Native American Legends
Unktomi and the Arrowheads
A Sioux Legend
There were once upon a time two young men who were very great friends,
and were constantly together. One was a very thoughtful young man,
the other very impulsive, who never stopped to think before he committed
an act.
One day these two friends were walking along, telling each other
of their experiences in love making. They ascended a high hill,
and on reaching the top, heard a ticking noise as if small stones
or pebbles were being struck together.
Looking around they discovered a large spider sitting in the midst
of a great many flint arrowheads. The spider was busily engaged
making the flint rocks into arrowheads. They looked at the spider,
but he never moved, but continued hammering away on a piece of flint
which he had nearly completed into another arrowhead.
"Let's hit him," said the thoughtless one.
"No," said the other, "he is not harming any one;
in fact, he is doing a great good, as he is making the flint arrowheads
which we use to point our arrows."
"Oh, you are afraid," said the first young man. "He
can't harm you. just watch me hit him." So saying, he picked
up an arrowhead and throwing it at Unktomi, hit him on the side.
As Unktomi rolled over on his side, got up and stood looking at
them, the young man laughed and said: "Well, let us be going,
as your grandfather, Unktomi, doesn't seem to like our company."
They started down the hill, when suddenly the one who had hit Unktomi
took a severe fit of coughing. He coughed and coughed, and finally
small particles of blood came from his mouth. The blood kept coming
thicker and in great gushes. Finally it came so thick and fast that
the man could not get his breath and fell upon the ground dead.
The thoughtful young man, seeing that his friend was no more, hurried
to the village and reported what had happened. The relatives and
friends hurried to the hill, and sure enough, there lay the thoughtless
young man still and cold in death.
They held a council and sent for the chief of the Unktomi tribe.
When he heard what had happened, he told the council that he could
do nothing to his Unktomi, as it had only defended itself.
Said he: "My friends, seeing that your tribe was running short
of arrowheads, I set a great many of my tribe to work making flint
arrowheads for you. When my men are thus engaged they do not wish
to be disturbed, and your young man not only disturbed my man, but
grossly insulted him by striking him with one of the arrowheads
which he had worked so hard to make. My man could not sit and take
this insult, so as the young man walked away the Unktomi shot him
with a very tiny arrowhead. This produced a hemorrhage, which caused
his death. So now, my friends, if you will fill and pass the peace
pipe, we will part good friends and my tribe shall always furnish
you with plenty of flint arrowheads." So saying, Unktomi Tanka
finished his peace smoke and returned to his tribe.
Ever after that, when the Indians heard a ticking in the grass,
they would go out of their way to get around the sound, saying,
"Unktomi is making arrowheads; we must not disturb him."
Thus it was that Unktomi Tanka (Big Spider) had the respect of
this tribe, and was never after disturbed in his work of making
arrowheads.
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