The Spider Cries "Wolf"
(Rosebud Sioux)
Iktomi was walking about, looking for what he could find. He came across a herd of Hehaka, elk. It was summer. The grass was high. There was food aplenty. The elk were sleek and fat. With their huge antlers they looked so handsome, stately, and powerful. Iktomi envied the elk's beauty and way life. He looked at his reflection in the nearby stream. "How shabby I am,' he said to himself, "ugly, small, pitiful, insignificant."
Iktomi sought out the tallest among the elk. "This must be the chief," he thought. Humbly he approached, saying: "Lekshi, uncle, you are so handsome, so imposing, every inch a great chief, and I am so small, homely, hairy- a nobody. But we have one thing in common. You, mighty Hehaka, are known to have the love magic, the power to make women love you. You have the love charm, the love wink in your eye. Insignificant nobody that I am, I, too, am a great lover."
"Is that so?" said Hehaka
"Mi Lekshi, uncle of mine, you have the power, you can do anything. Make me like yourself: let me join your tribe."
"I have heard about you. They are saying bad things about you. You have a very bad reputation."
"It's just mean gossip, uncle, you know how people are. They are always bad-mouthing me because of my luck with women. They are just envious."
"They also say that you are a sniveling coward."
"Uncle, they are lying," Iktomi protested. "I am a mighty warrior. I have taken many scalps in battle. I have earned eagle feathers. I am invincible!'
"Can you spy an enemy from far, far away?" asked Hehaka. "Can you discover buffalo and other game from a great distance?"
"My eyes are sharper then those of the eagle," said Iktomi.
"Can you hear an enemy creeping stealthily up on our camp?"
"My sense of hearing is so keen," said Iktomi, "I can hear a mouse walking from a hundred paces away."
"Can you detect the scent of grizzlies, wolves, or cougars creeping up on our herd?"
"My sense of smell is so acute," said Iktomi, "I could detect their odor a mile away, even from upwind."
"Well," said Hehaka, "you might make a good member of our tribe."
"Pilamaya, thank you, uncle, but I would not like to join the Elk Nation in the puny shape I am in. Uncle, you are so very powerful, you can do anything you want. Please make me as big and tall as you."
"Well, all right," said Hehaka, and he made Iktomi big and tall.
"And could you give me a handsom shiny coat like yours?"
"Well, all right, I'll do it," said Hehaka, and gave Iktomi a new coat.
"And, uncle, would you be so kind as to give me a pair of mighty antlers?" Iktomi kept on begging.
"Well, all right," said Hehaka, "but thats enough. Don't be greedy." And so he gave Iktomi a pair of magnificent antlers.
Iktomi was capering and prancing about, showing off his new caot and antlers. "Is there anybody as handsome as I?" he crowed. "Is ther anybody stronger and braver?" Already he assumed the pose and manners of a chief. Thus he joined Hehaka Oyate, the Elk Nation.
Some weeks later, as Iktomi was resting among his new relitives, a small twig from a tree fell upon him. He was seized by panic: "Help! I've been hit by an arrow!" he screamed. "Enemies, hunters, cougars!" Then all the elk stampeded, with Iktomi way in front, leading the flight.
After a while the elk noticed that there were no hunters or predators in sight. "You scare easily," they told Iktomi. "Don't make false alarms."
A day or two later they were all resting again. An acorn fell down uon Iktomi. "Help!" he screamed. "Enemies, hunters! I've been hit by a bullet!" Again the elk stampeded, with Iktomi far in front.
After running at top speed for a while, the elk discovered that they were all alone on the empty prarie. "Didn't we tell you to give us no false warnings?" they scolded Iktomi.
Again, a few days later, as they all were walking slowly grazing, wandering from one grassy spot to another, Iktomi was caught and scratched by some thorns. "Help, help!" he cried. "I've been cut by a knife! I've been torn apart by the fangs of wild wolves!"
"There are no hunters with knives here, and no wolves," said he Hehaka Itancan, the Elk Chief. "Have we not told you to stop scaring us with your wild imaginings? You lied. You are not a mighty warrior."
Again a few days later, in the middle of the night. Iktomi awoke. hearing something rustling in the bushes. "Help, help!" Iktomi screeched. "Wake up! Enemies are coming! There must be hundeds of them!" The whole camp was in an uproar. Then, in the silvery light of the full moon, the elk discovered that it was only a little rabbit that had terrorized Iktomi.
The morning after, when Iktomi was out of earshot, the elk were whispering to each other. It had to do with Iktomi. Yhat evening they camped and went to sleep. At sunrise, when Iktomi woke up, he discovered that he was all alone. The elk had gone, he knew not where. And he was no longer an elk. He was no longer big and tall. His antlers had disappeard. Once again he was the undersized, puny, hairy, pitiful Spider-Man. It was his own fault. He had cried "wolf" once too often.
