{"id":24031,"date":"2022-10-17T07:43:41","date_gmt":"2022-10-17T07:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/?page_id=24031"},"modified":"2022-10-17T07:57:24","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T07:57:24","slug":"iktomi-and-the-muskrat","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/sioux-mythology-lakota-dakota-nakota\/iktomi-and-the-muskrat\/","title":{"rendered":"Iktomi and the Muskrat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/sioux-mythology-lakota-dakota-nakota\/\" role=\"button\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSioux mythology<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstpeople.us\/FP-Html-Legends\/IktomiandtheMuskrat-Lakota.html\" role=\"button\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWiki<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Lakota<\/strong> or Titunwans (&quot;people of the prairie&quot;) or Tetons in English (traditional Dakota\/Wyoming territory) was originally one of the seven council fires. Here is their tale: Iktomi and the Muskrat.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/cropped-AlphaOmega-e1602613368367.png\" alt=\"Iktomi and the Muskrat\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/sioux-mythology-lakota-dakota-nakota\/iktomi-and-the-muskrat\/#Iktomi-and-the-Muskrat\" >Iktomi and the Muskrat<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Iktomi-and-the-Muskrat\"><\/span>Iktomi and the Muskrat<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Beside a white lake, beneath a large grown willow tree, sat Iktomi<br \/>\non the bare ground. The heap of smoldering ashes told of a recent<br \/>\nopen fire. With ankles crossed together around a pot of soup, Iktomi<br \/>\nbent over some delicious boiled fish.<\/p>\n<p>Fast he dipped his black horn spoon into the soup, for he was ravenous.<br \/>\nIktomi had no regular meal times. Often when he was hungry he went<br \/>\nwithout food. Well hidden between the lake and the wild rice, he<br \/>\nlooked nowhere save into the pot of fish.<\/p>\n<p>Not knowing when the next meal would be, he meant to eat enough<br \/>\nnow to last some time.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Hau, hau, my friend!&quot; said a voice out of the wild rice.<\/p>\n<p>Iktomi started. He almost choked with his soup. He peered through<br \/>\nthe long reeds from where he sat with his long horn spoon in mid-air.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Hau, my friend!&quot; said the voice again, this time close at his side.<\/p>\n<p>Iktomi turned and there stood a dripping muskrat who had just come<br \/>\nout of the lake. &quot;Oh, it is my friend who startled me. I wondered<br \/>\nif among the wild rice some spirit voice was talking. Hau, hau,<br \/>\nmy friend!&quot; said Iktomi.<\/p>\n<p>The muskrat stood smiling. On his lips hung a ready &quot;Yes,<br \/>\nmy friend,&quot; when Iktomi would ask, &quot;My friend, will you<br \/>\nsit down beside me and share my food?&quot; That was the custom<br \/>\nof the plains people. Yet Iktomi sat silent.<\/p>\n<p>He hummed an old dance-song and beat gently on the edge of the<br \/>\npot with his buffalo-horn spoon. The muskrat began to feel awkward<br \/>\nbefore such lack of hospitality and wished himself under water.<\/p>\n<p>After many heart throbs Iktomi stopped drumming with his horn ladle,<br \/>\nand looking upward into the muskrat&rsquo;s face, he said: &quot;My friend,<br \/>\nlet us run a race to see who shall win this pot of fish. If I win,<br \/>\nI shall not need to share it with you. If you win, you shall have<br \/>\nhalf of it.&quot; Springing to his feet, Iktomi began at once to<br \/>\ntighten the belt about his waist.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;My friend Ikto, I cannot run a race with you! I am not a<br \/>\nswift runner, and you are nimble as a deer. We shall not run any<br \/>\nrace together,&quot; answered the hungry muskrat.<\/p>\n<p>For a moment Iktomi stood with a hand on his long protruding chin.<br \/>\nHis eyes were fixed upon something in the air. The muskrat looked<br \/>\nout of the corners of his eyes without moving his head. He watched<br \/>\nthe wily Iktomi concocting a plot. &quot;Yes, yes,&quot; said Iktomi,<br \/>\nsuddenly turning his gaze upon the unwelcome visitor; &quot;I shall<br \/>\ncarry a large stone on my back. That will slacken my usual speed;<br \/>\nand the race will be a fair one.