When the buffalo first came to be upon the land, they were not friendly to the people. When the hunters tried to coax them over the cliffs for the good of the villages, they were reluctant to offer themselves up. They did not relish being turned into blankets and dried flesh for winter rations. They did not want their hooves and horns to become tools and utensils. "No, no," they said. "We won't fall into your traps. And we will not fall for your tricks." So when the hunters guided them towards the cliffs, they would always turn away at the very last moment. With this lack of cooperation, it seemed the villagers would be hungry, cold and ragged all winter long.

Now one of the hunters' had a daughter who was very proud of her father's skill with the bow. During the fullness of summer, he always brought her the best of hides to dress, and she in turn would work the deerskins into the softest, whitest of garments for him to wear. Her own dresses were like the down of a snow goose, and the moccasins she made for the children and the grandmothers in the village were the most welcome of gifts.

But now with the hint of snow on the wind, and deer becoming more scarce on the land, she could see the reluctance on the part of the buffalo families could become a real problem.

Hunter's Daughter decided she would do something about it.  She went to the base of the cliff and looked up. She began to sing in a low, soft voice, "Oh, buffalo family, come down and visit me. If you come down and feed my relatives,  I will join your family as the bride of your strongest warrior."

She stopped and listened. She thought she heard the slight rumbling sound of thunder in the distance.  Again she sang, "Oh, buffalo family, come down and visit me. Feed my family, and I will be your bride."

The thunder was much louder now. Suddenly the buffalo family began falling off the cliff at her feet.  One very large bull landed on top of the others, and walked across the backs of his relatives to stand before Hunter's Daughter.  

"I am here to claim you as my bride," said Large Buffalo.  "Oh, but now I am afraid to go with you," said Hunter's Daughter.

"Ah, but you must," said Large Buffalo, "For my people have come to provide your people with a feast. As you can see, they have offered themselves up."  

And with that said, Large Buffalo lifted her between his horns and carried her off to his village in the rolling grass hills.

The next morning the whole village was out looking for Hunter's Daughter. When they found the mound of buffalo below the cliff, the father, who was in fact a fine tracker as well as a skilled hunter, looked at his daughter's footprints in the dust.

"She's gone off with a buffalo," he said. "I shall follow them and bring her back."

So Hunter walked out upon the plains, with only his bow and arrows as companions. He walked and walked a great distance until he was so tired that he had to sit down to rest beside a buffalo wallow.

Just then Magpie flew to where Large Buffalo lay asleep amidst his relatives in the rolling green hills. He hopped over to where Hunter's Daughter was quilling moccasins, as she sat reluctantly beside her sleeping husband. "Your father is looking for you on the other side of the hill," whispered Magpie to the maiden.

"Oh, this is very dangerous," she told him.  Please tell him to wait for me and I will try to slip away to see him."

Just then her husband, Large Buffalo, awoke and took off his horn. "Go bring me a drink from the wallow just over this hill," said her husband.

So she took the horn in her hand and walked very casually over the hill.

Her father motioned silently for her to come with him back home. "No," she whispered. The buffalo are angry with our people. I'm afraid they will run after us and trample us into the dirt. I will go back and see what I can do to soothe their feelings."

And so Hunter's daughter took the horn of water back to her husband who gave a loud snort when he took a drink. The snort turned into a bellow and all of the buffalo woke up in alarm. They all put their tails in the air and danced a buffalo dance over the hill, trampling the poor man to pieces, who was still waiting for his daughter near the buffalo wallow.

His daughter sat down on the edge of the wallow and broke into tears.

"Why are you crying?" said her buffalo husband.

"You have killed my father and I am a prisoner besides," she sobbed.

"Well, what of my people?" her husband replied. We have given our children, our parents and some of our wives up to your relatives in exchange for your presence among us. A deal is a deal."

But after some consideration of her feelings, Large Buffalo knelt down beside her and said to her, "If you can bring your father back to life again, we will let him take you back home to your people."

So Hunter's Daughter started to sing a little song. "Magpie, Magpie help me find some piece of my father which I can mend back whole again."

