DOCUMENTS - Mythological Stories - The Chinook and the Blizzard (Blackfoot)
The chinook and the blizzard
The ancient Peigans were camping about in the lower country. That winter there was a River, then they would go up from to hunt. Spring was near. There was a chief that hunted. He looked West. He saw a man [coming]. He [that man] was running east. He had all his hair tied in front as a top-knot. As he [that man] ran, this snow was melting. A warm wind came to him [to the chief]. That chief then knew him: That is the Old Man. He [the Old Man] had run far [past the chief]. Then he [the Old Man] went back. From there he [the chief] saw him [last]. When he [the chief] came home, he began to tell about him. That is why we say now, when in winter-time [literally: in winters], there is an oily [warm] wind [the chinook]: The Old Man has run down [from the mountains]. The same [people], that were camping, went all up on a hunt. It was far away on the prairie, where they chased the buffalo. There was one chief, [that] was looking north. He said: Make haste, there come a person on foot, he is running this way. They had all done skinning. Then they came together [in one place]. Then the person on foot came running too close. That chief said: Wait, let us look at him; what will he do? He [the man on foot] was near by, he just ran close by them. All those that hunted saw him. His leggings were of cow-skin, his shirt was the same. He was shooting his arrows ahead. He was looking back. He had run past them, and there came a blizzard. Those that were hunting nearly all froze. Then he was known: That is he, that makes the winter. Then he was called the Good Old man. Because he was a bad person, he weas called the reverse of it. Now every winter [literally: all winters] we say: the Good Old Man makes winter. And the Old Man makes the oily [warm] wind. Winter comes from the north. The oily wind comes from the west. The Old Man and the Good Old Man chase each other back. In spring the Old Man has the victory. And that is what we know about the Old Man and the Good Old Man.
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