Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A

The Piqued Buffalo Wife

• I was really confused by this story and what actually was going on
• Did the father leave before the child was born? 
• Did the child ever know his father before he went out to find him?
• How were they able to switch forms?
• I might write a story about the part where the father had to identify his son with four distinct traits four different times, and just change it up to someone trying to overcome an obstacle

Bear Woman and Deer Woman

• I thought this one was really interesting because it showed conflict between two wives, and the children were really smart in figuring out that one of the wives killed the other one
• The children were also loyal to their mother, it seems, since they realized Grizzly was a monster who killed their mother and decided to run away

Splinter Foot Girl

• A child born from a leg??
• Reminds me of a child born from the blood clot of a buffalo (Kut-O-Yis stories)
• Was weird that a buffalo wanted to marry a girl, and that a rock wanted to marry a girl
• Had some origin stories in there:
• (about the buffalo); they will be overcome by human beings and they'll have horns, but will be afraid when anyone comes to hunt them)
• (about the rock); they should not trouble people ever again and be found where there are hills

Source: A killer whale sculpture from the story The Woman Stolen by Killer Whales.

Bibliography: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A.