Makoyohsokoyi (Story of the Wolf Trail, a.k.a. Milky Way)

In the early part of a very long-ago winter, the Pikû'ni were encamped south of Elk River (Red Deer River, Alberta) and killing buffalo as they needed them. But one morning, when they arose and went outside their lodges, they could not see any of the animals, not even a single old bull. Where, at sunset, herds of them had grazed, there was now naught but lifeless plain; not even an antelope upon it. But this did not cause the people to worry; all were confident that the herds would soon return; so the hunters rested in their lodges, smoking, gambling, dancing, telling stories, and eating of the dried meat and pemmican, back fat, and berry soup that their women set before them. Days and nights passed; the plain remained barren of the buffalo and antelope, the dry food supply of the people diminished, and, when starvation faced them, they broke camp and went in search of the vanished herds; all but one man, who said that he would remain right where he was, for he was certain that the buffalo would soon return.

This man, White Eagle, had two wives and a son of about ten winters. When the dried food in his lodge was gone, he had them go out and gather berries; and when the few that they could find had been eaten, they began to starve.

To the north of this starving family, at Shell Butte, on Elk River, were encamped all the various kinds of meat-eating animals, each kind in a group by itself; the lodges in the particular part of the camp circle which belonged to each kind. In that long-ago time, it must be remembered, the various kinds of animals had the power — given to them by Sun himself — to change themselves into human beings, and back into their right selves, whenever they chose to do so.
Each kind of animals in this great camp circle had its chief, and the greatest of them all was Chief Spotted Wolf. After him in importance was Big Wolf; then in the following order came Black Wolf, Mountain Lion, and Lynx. These were the head chiefs. The lesser chiefs were: Coyote, Wolverine, Red Fox, Black Fox, Badger, Skunk.

Spotted Wolf's son, wandering about upon the plain one evening, discovered the lodge of the starving people; by the red glow of the fire within it, he knew that it was occupied. He cautiously, silently went up to it, looked in, and was surprised when he saw that the occupants were human beings and apparently dying from want of food. He felt great pity for them, and at once turned homeward, arriving in camp just as day was breaking; and when he told his father what he had discovered, he, too, at once felt pity for the starving people. He called a council of the chiefs about it, and they decided that the poor human beings should be helped. They ordered the sons of Big Wolf, Coyote, Red Fox, and Black Fox to go to their aid, as they were all four of them very swift of feet. They departed, carrying food for the starving ones.

That evening, White Eagle and his family heard the crunching of snow; footsteps of persons approaching their lodge; and then the stamping of feet just outside the doorway.

‘Come in, come in,’ White Eagle feebly called out, and entered, one by one, four strangers, each with a pouch of food, which he at once laid upon the women’s side of the lodge. White Eagle told them that they were welcome in his poor lodge. He gave them seats upon the guest side of the lodge, noticing their dress as they took their places. Each one wore a robe of the animal which he really was, and a headdress, too, and all had necklaces of shells. It was noticed that their faces were rather long and narrow. Wolf was their spokesman. He told White Eagle that, learning of the trouble he was in, the chief of his camp had sent him and his companions to aid him. There in the pouches was food: dried entrails, dried back fat. He advised that the starving ones should eat sparingly at first. The camp of his people was at Shell Butte, and the head chief, named Spotted Wolf, wanted the starving ones to move up there, where they would have plenty to eat.

The starving ones ate but a little of the food so strangely brought to them, and were not troubled in their insides. They did not know what to think of their four visitors; they had never seen the like of them. White Eagle wanted to ask who they were, of what tribe, but was afraid to question them.
The next morning Big Wolf's son said to White Eagle: 'We brought you but a little food, not sufficient for our need while traveling, so this morning we four will go out and make a killing in a herd of buffalo that we saw, yesterday, not far from here.'

'Ha! The buffalo have returned, then! I thought that they would. I am glad. I will go with you,' said White Eagle.

'No. You are weak from long starvation. You remain here in your lodge. We will soon return with plenty of meat, you and your family will eat plenty of it, and so be strong enough to start for our camp in the morning,' Big Wolf replied.

