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Sky Man
Topic Started: Jan 29 2006, 03:08 PM (92 Views)
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The Sky Man
retold by Richard L. Dieterle




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"At the foot of Lake Mendota, Madison, Wisconsin, lies a little village called 'Pheasant Branch'. About a hundred years ago this was an Indian village. The Winnebago living here called it 'Puma' [Witcâwâsîtcseretc] or 'Wild Turkey' [Zizike]. Here was told a delightful tale of Sky Man. It seems that the chief of this village had a very beautiful daughter, Monza. All the braves of her father's village were in love with here, as well as those from neighboring villages. But Monza would have nothing to do with any of them.

One day, however, there came to her father's village, a tall, very handsome young brave. He was beautiful of physique, beautifully dressed in buckskin, trimmed with much bead and quill work. He was very soft spoken of voice. He fell in love with Monza, and she with him. Because her people liked the young brave, they agreed upon an early marriage, after the Indian custom. They built their teepee on the outskirts of her father's village, and for some time they were very happy.

Suddenly, the young man began to absent himself at night. Being feminine, she didn't like it very well. She begged and coaxed him to tell her where he went on these nocturnal visits, but to no avail. Finally, after many tears, he told her, that after all he was not a human being, but a Sky Man. That his place was in the sky, to place the clouds and stars and to burnish the moon. And this is where he went on these nocturnal visits.

Monza knew she would not be happy with him gone so much, so she pleaded with him that they take their wigwam to the sky and live there. This they did, and were again happy for quite some time.

One day the young man came home and threw a large bundle into the wigwam. It was wrapped in buckskin and tied with many formidable knots. Monza, being feminine, was curious. She asked him what was in it. He refused to tell her. She pleaded, coaxed and cried, but he refused. One day, when the young husband was not at home, Monza decided she would have one little peek. She took a bone bobkin and tugged at the knots. At last one came open, and after that the many knots automatically unfolded, and bright things flew up and out of the wigwam door, out through the smoke hole. Monza grabbed a few and tucked them back, and put the bundle back where she had found it.

When the husband returned, he saw the bundle and knew what had happened. He was angry, but like all good husbands, he forgave her. These, he said, had been his reserve supply of stars; and this, say the Indians, is why there are not so many stars in the sky as there once were!" [1]



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Commentary: "Sky Man" -- probably for Mâxiga, an otherwise unattested name, no doubt of the Upper Moiety (Bird Clan). There are a good many names in the Bird Clan with "Sky" or "Cloud" (the same word for both, Mâxi): Mâxicutcga, "Red Cloud"; Mâxik'ok'iwaharetcga, "Overlapping Clouds"; Mâxik'ucenâjîk'a, "Reaches the Sky Standing"; Mâxik'ucinâjîk'a, "He who Stands Beyond the Sky"; Mâxip'asewîga, "Cloud Point"; Mâxipîwîga, "Beautiful Cloud"; Mâxirukanagâ, "Master of the Clouds"; Mâxiruzuga, "He who Makes the Clouds have Rays before Them"; Mâxisepga, "Black Cloud"; Mâxisgaxedega, "Big White Cloud"; Mâxitcopga, "Four Clouds"; Mâxíwimànîga, "He who Walks in the Clouds"; Mâxiwiwak'andjâk'a, "Sacred Cloud."


*One of my favorite stories.
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