[Contents]VIII.GIANTS AND FAIRIESThe Indians in the forest have many stories of giants. The red men are very proud of their own people, who can lift the greatest weight, run the fastest races, or suffer the most pain without making a sound. You see the Indian is not so very different in some ways from the white man.Kwasind, among the Chippewas, was a strong weedigo, or giant. He it was that threw the rock into the Sault Ste. Marie. He could not be hurt except in one place; that was in the back of his head. Kwasind was foolish enough to tell this to one of the little water people. He told a little nibanabas that if the little people of the forest, the pukwudjinnies, could hit him with cones from the pine trees, he would die. But he knew he was very tall, and the pukwudjinnies were no larger than a little papoose.The little people of the forest soon heard the secret. They left the shores of the swift river and went to look for pine cones. They found them and brought many[104]back. They hid by the river until Kwasind came in his great canoe asleep; the nibanabas had sung him to sleep. The little people threw their cones into the canoe and hit Kwasind on the back of his head. The wicked giant never hurt any one again.There was another giant who lived near Narragansett Bay. His wife grew angry with him and went across the bay to live alone. If a fisherman drifted near her wigwam by the shore, she always turned him into a great rock. A terrible storm came from the sea and washed away these rocks and her wigwam; after that the fishermen were not afraid.Adapted from Schoolcraft.[105]
[Contents]VIII.GIANTS AND FAIRIESThe Indians in the forest have many stories of giants. The red men are very proud of their own people, who can lift the greatest weight, run the fastest races, or suffer the most pain without making a sound. You see the Indian is not so very different in some ways from the white man.Kwasind, among the Chippewas, was a strong weedigo, or giant. He it was that threw the rock into the Sault Ste. Marie. He could not be hurt except in one place; that was in the back of his head. Kwasind was foolish enough to tell this to one of the little water people. He told a little nibanabas that if the little people of the forest, the pukwudjinnies, could hit him with cones from the pine trees, he would die. But he knew he was very tall, and the pukwudjinnies were no larger than a little papoose.The little people of the forest soon heard the secret. They left the shores of the swift river and went to look for pine cones. They found them and brought many[104]back. They hid by the river until Kwasind came in his great canoe asleep; the nibanabas had sung him to sleep. The little people threw their cones into the canoe and hit Kwasind on the back of his head. The wicked giant never hurt any one again.There was another giant who lived near Narragansett Bay. His wife grew angry with him and went across the bay to live alone. If a fisherman drifted near her wigwam by the shore, she always turned him into a great rock. A terrible storm came from the sea and washed away these rocks and her wigwam; after that the fishermen were not afraid.Adapted from Schoolcraft.[105]
[Contents]VIII.GIANTS AND FAIRIESThe Indians in the forest have many stories of giants. The red men are very proud of their own people, who can lift the greatest weight, run the fastest races, or suffer the most pain without making a sound. You see the Indian is not so very different in some ways from the white man.Kwasind, among the Chippewas, was a strong weedigo, or giant. He it was that threw the rock into the Sault Ste. Marie. He could not be hurt except in one place; that was in the back of his head. Kwasind was foolish enough to tell this to one of the little water people. He told a little nibanabas that if the little people of the forest, the pukwudjinnies, could hit him with cones from the pine trees, he would die. But he knew he was very tall, and the pukwudjinnies were no larger than a little papoose.The little people of the forest soon heard the secret. They left the shores of the swift river and went to look for pine cones. They found them and brought many[104]back. They hid by the river until Kwasind came in his great canoe asleep; the nibanabas had sung him to sleep. The little people threw their cones into the canoe and hit Kwasind on the back of his head. The wicked giant never hurt any one again.There was another giant who lived near Narragansett Bay. His wife grew angry with him and went across the bay to live alone. If a fisherman drifted near her wigwam by the shore, she always turned him into a great rock. A terrible storm came from the sea and washed away these rocks and her wigwam; after that the fishermen were not afraid.Adapted from Schoolcraft.[105]
VIII.GIANTS AND FAIRIES
The Indians in the forest have many stories of giants. The red men are very proud of their own people, who can lift the greatest weight, run the fastest races, or suffer the most pain without making a sound. You see the Indian is not so very different in some ways from the white man.Kwasind, among the Chippewas, was a strong weedigo, or giant. He it was that threw the rock into the Sault Ste. Marie. He could not be hurt except in one place; that was in the back of his head. Kwasind was foolish enough to tell this to one of the little water people. He told a little nibanabas that if the little people of the forest, the pukwudjinnies, could hit him with cones from the pine trees, he would die. But he knew he was very tall, and the pukwudjinnies were no larger than a little papoose.The little people of the forest soon heard the secret. They left the shores of the swift river and went to look for pine cones. They found them and brought many[104]back. They hid by the river until Kwasind came in his great canoe asleep; the nibanabas had sung him to sleep. The little people threw their cones into the canoe and hit Kwasind on the back of his head. The wicked giant never hurt any one again.There was another giant who lived near Narragansett Bay. His wife grew angry with him and went across the bay to live alone. If a fisherman drifted near her wigwam by the shore, she always turned him into a great rock. A terrible storm came from the sea and washed away these rocks and her wigwam; after that the fishermen were not afraid.Adapted from Schoolcraft.[105]
T
he Indians in the forest have many stories of giants. The red men are very proud of their own people, who can lift the greatest weight, run the fastest races, or suffer the most pain without making a sound. You see the Indian is not so very different in some ways from the white man.
Kwasind, among the Chippewas, was a strong weedigo, or giant. He it was that threw the rock into the Sault Ste. Marie. He could not be hurt except in one place; that was in the back of his head. Kwasind was foolish enough to tell this to one of the little water people. He told a little nibanabas that if the little people of the forest, the pukwudjinnies, could hit him with cones from the pine trees, he would die. But he knew he was very tall, and the pukwudjinnies were no larger than a little papoose.
The little people of the forest soon heard the secret. They left the shores of the swift river and went to look for pine cones. They found them and brought many[104]back. They hid by the river until Kwasind came in his great canoe asleep; the nibanabas had sung him to sleep. The little people threw their cones into the canoe and hit Kwasind on the back of his head. The wicked giant never hurt any one again.
There was another giant who lived near Narragansett Bay. His wife grew angry with him and went across the bay to live alone. If a fisherman drifted near her wigwam by the shore, she always turned him into a great rock. A terrible storm came from the sea and washed away these rocks and her wigwam; after that the fishermen were not afraid.
Adapted from Schoolcraft.[105]