Chapter XXXIII: Legends of Star Boy and Scarface

Our last evening in the North Piegan camp many Indians came to visit. So we gathered logs and built up the fire, until the flames lighted up our white tepees and the surrounding woods.

Brings-Down-the-Sun took his customary seat on a log by our fire and silently smoked his redstone pipe. The fire burned low and there came a silence. I heard the last birds chirping in the thickets and frogs croaking in a near-by swamp. Finally I asked the old chief to tell about two bright stars (Venus and Jupiter) then in conjunction; they rose in the early morning before the sun. He knocked the ashes from his pipe, and for a moment gazed meditatively into the fire. Then he said:

“The things I am going to tell you happened long ago, long before we had the Sun Dance; when our people used stone weapons and had dogs instead of horses for beasts of burden.

STAR BOY

“It was a night in early summer. The sky was clear and a warm wind
blew over the prairies. Two sisters were sleeping on the grass
outside their father’s lodge. The youngest, whose name was Feather
Woman, wakened before daybreak and saw Morning Star rising from the
prairie. For a while she watched this wonderful star; and she
talked to him as if he were her lover. At last she woke her sister
and said: ‘See Morning Star! He is beautiful and must be very wise.
I want him for my husband.’

“This happened in the spring. In the ‘moon when leaves were turning
yellow,’ the sister who loved the star found herself with child.
The people learned her secret and taunted her until she wanted to
die.

“One day, at the time when geese were flying south, Feather Woman
went alone to the river for water. On her way back to camp, a young
man met her in the trail. He stood in her way and she said:

“‘Why do you want to head me off? None of the young men have ever
bothered me before.’

“And he answered: ‘I am Morning Star. One night in spring you took
me for your husband. Now I have come from the sky to take you to
the lodge of my father and mother, the Sun and Moon. We shall be
together and you will have no more trouble.’

“Then the girl remembered that night in the early summer and knew
Morning Star was the father of her child. He wore a yellow plume in
his hair and held a juniper branch with a spider-web hanging from
one end. He was tall and straight and his hair was long and
shining. His beautiful clothes were of soft-tanned skins; and had a
fragrance of pine and sweet grass.

“She wanted to tell her father and mother; but Morning Star allowed
her to speak to no one. He fastened his plume in her hair and told
her to close her eyes. He gave her the branch with the spider-web
to hold; and thus she was drawn up to the sky. When she opened her
eyes, she was standing with Morning Star before a large lodge. He
said: ‘This is the home of my father and mother, the Sun and Moon.’

“It was daytime and the Sun was away on his long journey, but the
Moon was at home. Morning Star said to his mother: ‘I saw this girl
asleep on the prairie; I loved her and she is now my wife.’

“Then the Moon was glad and took the girl into their lodge. She
gave her a dress of soft-tanned deerskin, trimmed with elk teeth,
wristlets of elk teeth, and an elkskin robe, and said: ‘I give you
these because you married our son.’

“So Feather Woman lived with Morning Star in the home of the Sun.
She was happy and learned many wonderful things. When her child was
born, they called him Star Boy; then the Moon gave her a sacred
root-digger, saying:

“‘It is used only by good women; with it you can dig all kinds of
roots; but do not dig up the big turnip that grows near the home of
the Spider Man.’

“Everywhere Feather Woman went, she carried the root-digger and
Star Boy. She often looked at the big turnip, but was afraid to
touch it. But one day she felt curious to see what was underneath;
she thought how strange was the warning of her mother-in-law, the
Moon.

“She laid Star Boy on the ground and started to dig; but the
root-digger stuck fast. Two large cranes came flying from the east;
and she called on them for help. The man-crane stood on one side,
his wife on the other. He took the turnip in his long bill and
moved it slowly backwards and forwards. They chanted four songs in
the four directions. Then they pulled up the turnip; and Feather
Woman saw a hole in the sky.

“She looked down to the earth, and saw the prairies and rivers, the
meadows and lodges of her people. For a long time she sat watching
the familiar scenes; women tanning skins and making lodges,
gathering berries on the hills and crossing the meadows to and fro
for water. It made her unhappy and she began to cry. She felt
lonely and wanted to go back to her own people on the prairies.

“Then Feather Woman returned to the lodge of the Sun. As soon as
she entered, Morning Star saw she was unhappy and said:

“‘Alas! You have dug up the sacred turnip.’ And, when she made no
reply, the Moon said: ‘I warned you, because I did not want to lose
Star Boy.’

