Ella Cara Deloria | Page 2

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The heyókȟa who dreamed of his death (1887)
The heyókȟa are respected and revered. This is a tale of a one who knew how he would die, and painted himself and his horse in the manner of the lightning strikes that would kill them. Bushotter once experienced someone being struck by lightning too.
The man who could understand ravens (1887)
A man was said to understand the speech of ravens and magpies, which brought him exciting messages. Eventually the people taught a raven to speak, and that is why ravens can be taught like parrots to mimic human speech.
Beliefs about day and night (1887)
People don't know what causes night and what causes day, aside from the sun. It is something mysteriousness and awe-inspiring, which is why night and day are considered sacred.
Waȟʼáŋksiča, a strange animal (1887)
Once upon a time, the people buried their dead on a hill and went to live elsewhere. A long time later, someone discovered that the dead had been moved. In searching for the bodies they discovered them in a labyrinthine cave belonging to the waȟʼáŋksiča.
Horse racing (1887)
Horse race betting could include arrows, household items, or the horses themselves. The bettors would select a well-skilled rider to compete. Sometimes if the loser refused to give up whatever they had bet, the men would fight and even kill each other.