The four took up their weapons and went off northward, and a little later, White Eagle followed their trail, to learn what he could of them. He saw them in the distance, walking along in single file, and suddenly they disappeared; vanished, right in the open plain. Then appeared a small herd of buffalo, swiftly running, and he saw four animals in pursuit, the leader a wolf, next a coyote, then a black fox, and last a red fox. He saw the wolf cut a small buffalo from the herd, seize it by its head, and bring it to the ground, and at that all four of the animals tore into its throat and soon killed it.

Greatly troubled, White Eagle hurried home and told his women what he had seen. They replied that he must have been mistaken. There was no mistake about it; his eyes did not lie, he said. Actually, the four had suddenly changed into animals, and in pursuing the buffalo they had ran with their tails stiffly up, each in the line according to his fleetness, wolf first, coyote next, black fox third, and red fox last. At that, his women believed he was telling the truth. They were terribly worried; so was he; they knew not what to do. Said one of the women: 'My man, the things that the four wear are proof that they are really animals. Each of them has a robe and a headdress, representative of his own kind. Yes, and even each one's face has a certain resemblance to the face of the animal that he really is. Oh, what shall we do? What shall we do?'

'They are four, and I am but one, and weak. We must do as they say. They have fed us; they are after more meat for us; it may be that they intend to do us not harm, but good,' White Eagle replied.

Came in Black Fox and Red Fox with some fat meat; then Wolf and Coyote with more meat, and all ate heartily, each broiling pieces of it before the fire. The women then cut the remainder of the meat into thin strips and hung the pieces above the fire to dry. All was going well, so White Eagle and his women and his son lost most of their fear of the strange guests.

On the following morning, they broke camp and moved northward. The animal-men went well ahead, and when the others overtook them, near night, there was the snow cleared away where the lodge was to stand, and the ice in the river had been broken, so that the women could easily get water. This kindness on the part of the animal-men lessened White Eagle's and his women's fear of them. In the evening, after all had finished eating, Big Wolf said that he and his companions would go on to their camp, which was now not far away, and that he himself would return in the morning to guide White Eagle to it. They all arose and left the lodge, and one of the women, quickly looking out through a slit in the door curtain, gave a little cry of fear, and, turning back to her couch, said that she had seen them going off in their other, their animal shapes, tails stiffly up and running swiftly.

Fear again came upon the four in the little lodge. What was the end of this to be, this intercourse they were having with animal-men? Were they, perhaps, being decoyed on to some terrible fate?
The four young animal-men returned to their camp and told Big Wolf and the other chiefs that they had taken the food to the human beings just in time to save them from starving to death, and that they now had the lodge of them near by, and would bring them on to the big camp circle on the following day.

The lesser chiefs left to Big Wolf just what should be done in the way of receiving the human beings and entertaining them. In the morning, when his son left to guide them in to camp, he ordered all the animals to turn into human beings and set up their lodges, and told his wives to clear the snow from the place where the strangers would put up their lodge. Furthermore, he ordered that all should remain in their lodges when the humans arrived, so that they would not be embarrassed by being stared at. He knew that his animal kinds would be eager to see the arrivals, for very few of them, up to this time, had ever seen real human beings.

It was midday when Big Wolf's son brought White Eagle and his family to the great camp of the animals. They saw that the lodges were, the most of them, large and well made, but thought it strange that the occupants were all of them inside; not even a single child was in sight. Their guide led them to the cleared space where they were to set up their lodge, and his wife came out and helped them set it. When that was done, their guide said to White Eagle: 'My father, Big Wolf, invites you to his lodge, so come with me.'

This lodge of Big Wolf, head chief of the camp, was a very large one. Just above the doorway was a finely tanned wolfskin, decorated with feathers of bright colors. As they were about to enter the lodge, they heard Big Wolf singing a beautiful, a powerful song, one beginning with the words, 'My lodge is sacred.' He ceased singing it, and ordered his woman to set fire to some incense; and as the sweet-scented smoke arose, he called out to White Eagle, 'Enter, my friend.' And then, motioning him to a seat on his right: 'I welcome you. My friend, this, my lodge, I give to you, and also my songs, my sacred songs.'