“Nothing more was said, because the Sun Chief was still away on his
long journey through the sky. In the evening when he came home, he
said:

“‘What is the matter with my daughter-in-law? She looks unhappy and
must be in trouble.’

“Feather Woman answered: ‘Yes, I looked down to the earth and feel
homesick for my people.’

“Then the Sun God was angry and said to Morning Star: ‘She has
disobeyed and must go back to the earth. She can no longer be happy
with us.’

“After that Morning Star took Feather Woman to the home of the
Spider Man, whose long web had drawn her up to the sky. He laid
Star Boy on her breast and wrapped them both in the elkskin robe;
he bade them farewell and let them down to the earth.

“This happened in midsummer, the time ‘when berries were ripe.’ In
the Blackfoot camp many people were outside their lodges, watching
a crowd of young men play a game of rolling the wheel. Suddenly
they beheld something coming down from the sky. And when they came
to the place where the bundle lay, they saw the woman and her baby.

“They took her to her father’s lodge and she lived there. But after
that she was not happy. She used to go alone to the summit of a
hill and mourn for her husband. One night she slept on the hill;
and, at daybreak, when Morning Star rose over the prairies, she
begged him to take her back.

“Before Feather Woman died, she told all these things to her father
and mother. Then the grandparents of Star Boy died, and he was left
alone in the camp. He was so poor he had no clothes, not even
moccasins to wear. He did not play with other children; they made
fun of him and stoned him. Whenever the tribe moved camp, he had to
walk barefoot behind the rest of the people. He had a ridge-scar on
his face; and they called him Scarface.

SCARFACE

“Now when Scarface became a young man he loved the daughter of a
chief. She had many suitors, but refused all of them. Scarface
asked her to marry him. But the chief’s daughter ridiculed Scarface
and said: ‘I shall not marry you until your scar can be seen no
more.’

“Then Scarface was ashamed and went away from the camp. He wandered
alone; he fasted, and prayed to the birds and wild animals for
power. Finally an eagle took him to the home of a wise old woman.
She asked him why he traveled so far, and he replied: ‘Because of
this, my scar.’

“Then the old woman said: ‘Ah, yes, I know, I understand. You must
go to the place where the sun sets, beyond the mountains and down
the other side, to the big water. There you must wait, for you will
be near the home of the Sun. In the evening he comes home to his
lodge; and before dawn his only son, the Morning Star, comes out.
He will tell you how to live.’

“The old medicine woman pitied Scarface and gave him food to eat,
and moccasins to wear, for his feet were torn and bleeding. Then he
left her and traveled again, across the mountains and down the
other side, until he came at last to the shore of the big water.
There it was so hot he knew he was near the lodge of the Sun. So he
lay down and waited.

“In the early morning a young man with a beautiful face came forth.
It was Morning Star. He saw Scarface and said:

“‘Brother, I shall hide you. Soon my father, the Sun, will appear
and would kill you. In the morning he comes from his lodge and
starts on his long journey through the sky.’

“So Morning Star hid Scarface. And after the Sun had gone, he took
him to his mother, the Moon, and said:

“‘I want this fellow for my comrade. He has come a long way and I
ask you to pity him.’

“The Moon answered: ‘Wait until your father comes home to-night; I
am afraid he won’t allow the young man to stay.’

“That evening, as soon as the Sun entered the lodge, he said to his
wife: ‘Whew! Old woman, I smell a human here.’

“And the Moon replied: ‘Yes, your son has a chum hidden yonder.’

“Then the Sun would have killed Scarface, but the Moon interceded
and saved his life. Morning Star burned juniper and sweet grass. He
put Scarface in the sweet-smelling smoke; and after that the Sun
allowed him to stay in the lodge.

“Thus Scarface became the comrade of Morning Star; and the two
young men went everywhere together. On one of their trips, some
huge birds with sharp bills attacked Morning Star. They would have
killed him, but Scarface cut off all their heads and saved his
life. Four of the heads he gave to the Sun and three to the Moon.
Then the Sun praised Scarface. He said he was a chief and gave him
a war shirt, which was trimmed with scalps and ermine and with
leggings to match. On each legging the Sun made seven black lines
to represent the seven enemies he had killed. Because of this our
warriors have always painted their leggings with the number of
enemies they kill in battle.

“The Sun asked Scarface why he traveled so far, and he replied:

“‘A girl said she would not marry me until my scar was healed.’

