Oglala Sun Dance: Narratives: When Wohpe Came to the World

WHEN WOHPE CAME TO THE WORLD.

Before the directions were given to the world Tate with his four sons and his little son dwelt in his round lodge beyond the region of the pines. At midday the sun looked through the door of the lodge toward the place of honor to see that all was well with Tate. The seat of Tate was the place of honor and that of his oldest son, Yata, was beside him. The seat of the second-born son, Eya, was at the right side of the lodge, and that of the third-born son, Yanpa, was at the left side, while that of the youngest son, Okaga, was beside the door. His little son, Yum, had no birth; therefore, he had no seat in the lodge, but sat where he chose.

Tate did the woman's work in the lodge. Each morning his four sons set out to travel over the world. Sometimes Yum traveled with Okaga. One time when all the sons were away something shining fell near the lodge and Tate went to look at it. It was a woman wearing a soft white dress. She carried a queer pouch that was marked with strange symbols. He asked her whence she came and she said she came from the stars. He asked her whither she would go. She replied that her father had sent her to find friends on the earth. He asked who was her father; she said that the sky was her father. Then Tate told her to come with him to live in his lodge. He bade her tell his sons nothing of who she was or whence she came. He gave her the woman's seat in the lodge. When he began to make a robe of tanned skin she said she would do the woman's work in the lodge, so he gave her the skin.

She took from her pouch a sharp stone and cut the skin into queer patterns. Then she took from the pouch an awl and sinew thread and quickly sewed the pieces together and made a garment which she gave to Tate and showed him how to wear it.

In the evening, Yata came striding to the door and jerked the flap aside and looked inside the lodge. He saw the woman and then he gazed at his father. He went away from the lodge and sat and stared at the ground. Soon Eya came, singing and hallowing, and threw the flap up and looked inside the lodge. He saw the woman and his father; he looked from one to the other, and then sat beside Yata and gazed at the ground. Then Yanpa strolled up to the lodge and raised the flap and started to go in, when he saw the woman. He looked at her and then at his father, and then at the lodge inside and out. Then he went and sat with Yata and Eya and he too gazed at the ground.

Then the woman asked Tate what he most wished to eat. He replied he would like tripe and wild turnips and soup. She took from her pouch a new wooden bowl and platter and from the cooking bag tripe and boiled turnips and she dipped the bowl full of soup from it. She gave these to Tate and called him her father. The brothers all looked at her and then at their father, but he only gazed at the fire And smiled. Then she called Yata, her brother, and asked him what he most wished to eat. He said he wished boiled flesh and fat and pemmican and soup. She took from her pouch a new bowl and platter of wood, and from the cooking bag, boiled flesh and fat, and she dipped from it the bowl full of soup, and she placed pemmican on the platter, and gave it all to Yata. Then she called Eya, her brother, and asked him what he wished to eat. He told her he wanted a boiled duck and wild rice and soup. Again, she took a platter and bowl from her pouch, and from the bag a duck and rice and placed them on the platter, and dipped the bowl full of soup and gave them to Eya. Then she called Yanpa, her brother, and asked him what he wished. He said he wanted tripe, flesh, fat, a duck, turnips, rice, and soup. She put all these things on a platter and in the bowl that she took from her pouch and gave them to Yanpa. Then she took from her pouch a little platter and a little bowl. On the platter she put strange food and in the bowl strange drink that had an odor like sweetgrass. She handed these to Yum and told him to give them to his brother who