White Eagle remained in the lodge for some time, learning the sacred songs, and talking with his host about various things, and as he was about to leave, his host said to him: 'The chief of each band of us here will in turn invite you to his lodge. I advise you to accept all the invitations except two. When the chief of the skunks invites you, do not go to his lodge, for you know what they are, what a fearful odor they emit. The badgers are nearly as odorous as the skunks, so, when the badger chief invites you, as he surely will, be you deaf to his call, as you were when Chief Skunk shouted his invitation. Another thing: do not you, your women nor your son, pick up any property that you may see lying about in camp, else there will be trouble. Be sure to tell your family this, as soon as you get home.'

White Eagle did that. He and his women wondered just what Big Wolf meant by the warning; what would happen if they did take something in the camp. But they decided to take no chances; no matter what they might see lying about, no matter how valuable it might be, they would not even touch it.

On the following morning, the chief of the Big Long-Tails (cougar, mountain lion) had his women dress in their best, take food to White Eagle and his family, with an invitation for him to visit the chief. These women had their faces painted yellow, that being the sacred color paint of the Big Long-Tails.

White Eagle found that the lodge of this chief was painted yellow. Above the doorway was a tanned big long-tail skin, beautifully tanned, and decorated with bright-colored feathers. The chief welcomed him, feasted him, and talked with him about various things, and then, as Big Wolf had done, advised him that he should avoid a certain black greasy lodge in the camp circle, and a squatty poor lodge next to it. The one, the lodge of Chief Skunk, the other, the squatty one, Chief Badger's lodge. Both these chiefs were unpleasant to meet, because of the bad odor that they constantly emitted.

On the next day, White Eagle was called to the lodge of Black Wolf, and found him a very handsome, dark-faced man. And again he was advised to keep away from Chief Skunk and Chief Badger. He began to feel sorry for the two; they seemed to have no friends in the big camp.
Next to invite White Eagle was Little Long-Tail (lynx). He was of rather poor appearance; his lodge and his women were just ordinary. But, like the other chiefs, he gave White Eagle his lodge, and taught him the sacred songs that went with it. Also, even more strongly than the others, he advised him to keep away from Chief Skunk and Chief Badger.

The chief of the coyotes was next to invite the man to sit and feast with him. He was a very handsome man; had a fine lodge; fine women. He, too, advised White Eagle to be deaf to any invitation from Chief Skunk and Chief Badger to visit in their lodges.

On this day, Big Wolf came out of his lodge and made an explanation to the camp: 'The reason I am having you all invite this human being to visit you in your lodges is, that he and his women are not our kind, and I want you to become well acquainted with him.'

Red Fox, and then Black Fox, feasted White Eagle, gave him their lodges, and their sacred songs. After he had visited them, Chief Kit Fox invited him. These last were very slender people, with thin, sharp faces. This chief also advised the man to keep away from the black greasy lodge and the squatty lodge, in which lived the bad odored Skunk Chief, and the Badger Chief.
White Eagle had now visited all the chiefs of the camp, except Skunk and Badger. Big Wolf had invited Chief Wolverine and his people to join the camp, but, for some unknown reason, he refused to come near it. He remained at some distance up the river, where there was a buffalo fall.

On the morning after White Eagle visited Kit Fox, Chief Skunk came out of his lodge, and, in a clear, loud voice, invited the man to come and sit and feast with him.

Said White Eagle to his women: 'There! That is the invitation I have been dreading to hear. You know that we have been advised to have nothing to do with him. Well, I will not go to his lodge.'

Just then all the people of the great camp turned back into the kinds of animals which they really were. Several of them snapped at, actually bit White Eagle's son, and then they all ran off; all but Chief Skunk, who stood stiffly in front of his lodge, tail straight up. The boy came running and crying to his father.

'What have you done? Have you taken something that does not belong to you?' White Eagle demanded.

Crying, terribly frightened, the boy brought out an arrow from under his robe. A beautifully straight, flint-tipped arrow, with eagle feathers tied to it. He held it to his breast and it immediately turned into dung.

'There! That was the cause of the trouble here,' said White Eagle. He remembered what Big Wolf had told him should be done in case this rule should be broken: 'Quick! Throw upon the fire the dried buffalo paunch and the dried buffalo entrails that Big Wolf's women brought to us,' he shouted to his women. They did that, and at once all the various kinds of animals turned back into the forms of human beings and returned to their lodges. And at that, White Eagle went to Big Wolf and said that he was sorry that his son had caused so much trouble.

