| OCR Text |
Show - 33- APPENDIX C STORIES AND LEGENDS The Indians believe that the warm spell that usually occurs in January is due to the bear turning over in his cave. They also believe the first thunder is the bear turning and stretching, preparing to come out of hibernation. The Indians used to believe that when a baby was born the medicine man could change the sex of the child by either pushing the genitals up or pulling them down. When an Indian woman has a girl and wants a boy, she will bury the placenta with a small bow and arrow. When she wants a girl instead of a boy, she will bury the placenta with a root stick. When the cord comes off the baby's navel, the mother breaks it up and scatters it over an ant hill, then the evil spirit can't enter the body of the baby through the cord. An Indian used to be superstitious about buying jewelry for a baby before it is a year old because it may die. They also believed that to cut a baby's fingernails before a year old would make them steal when they were older. To tell time the Indians would stand a stick up in the earth and then tell time by the way the shadow fell. For a light the Indians used a campfire. If a light was needed in the tepee they would tie sand in a square of cloth or bark and then soak it in grease and then light it. If jealous of another woman, an Indian woman would catch the one she is jealous of and cut her hair off. They would also cut their hair off as a sign of grief. If a little bird cries at night and lights on your house or shed, it is an evil sign. If you can kill the bird you can ward off the evil spirit. Cactus will settle muddy water if you drop it in the water and stir vigorously. |
