Page 36 - ImmenseJourney

The memories and stories told among the various inside. As each boy took tribes, its outcome illustrates the tangible reality of
tribes recall times from their collective past. Living as his turn, he gave a silent the incident to the people involved. Upon returning
a tribe, both as hunters moving about on the Plains cry and fled the area im- to the safety of his home, my father told no one of his
during the summer and as settled people living in mediately. escapade. The next day, however, one of the village
the earth lodge dwellings during the winter, memo- leaders came to visit his grandparents who raised
ries would be relayed in stories, legends, and myths. Being the last and now him. They were told what had happened and then
Certainly, the ability to build an earth lodge dwelling only boy to take his turn
would be a skill that was most necessary and passed at the peephole, my fa-
along from generation to generation. ther wondered what was
so scary as to frighten his
Constructing an earth lodge remained a skill well playmates away. Peering
into the early 1900s, long after the Umonhon were into the earth lodge, at
firmly settled within the land base strictly prescribed first he saw only a small
in the last treaty of 1854. By this time, all tribal fire in the middle of the
people lived in houses built upon their allotted lands lodge. After his eyes
and scattered throughout the reservation. Gone for- adjusted, he said he was
ever were the summer buffalo hunts, tipi, and earth staring directly into the
lodge living. eyes of a grizzly bear!
The bear was standing
The writer’s father, who was born in 1909, however, upright and “dancing” to
tells a story involving an earth lodge. Despite no and fro when it turned
longer living in them, they appear to have been built toward the peephole and
for other purposes. In this particular instance, the stared directly back at
earth lodge was used by various medicine men or my father. Of course, he
shamans, in which to practice their skills. now understood that this
is what had frightened
My father said he was about eight years old when his playmates and sent
he and two playmates watched one of the medicine them scurrying away so
men enter a nearby earth lodge. Becoming curious, suddenly, and he followed suit. After all, they had
even knowing who the man was, the young boys seen a man enter the lodge and now in his place was
decided to spy upon his activities. The boys crept a bear!
silently up to the lodge and found a small crack in
the outer wall. Digging as silently as they could, they Although this story sounds incredible and echoes the
created a small peephole that allowed them to see shape-shifting stories among most American Indian

34 University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist