Native American Legends
The girl who married a dog
A Cheyenne Legend
A chief had a fine-looking daughter. She had a great many admirers.
At night she was visited by a young man, but she did not know who
he was. She worried about this and determined to discover him. She
put red paint near her bed. When he crawled on her bed, she put
her hand into the paint. When they embraced, she left red marks
on his back.
They next day she told her father to call all the young men to
a dance in front of his tent. They all came, and the whole village
turned out to see them. She watched all that came, looking for the
red marks she had made. As she turned about, she caught sight of
one her father's dogs with red marks on his back. This made her
so unhappy and she went straight into her tent. This broke up the
dance.
The next day she went into the woods near the camp, taking the
dog on a string. She hit him. He finally broke loose. She was very
unhappy, and several months later she bore seven pups. She told
her mother to kill them, but her mother was kind toward them and
made a little shelter for them They began to grow, and sometimes
at night the old dog came to them. After a time, the woman began
to take an interest i them and sometimes played with them. When
they were big enough to run, the old dog came and took them away.
When the woman went to see them in the morning, they were gone.
She saw the large dog's tracks and several little ones, and followed
them at a distance. She was sad and cried. She returned to her mother
and said, "Mother, make me seven pairs of moccasins. I am going
to follow the little ones, searching for them." Her mother
made seven pairs of moccasins, and the woman started out, tracking
them all the way. Finally, in a distance, she saw a tent. The youngest
one came to her and said, "Mother, Father wants you to go back.
We are going home. You cannot come." She said, "No!"
Wherever you go, I go" She took the little one and carried
him to the tent. She entered and saw a young man, who took no notice
of her. He gave her a little meat and drink, which did not grow
less no matter how much she ate. She tied the little pup to her
belt with a string. Next morning, she was left alone and the tent
had vanished. She followed the tracks and again came upon them.
Four times this happened in the same way. But the fourth time the
tracks stopped.
She looked up into the sky. There she saw her seven pups. They
had become seven stars, the Pleiades.
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