“Then the Sun doctored Scarface in four sweat-lodges, until he and
Morning Star looked alike in every way. Even the Moon could not
tell them apart. When the Sun asked his wife which of the two was
Morning Star, she pointed to Scarface. For this reason the Indians
sometimes call him Morning-Star-by-Mistake.

“When it was time for Scarface to leave the sky and return to the
earth, the Sun gave him power to heal the sick. He told him about
the Sun Dance and taught him the songs and prayers, saying: ‘It
must be given in midsummer, when my power is greatest. If a
virtuous woman makes a vow to the Sun and gives this ceremony
sacred to me, the sick will be restored to health.’

“At parting, Morning Star showed Scarface the Wolf Trail (Milky
Way), the short path across the sky to the earth. He gave him a
magic flute and a song with which to charm the girl he loved. So
Scarface left the home of the Sun and returned to the earth. He
brought the Sun Dance to the Indians and power to heal the sick.
Then he was taken back to the sky and became another Morning Star,
just like his father.”

Thus spake Brings-Down-the-Sun. And after a short silence he
continued, saying:

“I remember another time years ago, when these two stars rose close
together in the early morning before the sun; also when I was a
boy, I remember my father waking me one morning when we were going
on a journey, saying: ‘Get up, my son! Morning Star and Star Boy
are rising over the prairie. Day will soon dawn and it is time we
were off.’

“Sometimes these two stars separate and travel alone through the
sky. I have also seen them together in the evening sky, going down
after the sun. Now they are together in the morning. You can see
them before dawn. Scarface comes up first, his father soon after,
and then his grandfather, the Sun.”

When the old chief ended his talk, no one spoke for a while,
because of the magic of his words and the spell of the night.
Suddenly a bright meteor flashed across the heavens and burst into
a shower of sparks near the horizon. Some of the Indians thought it
an evil omen. But Brings-Down-the-Sun said:

“That falling star is a sign a great chief has just died—a man who
had a good heart and lived a straight life. The Sun God is
all-powerful; he sees everything and watches over every one.

“And now our story-telling is ended, for the dogs have separated,
having had their evening meal.”

After Brings-Down-the-Sun and his followers had gone and our Indians were asleep in their tepees, I lay on my blanket-bed under the cottonwoods, thinking of Star Boy and Scarface, and watching the moon, very broad and big, mount slowly into a cloudless heaven, higher and higher, until the great trees were bathed in its silvery light. I heard the night wind in the trees, the murmuring of the river, and once the mournful cry of some night bird. In the peace and quiet of that wilderness camp, my home in civilization seemed like another world.

At dawn I wakened and saw our women making a fire to cook breakfast. After a plunge in the cold river, I went to find our horses, along the wooded trail in the valley, past the silent white lodges of the North Piegans. Out on the open prairie a gentle breeze was blowing, bearing the sweet fragrance of woods and meadows.

In the east were the two bright morning stars in conjunction, Star Boy and his father, the planets Jupiter and Venus. Star Boy (Jupiter) came up first, and was followed by Morning Star.

The first birds were chirping in the thickets and from the hills came the wailing cries of bands of coyotes. Soon a rosy glow spread over the Rocky Mountains, over the snow-capped peaks and the forests of the lower slopes. By the time I found our horses, the sun itself came up and flooded the prairies with light.

When our lodges were down and wagons packed, Brings-Down-the-Sun came to say farewell, leading his favorite horse, Soks-kinne (Loud Voice).

Soks-kinne was a handsome stallion with silvery mane and tail, the fastest race horse of the North Piegans. What a chest he had! Long legs and brightest of eyes. The old chief cared for him as for an old and faithful friend. But he led his horse forth and gave him to us.

When we refused to take him, Brings-Down-the-Sun handed me his favorite pipe of redstone, and said:

“My son, I give you my ‘everyday’ pipe—the one I have smoked for many years. Keep it as a remembrance of your Indian father. My heart feels heavy because you are going; and I shall be lonely every time I see your deserted camp-ground. Never have I gone into another camp to talk day after day as I have with you.”

Then he shook hands; and, as I turned to go, the old chief gazed towards the rising sun and prayed:

“Father, the Sun!
May he go safely while traveling afar!
May we live long and continue to be friends!
May we both meet and be happy again!”

As we left the valley for the open plains, I turned in the saddle for a last look, and saw Brings-Down-the-Sun with bowed head, going along the trail to his lodge, leading his horse and followed by his old dog, Kops-ksisse.