What Is The Blackfoot Legend About How The Buffalo Began?

The buffalo-hunters of the Blackfoot, were searching for their prays for meat which would keep them warm through the desolate winter moons.One of them was Sacred Otter.He had hunted Many buffaloes .While he was busy in collecting their skins off, suddenly the clouds swooped down from their place in the heavens like a flight of black eagles, and there were roars. Sacred Otter and his son hid beneath the carcass of a dead buffalo for shelter.So he made a small tent, out of the buffalo's hide, and both crawled inside. Induced by the gentle warmth, he fall asleep and dreamed.

He saw a large tent of gold of sunlight, and painted with a many stars symbolic of the North. At the back ,there was a ruddy disc of the sun with the tail of the Sacred Buffalo. The skirts of the tent were painted to represent ice, at the sides there were four yellow legs with green claws, typical of the Thunder-bird. A buffalo in glaring red frowned above the door, and bunches of crow-feathers, with small bells attached, swung and tinkled in the breeze.

Sacred Otter stood before the tent, lost in wondering,was startled when he heard a bold voice "Who is walking around the tent?" Then the voice asked him to come inside.When Sacred Otter entered ,he saw a tall, white-haired man, dressed in all in white, sitting in it. His face was painted yellow, with a red line in the region of the mouth, and another across the eyes to the ears. Across his breast he wore a mink-skin, and round his waist small strips of otter-skin, to all of which bells were attached.

After long time ,he told him thathe was Es-tonea-pesta, the Lord of Cold Weather. He control and send the driving snow and biting winds from the Northland. He told him that he had taken pity on him and his son.He gave the Snow-tipi with its symbols and medicines and a black stone pipe to Otter.

The Lord of Cold Weather then minutely explained to Sacred Otter the symbols of which he must make use in painting the lodge, and gave him the songs and ceremonies connected with it. At this juncture Sacred Otter awoke.He observed that the storm had stopped for a while,he went to his home . Sacred Otter spent the long, cold nights in making a model of the Snow-tipi and painting it as he had been directed in his dream.

He also collected the medicines as told by the old man ,necessary for the ceremony, and in the spring, when new lodges were made, he built and made the Snow-tipi. The power of Sacred Otter waxed great because of his possession of the Snow- lodge which the Lord of Cold had vouchsafed to him in dream.The tale ,soon proved to them when otter and some of his friends were again caught in the storm,they did the same as told by the man.

Gradually the sky was cleared and they soon reached it in safety.
It is said that Otter was so afraid that might offend the Lord of Cold,so he decided not to use this mystic powers again.This tale carried out from people to people.

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