could not get within bowshot of
him. He thought he should wait until the buffalo moved close to the
banks of one of the rivers, or to a ravine where there were bushes and
shrubs. So the young man waited. The sun went down before the buffalo
moved.
Nearly all night the hunter lay awake. He had little food. He felt
sorry he could not reach the buffalo. Before the sun rose, he hurried
to the top of the hill. The buffalo stood just where it had, but it
faced the east. Again he waited for it to move. He waited all day.
When the sun went down, the buffalo still stood in the same place.
Nearly all night the young man lay awake. He had very little food
indeed. The next morning he rose early, and came to the top of the
hill, just as the sun came up. The buffalo was still standing in the
same place; but now it faced the south. He waited all day. Then the
sun went down.
Now the next morning, when he arose early, the buffalo stood in the
same place; this time it faced the west. All day the young man waited,
but the buffalo did not move.
Now the young man thought, "Why does not the buffalo move?" He saw it
did not drink, did not eat, did not sleep. He thought some power must
be influencing it.
Now the next morning, the young man hurried to the top of the hill.
The sun had risen and everything was light. The buffalo was gone. Then
he saw where the buffalo had stood there was a strange bush.
He went to the place; then he saw it was a plant. He looked for the
tracks of the buffalo. He saw where it had turned to the east and to
the south and to the west. In the center there was one track; out of
it the small plant had grown. There was no track to show where the
buffalo had left the place.
Then the hunter hurried to his village. He told the chiefs and the
people of the strange buffalo and the plant. So all the chiefs and
the people came to the place. They saw the tracks of the buffalo as he
had stood, but there were no tracks of his coming or going.
So all the people knew that Wahkoda had given this strange plant to
the people. They knew of other plants they might eat. They knew there
was a time when each plant was ripe. So they watched the strange
plant; they guarded it and protected it.
Then a flower appeared on the plant. Afterwards, at one of the joints,
a new part of the plant pushed out. It had hair. At first the hair was
green; then it was brown. Then the people thought, "Perhaps this fruit
is ripe." But they did not dare touch it. They met together. They
looked at the plant.
Then a young man said, "My life has not been good. If any evil comes
to me, it will not matter."
So the people were willing, and the young man put his hand on the
plant and then on its fruit. He grasped the fruit boldly. He said to
the people, "It is solid. It is ripe." Then he pulled apart the husks,
and said, "It is red."
He took a few of the grains and showed them to the people. He ate
some. He did not die. So the people knew Wahkoda had sent this plant
to them for food.
Now in the fall, when the prairie grass turned brown, the leaves of
this plant turned brown also. Then the fruit was plucked, and put
away. After the winter was over, the kernels were divided. There were
four to each family.
Then the people moved the lodges to the place where the plant had
grown. When the hills became green, they planted the seed of the
strange plant. But first they built little mounds like the one out of
which it grew. So the fruit grew and ripened. It had many colors; red,
and yellow, and white, and blue.
Then the next year there were many plants and many ears of corn. So
they sent to other tribes. They invited them to visit them and gave
them of the new food. Thus the Omahas came to have corn.