Reading Diary A: American Indian Fairy Tales

"The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds", by John Rae (1921)

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The first story in this unit is Iagoo the Story Teller, which introduces the muse of the stories that play out for the rest of the unit. Iagoo was a wonderfully worldly old man with a fantastic imagination, with knowledge that he was willing to share with anyone who was willing to listen. These qualities allow him to come up with tales to enthrall the children of his tribe with. During the tribe's winter hiatus, the first tale he decides to tell the children is that of the North wind and how it was fooled by a magical diver named Shin-ge-bis.

In the proceeding tale of how Shin-ge-bis Fools in the North Wind, Shin-ge-bis is called upon by his tribe to stop Ka-bib-on-okka, the North Wind, after Sha-won-dasee, the South Wind, failed to stop the North Wind from making winter come. Despite his fellow fishermen in his tribe becoming worried about how they would fish when all the lakes were frozen, Shin-ge-bis simply laughs, fishes through a hole in the ice, and pays no regard to the North Wind.
   Even though he successfully builds a large, moon-long bonfire that allows him to fish for a long time, Shin-ge-bis is forced into a confrontation with Ka-bib-on-okka. However, when the North Wind tries to send a blizzard in Shin-ge-bis' way, his wigwam collects the powder snow and actually makes a warm shelter for him. Shin-ge-bis then goads the North Wind inside where the fire is roaring away. Ka-bib-on-okka falls for the trick and Shin-ge-bis' fire melts him.

The next story, Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds, is prompted to be told by Iagoo by a young indian girl named Morning Glory who asks him if the mountains were always there (?) Iagoo tells of a Big Rock and how it lifted a girl and and boy into the clouds. Initially these two children wandered the plains of the land with the animals and the plants, at one with nature. One day, when out froliking with their animal friends, they see a big mossy rock that they both agree would be fun to climb. However, as they climbed the rock grew for some unknown reason. Tired from their efforts, they fell asleep as the rock grew, and the animals and the childrens' parents wondered where they were. Even though all animals tried to get the children down, all failed until the measuring worm tried his effort. It took a month, but the measuring worm made it to the top of the rock, found the children, and brought them back home.