Stoney Discoveries : Stoney Stories : Iktomi and the Mouse Dance

Our summary of Iktomni and the Mouse Dance told by;
Megan, Rowan, Jessie & Taylor

It is the changing moon when buffalo grow new robes. Iktomni is walking along the Coyote Foothills. He hears the sound of many voices coming from a buffalo skull. He walks over and looks into the skull and sees mice singing and dancing. He shrinks his head so he can join them and puts his head in the eye hole of the buffalo skull and sings. He gets so tired that he falls asleep. When the magic wears off and his head gets bigger and he is trapped inside the buffalo skull. The Sun wakes Iktomni and he still has the buffalo skull on his head. He looks for a rock and hits his head on a big rock. The skull won't come off. He heard some birds flying his way and he told them if they helped him break the skull he would give them his first born daughter. They help him break the skull, but Iktomni had lied to the birds. He did not have a daughter. He breaks his promise and he puts a curse on the birds and that is why they fly in circles and not straight.

What did we hear in this story that we have heard in other stories?

• We keep on seeing the number 4. In this story Iktomni looked in the 4 directions. The birds strike the buffalo skull and on the 4th hit they break the skull. Perhaps it is a sacred or a special number?
• Iktomni is a character in the Stoney stories who is often annoying. He sometimes did terrible things. He was a liar and he cursed the birds.
• We keep on seeing the buffalo and the eagle. They must have been special or sacred to the Stoney.

Why was this story told? We think...

• The story was told to explain why birds always fly in circles because the children were wondering why.
• The story was told so that it could be passed on to other children so that everyone would know.
• It is important to think before you make a promise so that you can always keep your promise and you don't have to change your mind.