THE "WASNA" (PEMMICAN) MAN AND THE

UNKTOMI (SPIDER)

Once upon a time there appeared from out of a large belt of timber

a man attired in the fat of the buffalo. On his head he wore the

honeycomb part of the stomach. To this was attached small pieces

of fat. The fat which covered the stomach he wore as a

cloak. The large intestines he wore as leggings, and the kidney

fat as his moccasins.

As he appeared he had the misfortune to meet "Unktomi" (spider)

with his hundreds of starving children. Upon seeing the fat,

Unktomi and his large family at once attacked the man, who, in

order to save his life, started to run away, but so closely did

Unktomi and his family pursue him that in order to make better time

and also get a little better start, he threw off his head covering,

which the Unktomi family hastily devoured, and were again closing

in upon him. He then threw off his cloak and they devoured that,

and were close upon him again, when he threw off his leggings.

These were hastily eaten up, and, as they drew near to a lake, the

man threw off the kidney fat, and, running to the edge of the lake,

dived down into the water and kept beneath the surface, swimming to

the opposite shore. After the Unktomi family had eaten the kidney

fat they came to the water's edge, and the grease was floating on

the surface of the water which they lapped up, until there was not

a grease spot left floating on the surface.

The small morsels had only sharpened their appetites, and as they

saw the man sitting on the opposite shore, Unktomi and his family

proceeded around the lake and came upon two men sitting on

the shore. Unktomi saw that the other man was "Wakapapi" (pounded

beef). The family surrounded the two and Unktomi ordered them to

fight. Fearing Unktomi and his large family, they at once

commenced to fight and Pounded Meat was soon killed. The hungry

family at once fell to eating him. So busy were they that none

noticed the fat man sneak off and disappear.

When they had finished the pounded beef man they looked around to

fall upon the fat man, but nowhere could he be seen. Unktomi said,

"I will track him and when I find him, I will return for you, so

stay here and await my return."

He followed the fat man's tracks until farther east on the shore of

the lake he found the fat man in the act of skinning a deer, which

he had killed. (He had held on to his bow and arrows when he

jumped into the lake). "My," said Unktomi, "this will make a fine

meal for my hungry children. I will go after them, so hurry and

cut the meat up into small pieces so they each can have a piece."

"All right, go ahead and get your family," said Fat Man. During

Unktomi's absence, the fat man hurriedly cut the meat up into small

pieces and carried them up into a tree that stood near to the

shore. When he had carried it all up he threw sand and

dirt upon the blood, and so left no trace of the deer.

On the arrival of Unktomi and his family, no signs of the fat man

or the deer could be found. They wandered about the spot looking

for tracks which might lead them to where the fat man had cached

the meat, as Unktomi said he could not have carried it very far.

Now the fat man was up in the tree and sat watching them. The

reflection of the tree was in the water, and some of the children

going close to the shore, discovered it as they looked at the

reflection. The fat man cut a piece of meat and extending it

towards them, drew back his hand and put the meat into his mouth.

"Come quick, father, here he is eating the meat," said the

children. Unktomi came and seeing the reflection, thought the fat

man was down in the lake. "Wait, I will bring him up for you." So

saying, he dived down, but soon arose without anything. Again and

again he tried, but could not reach the bottom. He told the

children to gather rock for him. These he tied around his neck and

body, and dived down for the last time. The last the children saw

of their father was the bubbles which arose to the surface of the

lake. The rocks being too heavy for him, held him fast to the

bottom, and some hungry fish soon made a feast out of the body of

poor "Unktomi."