Excerpt
Ari nudged Bjorn. “We have a game we play where one man hides a small ball and
another has to guess where it is hidden.” Bjorn looked at Finten and stifled a laugh.
The others looked at Finten and remembered the game, when Bjorn got so angry
with Finten. Everyone smiled. Fire Maker continued.
“Games are for the men. Children learn to play but only the boys. Girls are always
busy helping their mothers. They must carry wood and water, sew moccasins, and
learn to tan robes and furs, make lodges, and do all other work. Boys play at hunting
with their bows and arrows and in summer they spend much of their time in
the water. In the winter, they slide down hills on buffalo ribs and they hunt rabbits.”
Ula got up and walked over to the woodpile. “That isn’t fair to the women. I guess
it’s the same all over, men hunt and play while the women do all the work.” Ula
picked up a hefty piece of dead wood and threw it into the fire, sending up sparks.
Then she shrugged her shoulders and sat down. Fire Maker continued.
“If a group of boys are in a lodge where older people are sitting, and they begin
to be too noisy, one of the older men will go out and get a long stick. When
he returns and sits, he will hold the stick up to warn the boys to make less noise.
If the boys forget and become noisy again, the man will reach over and rap one
of them on the head with the stick.
“Girls are also taught by the grandfathers not to be silly and giggling all the
time. A grandfather might tell a young girl to stand in front of him and not laugh
or giggle no matter what he did. Then he will make funny faces and sing silly
songs. If the girl laughs, the grandfather will stop what he is doing and tell the
girl to finish laughing. Then he will warn her not to laugh and start singing and
making faces again.”
The chief smiled toward Ula who was brushing bits of bark from her moccasins;
then he continued.
