There once lived, in a deep forest,
a hunter named Waupee, or the White Hawk. Every
day he returned from the chase with birds and animals
which he had killed, for he was very skilful.
One day he walked through the forest
till at last he reached the edge of it, and there
before him lay the wide prairie. The grass was
so soft and green, and there were so many flowers,
that he wandered on for a while. He could see
that no one lived there, as no trace of footsteps
was to be seen. Suddenly he came to a circle
on the prairie. It looked as if people had run
around in a ring until the grass was trampled down.
As he could see no marks of footsteps leading away
from the ring, he wondered very much whose feet could
have marked out the circle. Then he made up
his mind to hide, so that he might see if any one
came.
After awhile, he heard the sound of
beautiful music. It seemed to come from the
sky. As he looked up he saw something coming
down through the air, and the music sounded like the
singing of girls. As the object came closer,
he saw that it was a wicker basket, and in it were
twelve beautiful maidens. When the basket reached
the ground, they all jumped out and began to dance
around the circle. They were all very beautiful,
but Waupee picked out the youngest as the one he liked
best. He watched them as long as he could, then
ran out to clasp the youngest in his arms. But
as soon as the maidens saw the figure of a man, they
ran to the basket, jumped in, and were at once drawn
up to the sky.
Waupee was left alone on the prairie,
and he felt very sad to think he had frightened away
the beautiful maidens. He went back slowly to
his lodge, but could not rest all night. The
next day he came again to the magic circle.
This time he changed himself into
an opossum. He had not waited long when the
wicker basket again floated down. The sisters
jumped out and began the same dance. Waupee
crept towards them; but when they saw him, they at
once ran to the basket and climbed in. It began
to ascend, but stopped when a short distance up.
“Perhaps,” said the oldest
sister, “he has come to show us the way the
mortals dance.”
“Oh, no!” said the youngest;
“let us go up quickly.” They all
began to sing their sweet song, and the basket rose
out of sight.
Again Waupee was sad, but he made
up his mind that the next day he would act more wisely.
So, when he came back, he found the stump of a tree
where a family of mice lived. He moved the stump
over near the circle and changed himself into one
of the mice. Again the sisters came, and began
their dance.
“Look,” said the youngest
sister, “that stump was not there before.”
But the other sisters laughed at her and ran over to
it. Then out came all the mice, Waupee among
them. The sisters began to chase and kill the
mice, and at last only one was left alive. The
youngest sister ran after it, and was just about to
hit it, when it changed into Waupee. He clasped
her in his arms, while the other sisters sprang for
the basket and were drawn up to the sky.
The maiden wept at being left alone,
but Waupee wiped away her tears and took her home
to his little lodge. He was very good to her
and at last she grew very happy. But a few years
afterwards, when her little son was able to walk,
she took him to the magic ring. She felt very
lonely when she thought of her sisters and of her father,
the Star. So she made up her mind to go back
to them. She made a basket of reeds, and putting
her little son in it, she seated herself and began
to sing the old chant. The basket at once rose
in the air and floated out of sight.
When Waupee was coming home, he heard
this sweet song. He knew it was one the sisters
used to sing, so he ran at once to the magic circle,
but the basket had almost disappeared. He called
and called, but no answer came down to him, and at
last it was gone.
He threw himself down on the ground
and wept. Then, when night came, he rose and
went home to his empty lodge.
As the years went on the maiden was
very happy in her old home, but the son wished to
go and see his birthplace. The grandfather heard
him, and said to the maiden, “Go down to the
earth and show your son his birthplace, and when you
are coming back, bring your husband with you.
But when he comes, tell him to bring a part of each
kind of bird and animal he has killed.”
This the maiden did. Waupee
was delighted to have them return, and at once set
to work to hunt and kill one of every kind of bird
and animal. It took him many days to do this,
but at last all were gathered. He took a claw
of some birds, a wing of others, a tail of some animals,
and the feet of others. Then they all stepped
into the basket and it took them up to the sky.
The Star grandfather was so pleased
with Waupee’s gift, that he called all his people
to a feast. After it was over, he told them to
choose what they liked best from the earthly things.
Some chose a wing, others a paw, and so on, and as
they did so they were at once changed into an animal
or bird like the one they had chosen.
Waupee was pleased with this idea
and chose the feather of a white hawk. His wife
and son chose the same, and all were changed into these
graceful birds. They slowly spread out their
white wings and floated away towards the earth.
Passing through the clouds they found
themselves above the snow-capped mountains.
They flew on, until at length they saw the green tops
of trees far below them. In great circles they
began to descend, and in a few minutes alighted in
the topmost branches of a tall tree.
Waupee then spoke: “We
shall build our nest in this tree, and into it we
shall weave parts of our old lodge, where we lived
so happily together. Let us go now and gather
these; then we shall begin our nest.”