Sacred Texts  Native American  Plains  Index  Previous  Next 

p. 237

46. FROG WINS FROM ANTELOPE IN A FOOTRACE. 1

Two antelope were gambling with a white tailed deer and a frog. The antelope and deer ran a race in the woods. White tail deer jumped over the tree and beat, for antelope had to run where there are no trees. He won from antelope the dew claws and the fat on the hips.

Then the antelope suggested that they run a race with frog out on the plains. Many frogs put themselves in a line, reaching from the starting place to the goal. When they started to run each frog jumped this way just as one shakes a string. The antelope was beaten because he thought frog could not possibly win. That was the way it was done.


Footnotes

237:1 The story is told of Coyote and Turtles among other tribes. Dorsey, (d), p. 105; (e), p, 143.


Next: 47. When the Birds Were Chiefs