(Rosebud Sioux)
Iktomi was walking about, looking for what he could find. He came across a herd of Hehaka, elk. It was summer. The grass was high. There was food aplenty. The elk were sleek and fat. With their huge antlers they looked so handsome, stately, and powerful. Iktomi envied the elk's beauty and way life. He looked at his reflection in the nearby stream. "How shabby I am,' he said to himself, "ugly, small, pitiful, insignificant."
Iktomi sought out the tallest among the elk. "This must be the chief," he thought. Humbly he approached, saying: "Lekshi, uncle, you are so handsome, so imposing, every inch a great chief, and I am so small, homely, hairy- a nobody. But we have one thing in common. You, mighty Hehaka, are known to have the love magic, the power to make women love you. You have the love charm, the love wink in your eye. Insignificant nobody that I am, I, too, am a great lover."
"Is that so?" said Hehaka
"Mi Lekshi, uncle of mine, you have the power, you can do anything. Make me like yourself: let me join your tribe."
"I have heard about you. They are saying bad things about you. You have a very bad reputation."
"It's just mean gossip, uncle, you know how people are. They are always bad-mouthing me because of my luck with women. They are just envious."
"They also say that you are a sniveling coward."
"Uncle, they are lying," Iktomi protested. "I am a mighty warrior. I have taken many scalps in battle. I have earned eagle feathers. I am invincible!'
"Can you spy an enemy from far, far away?" asked Hehaka. "Can you discover buffalo and other game from a great distance?"
"My eyes are sharper then those of the eagle," said Iktomi.
"Can you hear an enemy creeping stealthily up on our camp?"
"My sense of hearing is so keen," said Iktomi, "I can hear a mouse walking from a hundred paces away."
"Can you detect the scent of grizzlies, wolves, or cougars creeping up on our herd?"
"My sense of smell is so acute," said Iktomi, "I could detect their odor a mile away, even from upwind."
"Well," said Hehaka, "you might make a good member of our tribe."
"Pilamaya, thank you, uncle, but I would not like to join the Elk Nation in the puny shape I am in. Uncle, you are so very powerful, you can do anything you want. Please make me as big and tall as you."
"Well, all right," said Hehaka, and he made Iktomi big and tall.
"And could you give me a handsom shiny coat like yours?"
"Well, all right, I'll do it," said Hehaka, and gave Iktomi a new coat.
"And, uncle, would you be so kind as to give me a pair of mighty antlers?" Iktomi kept on begging.
"Well, all right," said Hehaka, "but thats enough. Don't be greedy." And so he gave Iktomi a pair of magnificent antlers.
Iktomi was capering and prancing about, showing off his new caot and antlers. "Is there anybody as handsome as I?" he crowed. "Is ther anybody stronger and braver?" Already he assumed the pose and manners of a chief. Thus he joined Hehaka Oyate, the Elk Nation.
Some weeks later, as Iktomi was resting among his new relitives, a small twig from a tree fell upon him. He was seized by panic: "Help! I've been hit by an arrow!" he screamed. "Enemies, hunters, cougars!" Then all the elk stampeded, with Iktomi way in front, leading the flight.
After a while the elk noticed that there were no hunters or predators in sight. "You scare easily," they told Iktomi. "Don't make false alarms."
A day or two later they were all resting again. An acorn fell down uon Iktomi. "Help!" he screamed. "Enemies, hunters! I've been hit by a bullet!" Again the elk stampeded, with Iktomi far in front.
After running at top speed for a while, the elk discovered that they were all alone on the empty prarie. "Didn't we tell you to give us no false warnings?" they scolded Iktomi.
Again, a few days later, as they all were walking slowly grazing, wandering from one grassy spot to another, Iktomi was caught and scratched by some thorns. "Help, help!" he cried. "I've been cut by a knife! I've been torn apart by the fangs of wild wolves!"
"There are no hunters with knives here, and no wolves," said he Hehaka Itancan, the Elk Chief. "Have we not told you to stop scaring us with your wild imaginings? You lied. You are not a mighty warrior."
Again a few days later, in the middle of the night. Iktomi awoke. hearing something rustling in the bushes. "Help, help!" Iktomi screeched. "Wake up! Enemies are coming! There must be hundeds of them!" The whole camp was in an uproar. Then, in the silvery light of the full moon, the elk discovered that it was only a little rabbit that had terrorized Iktomi.
The morning after, when Iktomi was out of earshot, the elk were whispering to each other. It had to do with Iktomi. Yhat evening they camped and went to sleep. At sunrise, when Iktomi woke up, he discovered that he was all alone. The elk had gone, he knew not where. And he was no longer an elk. He was no longer big and tall. His antlers had disappeard. Once again he was the undersized, puny, hairy, pitiful Spider-Man. It was his own fault. He had cried "wolf" once too often.