'Don't let it happen again,' Big Wolf replied.

On the following day, the Badger Chief stepped from his lodge and shouted invitation to White Eagle to sit and feast with him.

'There! Another call that I have been dreading to hear,' White Eagle muttered.
'You had better heed it; you had better go,' his women urged.

'Of course you would say that. You women, you are always getting men into trouble,' he replied.
Again Badger Chief shouted the invitation. White Eagle squirmed about upon his couch; shook his head. His women stared at him.

Then a third time Badger Chief shouted to him to come to his lodge. He let out a big sigh, did White Eagle; he clapped his hands together; twisted about in his seat.

'You had better go,' his oldest woman told him.

'Yes, go!' his other one advised.

He arose, wrapped his robe about him, and went across the big camp circle to Badger Chief's lodge. Chief Skunk, peeking out from his lodge, saw him entering it; said to himself: 'There goes the human being into Badger's lodge. He did not pay any attention to the call I gave him. Well, to-morrow I will again invite him over.'

Said Badger Chief to White Eagle, as he entered the lodge: 'It is well for you that you came at my third call. If I had been obliged to call you a fourth time — well, I will only say that it is all right now.'

In that far-back time, wild turnips were used for incense, as well as the better-odored sweet-grass. Badger Chief held up some dried and powdered turnip, put it upon some coals and sang:
'The earth is sacred. My lodge is sacred. We, the Badgers, are the most powerful of all the animals.'

And then he told White Eagle that he gave him his lodge and the sacred songs that belonged to it.

That is why the skin of a badger, as well as the skins of the other kinds of animals that were in that great camp circle, is always used in the ceremonies connected with the building of the great lodge that we give to Sun, every summer.

Lastly, as White Eagle was about to return to his lodge, Badger Chief said to him: 'The one next to me, he of the black greasy lodge, he has a very bad odor; don't go near him.'
Upon his way home, White Eagle dropped into the lodge of Big Wolf, told him where he had been, and said that he believed Badger Chief to be very powerful.

'You are right. He is not tall and swift as the rest of us are, but actually he is the most powerful of us all,' Big Wolf replied.

White Eagle and his women now noticed that the various bands of the big camp were becoming very restless, very active, the young people particularly. They went here and there in large crowds; they had exciting times all through the long nights. Big Wolf gave the reason for it: this was the mating, the breeding season.

Early the next morning, Chief Skunk put on his best clothing, set his skunkskin cap upon his head, went outside his lodge, and shouted invitation to White Eagle to come and feast with him.
'Hear him, that invitation shouter. Who is he?' White Eagle said to his women.

One of them went outside, quickly returned, and said: 'He is the chief of the Skunks. All dressed up, standing there in front of his lodge; looking this way; expecting you to go to him.'

'I cannot go to his lodge; the chiefs of all the other bands have advised me to keep away from Chief Skunk,' White Eagle replied.

Soon they heard Chief Skunk again shout the invitation; and then again; and, finally a fourth time, which, of course, would be the last time.

One of the women peeked out at him. 'He is still standing out there, looking this way,' she reported.

'Ha! He bows his head; his body bends over; he is turning around; going slowly into his lodge; his heart is low,' she concluded.

'I can't help it; they all told me to keep away from him. I must do as they say,' White Eagle replied.
Soon after this, camp was moved down-river to fresh hunting ground.

There, later on, Big Wolf said to White Eagle: 'You see that the women of our great camp are getting big with the young within them. Well, we are all going to separate, scatter out widely, so that the women may bring forth their young in quietness and safety. So is it that you and yours must return to your people. Prepare to start tomorrow. I am going to send my son, and Chief Coyote's son, and Black Fox's son, to guide you to your people, and keep you supplied with meat until you meet them. Forget not all that we have done for you: given you our various powerful lodges, taught you the songs that go with them. You, in turn, give the lodges, the songs, to leading members of your people, all but one of them, which you will keep for yourself.'

'You have been very good to us; very generous. As you have said, so will I do,' White Eagle replied.