"Magpie, Magpie, please see what you can find," she sang softly to the wind which bent the grasses slightly apart. Magpie cocked his head to the side and looked carefully within the layered folds of the grasses as the wind sighed again. Quickly he picked out a piece of her father that had been hidden there, a little piece of bone.  

"That will be enough to do the trick," said Hunter's Daughter. As she started to sing her reviving song, she put the bone on the ground and covered it with her blanket.

Quietly she sang the song that her grandmother had taught her, which had the power to bring injured people back to the land of the living. After a few melodious passages, there was a lump under the blanket. She and Magpie looked under the blanket and could see a man, but the man was not breathing. He lay still as stone.  

So Hunter's Daughter continued to sing, a little softer, and a little softer, so as not to startle her father as he began to wake. When he stood up, alive and strong, the buffalo people were amazed. They said to Hunter's Daughter, "Will you sing this song for us after every hunt? We will teach your people the buffalo dance, so that whenever you dance before the hunt, you will be assured a good hunt. Then in return you will sing this song for us, and we will all come back to live again."

And so it came to be that the buffalo and the Blackfoot lived in harmony for many years.

BUFFALO BEFORE BREAKFAST  (Magic Tree House Series #18).  

By Mary Pope Osborne, Sal Murdocca (Illustrator).

Magic Tree House carries Jack and Annie back to the Old West where they roam the Great Plains with a Lakota boy.  The eighteenth in the Magic Tree House series takes young Jack and Annie to the Great Plains, in the early 19th century. The tree house, belonging to Arthurian librarian Morgan le Fay is filled with books, the illustrations of which serve as hyperlinks to the places depicted. Once on their adventure, Jack uses the reference book as a source of information subtly conveyed in the body of the text to the reader. As part of the story, Jack and Annie live the period. In this case, they visit the Lakota Indians, largest of the Native American tribes. while visiting, they learn about the clothing, customs, and daily lives of the Indians and their lost land and lifestyle. Jack models note-taking and the use of reference materials, and the story is one segment of a quest to solve four ancient riddles in order to become Master Librarians. In this story, the author explains the Legend of White Buffalo woman and additional facts about the Lakota Indians, also known as the Sioux. Random House Children's Books, May 1999, Soft Cover, 72pp.  $ 7.95  

Proceeds from book purchases go to support the nonprofit, cultural, educational and religious purposes of the Manataka American Indian Council.  Thank you for your support. 

Notice: Occasionally books may be discontinued or out of stock without prior notice. With written permission, your order may be filled from the 'shelf'.  Shelf books are new, but some may be slightly discolored or sale tags may be still attached. Fulfillment rate: 98.6%.

THE BUFFALO JUMP

By Peter Geiger Roop, Bill Farnsworth (Illustrator)

Angry and resentful that the honor of leading the buffalo stampede is given to his older brother, Little Blaze, the Blackfeet's fastest runner, must make a difficult decision when his brother's life is endangered.  A story previously published in Cobblestone Magazine as "Small Deer and the Buffalo Jump" and by the Council for Indian Education as Little Blaze and the Buffalo Jump. A faster runner, Little Blaze is disappointed at his father's choice of his older brother to be the decoy that leads the buffalo over a cliff to their death. On the day of the jump, however, Curly Bear tires and eventually falls in the path of the frenzied herd, only to be rescued and joined by Little Blaze. Both boys are recognized for their bravery, and Little Blaze is renamed in honor of his deed. Montana's Madison Buffalo Jump provides the inspiration for this story focusing on the age-old hunting method. Farnsworth's oil representations depict the culture, setting, and lifestyle of the Blackfeet nation. They complement an equally well-researched text that re-creates an important part of Native American history and livelihood. An author's note explains the importance of the buffalo to the Blackfeet and offers a brief history of buffalo hunt methodology and practice as well as the processing of the various anatomical parts for specific community use. Rising Moon Books, March 1999, Soft Cover, 32pp.  $11.95

Proceeds from book purchases go to support the nonprofit, cultural, educational and religious purposes of the Manataka American Indian Council.  Thank you for your support. 

Notice: Occasionally books may be discontinued or out of stock without prior notice. With written permission, your order may be filled from the 'shelf'.  Shelf books are new, but some may be slightly discolored or sale tags may be still attached. Fulfillment rate: 98.6%.

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