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Saying this he laid a firm hand upon the muskrat&rsquo;s shoulder and<br \/>\nstarted off along the edge of the lake. When they reached the opposite<br \/>\nside Iktomi pried about in search of a heavy stone. He found one<br \/>\nhalf-buried in the shallow water.<\/p>\n<p>Pulling it out upon dry land, he wrapped it in his blanket. &quot;Now,<br \/>\nmy friend, you shall run on the left side of the lake, I on the<br \/>\nother. The race is for the boiled fish in yonder kettle!&quot; said Iktomi.<\/p>\n<p>The muscrat helped to lift the heavy stone upon Iktomi&#039;s back.<\/p>\n<p>Then they parted. Each took a narrow path through the tall reeds<br \/>\nfringing the shore. Iktomi found his load a heavy one. Perspiration<br \/>\nhung like beads on his brow. His chest heaved hard and fast. He<br \/>\nlooked across the lake to see how far the muskrat had gone, but<br \/>\nnowhere did he see any sign of him.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Well, he is running low under the wild rice!&quot; said he.<br \/>\nYet as he scanned the tall grasses on the lake shore, he saw not<br \/>\none stir as if to make way for the runner. &quot;Ah, has he gone<br \/>\nso fast ahead that the disturbed grasses in his trail have quieted<br \/>\nagain?&quot; exclaimed Iktomi.<\/p>\n<p>With that thought he quickly dropped the heavy stone. &quot;No<br \/>\nmore of this!&quot; said he, patting his chest with both hands.<br \/>\nOff with a springing bound, he ran swiftly toward the goal. Tufts<br \/>\nof reeds and grass fell flat under his feet. Hardly had they raised<br \/>\ntheir heads when Iktomi was many paces gone.<\/p>\n<p>Soon he reached the heap of cold ashes. Iktomi halted stiff as<br \/>\nif he had struck an invisible cliff. His black eyes showed a ring<br \/>\nof white about them as he stared at the empty ground. There was<br \/>\nno pot of boiled fish! There was no water-man in sight!<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Oh, if only I had shared my food like a real <a href=\"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/sioux-mythology-lakota-dakota-nakota\/\">Lakota<\/a>, I would<br \/>\nnot have lost it all! Why did I not know the muskrat would run through<br \/>\nthe water? He swims faster than I could ever run! That is what he<br \/>\nhas done. He has laughed at me for carrying a weight on my back<br \/>\nwhile he shot hither like an arrow!&quot;<\/p>\n<p>Crying thus to himself, Iktomi stepped to the water&rsquo;s brink. He<br \/>\nstooped forward with a hand on each bent knee and peeped far into<br \/>\nthe deep water. &quot;There!&quot; he exclaimed, &quot;I see you,<br \/>\nmy friend, sitting with your ankles wound around my little pot of fish!<\/p>\n<p>My friend, I am hungry. Give me a bone!&quot;<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Ha! ha! ha!&quot; laughed the water-man, the muscrat.<\/p>\n<p>The sound did not rise up out of the lake, for it came down from<br \/>\noverhead. With his hands still on his knees, Iktomi turned his face<br \/>\nupward into the great willow tree. Opening wide his mouth he begged,<br \/>\n&quot;My friend, my friend, give me a bone to gnaw!&quot;<\/p>\n<p>&quot;Ha! ha!&quot; laughed the muskrat, and leaning over the limb<br \/>\nhe sat upon, he let fall a small sharp bone which dropped right<br \/>\ninto Iktomi&rsquo;s throat. Iktomi almost choked to death before he could get it out.<\/p>\n<p>In the tree the muskrat sat laughing loud. &quot;Next time, say<br \/>\nto a visiting friend, &lsquo;Be seated beside me, my friend. Let me share<br \/>\nwith you my food.&rsquo;&quot;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sioux Mythology Wiki The Lakotas or Titunwans (\u201cprairie people\u201d) or Tetons in English (traditional Dakota\/Wyoming territory) constituted \u2026 <\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":3889,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-24031","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24031"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24038,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/24031\/revisions\/24038"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mythslegendes.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}