The great camp was broken on the following morning. White Eagle's guides, Big Wolf's son, the sons of Chief Coyote and Chief Black Fox, led off to the south, and he and his family followed. As they topped the rim of the valley and looked back down into it, they saw that all the bands of the great camp had changed into the animals that they really were, and were hurrying off in all directions to seek dens in which the females could bring forth their young. It was a wonderful sight.

White Eagle's guides kept well in the lead. Each day they killed a buffalo or other meat animal for the party. On the fourth day of their southward journey, they sighted a camp of many lodges, and Big Wolf went on ahead to investigate it. He brought back a pair of moccasins which he found near the camp, and White Eagle knew, as soon as he saw them, that they were moccasins of his own tribe. Whereupon Big Wolf said to him: 'You and yours go on and set up your lodge in the camp, and we will wait here until sundown, when, after you have burned some incense, we will join you. Do not tell your kind that we are really animals, and for this night have no visitors in your lodge.'

The family moved on into the camp and set up their lodge. The people were surprised to see them, as they believed that they were long since dead from want of food, or else had been killed by members of some enemy tribe.

Soon after Sun went down, White Eagle shouted out, so loudly that all in camp could hear him: 'My people, this I ask of you: Do not visit me to-night, as I have something to do that is very difficult.'

Soon after he made this request, a wolf howled near the camp, and the dogs howled and howled in answer. At that, White Eagle put some sweetgrass upon some coals that he drew from the lodge fire, and, as the scented smoke arose, the wolf howled again. But this time the dogs of the camp did not answer; they remained quiet, every one of them.

Soon a coyote was heard, yelping and yelping near camp. All the dogs yelped in answer. White Eagle burned more sweetgrass. Again the coyote yelped, and not a dog of the camp made answer.

Next, and last, a near-by fox gave his hoarse and cough-like bark, and all the camp dogs barked in answer to it. Again White Eagle burned sweetgrass, again the fox barked, and the camp dogs did not even whine; they remained silent, listening, every one of them. And the people, listening, too, wondered what all this meant, and were uneasy. And soon word was passed from lodge to lodge that three beautifully clothed men, strangers, had been seen entering White Eagle's lodge.

On the following morning, visitors were made welcome in White Eagle's lodge. They met there three beautifully clothed young men who were, White Eagle told them, his close friends: Big Wolf, Coyote, and Black Fox, with whom, and their three tribes, he had wintered. The visitors liked them, invited them to their lodges, became very friendly with them.

Now came summer. Camp was moved to fresh game country, and a number of the men prepared to go to war. Hearing of it, Big Wolf had them gather in White Eagle's lodge, and told them that he and his two friends would go with them against the enemy. And, to make sure that they would be successful, he taught them the wolf songs, they all sitting there in the lodge, and with sticks beating the couch rails in time to the songs, the first time that had ever been done. And from that far-back time, all war parties have sung those songs in that way, those powerful songs of the wolf, with sticks beating time to them.

Having learned the songs, the war party set out, accompanied by the three strangers. Days passed without news of the party. Then came back the three, Big Wolf, Coyote, and Black Fox, and reported that the party had fought a party of Crows, killed many of them, and would arrive home on a certain day. They did not say that they had turned back into their real selves, in order quickly to bring the good news, but White Eagle and his family knew it, and kept it to themselves. The war party did return on the day named, bringing many scalps and many belongings of the enemy, and the people rejoiced.

And now Coyote and Black Fox became anxious to return to their people, and urged Big Wolf that they depart at once. After long silence, long thinking, Big Wolf replied: 'Go, you two. Tell my people that I shall not return to them. For, as I see it, this is my duty: to remain here with this human being, White Eagle, whom I regard as my father. He is old; he needs me; I shall remain with him, and keep him and his always supplied with food.'

So was it that Coyote and Black Fox returned to their people. Big Wolf remained with White Eagle and his people. He married a fine woman; had children by her. He lived to great age.

There! So was it that our people first had intercourse with the four-footed kinds. After that, they had experiences with other animals, buffalo, beavers, and still others, which also had the power to change themselves into the forms of human beings and speak the language of human beings. They have been very helpful to us; they have given us of their sacred power.