There was a band of Indigenous women encamped at a certain place. Two very pretty maidens were sitting out in the cool evening to pass the time away.

 

Looking up toward the sky they saw the stars shining and one of them said, "How pretty the stars are this evening! I wish that big one were a human being and I would marry him!" The other said, "I wish that little star were human and I would marry him." After a few moments two men appeared, one a good deal older than the other, who was young and small. They said, "Rise, young maidens, and we will go home. You have just promised to marry us." The girls assented and went with the two men, intending to accompany them home. Soon they noticed that they were leaving the earth and were on their way to the stars.

When they reached Star-land they found it a beautiful place.

 

The people were good to them. Each maiden went to the home of the parents of her new husband. But after some time the maiden of the older man looked down on the ground and saw wild turnips growing thick. She was fond of them and one day mentioned to her husband that she would dig some to eat. Now the two girls, although not related by blood, had made friends in Star-land, so the girl went to her friend to accompany her. The husbands warned them that some of the turnips were female and some male and they must not dig any of the male turnips. The maidens (promised to) observe this caution, but on their way they came to some plants and the older girl said, "I wonder why they told us not to dig a male turnip. I believe I will dig one just to see if they will know!" She dug and dug right through the sky and fell through to the earth. She was at that time pregnant and she fell through to her own people like a shooting star back to the earth.

 

Now when this maiden caved in from Star-land to earth she gave birth to a child. Various animals like bears and badgers came there to see (what had fallen) and found a live child with the dead mother. The animals assembled discussed which one should take and rear the child.

 

The bear chose the badger, the badger the birds, and so on. Finally all agreed that the badger should rear the child because she was adept at digging into the earth. So she took the child to her den. It was not large enough, so she made it wide and deep and gathered straw and grass and soft weeds to make the child a bed, and laid it there. She paid strict attention to the child, turning it first on one side and then on the other.

 

While she nursed her little ones the badger nursed the child with the others.

 

After the child had reached a certain age, the badger had to go out and hunt for the child with bow and arrows. Often when she returned the bear would take away the game by force. Time and again the bear had done this, In the meantime the child grew up to be a strong boy. The badger explained to the boy the story of his birth and the difficulty she had had in rearing him.

 

She said, "The kinship that I claim for you is that of grandson because I reared you. And because of the way you were born I will name you Shooting Star!" As the badger spoke, the bear called her to come out to kill game, for the buffalo were near; then the bear claimed all the game. The next time the bear did this Shooting Star said, "Grandmother, let me brave the bear," and he went out to face the bear and defied him. The bear started to run, but Shooting Star shot an arrow through the bear's kidney and killed him. He said, "Grandmother, go over to Bear's den and take all the meat he has taken away from you."

Badger said, "Grandson, I am going to wish for a fortune for you.

 

I am going to wish for you to own some buckskin leggings and some moccasins trimmed with porcupine quills," and every time that she wished fortune for him, it came.

 

Shooting Star asked his grandmother, "Are we the only ones in existence on this earth ?" The grandmother said, "There are some other nations like the bear, the beaver and the birds." Shooting Star grew more inquisitive and asked, "Are there others besides those you have mention￾ed?" The grandmother said, "Yes, yonder toward the sun-setting where you see those high mountains there is another nation of men living."

 

Shooting Star said, "I am going over there to see them." The grandmother said, "Be very careful on the way and do not let anyone deceive you." His grandmother gave him a bow and arrows and he set out toward the sun-setting. On the way he saw men and women peeping out all around him and saying, "Here comes a woman imitating a boy!" but when he threatened

them with his bow and arrows they went away. When he had come near to the band and had reached a high point overlooking the village, night overtook him. Looking toward the village he noticed four white tipi and a summoner was announcing, "Ho-o-o-o-! Shooting Star is coming."

 

The four tipi were for the first-born maidens of four prominent families.

 

All these maidens now said at the same time, "Father, when Shooting Star comes I want to marry him." As Shooting Star, having descended from the hill, was approaching the village the announcer cried again "Here comes Shooting Star!" One of the girls invited him to her tipi and the family insisted that he should marry her, but he was determined to see them all first and make his selection. When he finally chose one all the others began to weep.

 

Iktomi learned why they were weeping and said, "Let us arrange now

to kill Shooting Star." He put up two poles near together and captured

Shooting Star and tied a hand and foot to each pole. He advised everyone to have a sharp knife ready to cut Shooting Star in pieces. His wife warned him what the people were going to do and he told his wife to tell her

father and mother to move camp to a high peak away from the band.

When he was fast bound he said, "My kinsmen, before you kill a human being is it not right that he should say his last words?" -

 

"Let him say what he has to say!" sneered Iktomi. So he called out, "My father, remember that I am here helpless. Come from the four winds with your invasion to save me!" They heard a loud roar from the winds. - "Hurry up! hurry up! cut him up!" said Iktomi, but the knives would not cut into his body.

 

At this moment came a strong wind with thunder, so strong that it blew away the people and Iktomi, and the thunder loosened the bonds that bound Shooting Star. So he returned to his father-in-law and they came back to the village and he lived there with them.

 

Told by Mrs. Susie Hollowhorn, Manderson, SD

June 27, 1926.