was one of the gods. Not until Antler spoke were they really sure it
was she. And not until she showed them how to tie the branches to
their feet did they understand what she had done. And even then they
did not know that Antler had invented the snowshoe. Many people worked
upon snowshoes before fine snowshoes were made. For when people heard
what Antler had done, they tried different ways for themselves.
Of course all the people were glad when Antler returned with the men.
They feasted and told stories all day long. And afterward the children
played they were hunters overtaken by a storm, and they made little
snowshoes and learned to walk over the drifts.
#THINGS TO DO#
_The next time there is a storm listen to it and see if you can
hear what the Cave-men thought was the voice of the Big Bear. See
if you can tell what it is that makes the music of the storm._
_Listen to the music of the birds and see if you can give their
songs and calls._
_What other animals do you hear calling one another? See if you can
give their calls._
_Tell a story of some storm you have seen._
_Draw one of these pictures;_--
_Antler praying to the gods for help._
_A bison floundering in the drift._
_Antler bringing aid to the men._
_Find a picture of a snowshoe, and tell how you think it was made._
_Find something which you can use for making snowshoes. Make a
pair, and use them when you have a chance._
_See if you can find out why the snowshoe keeps one from sinking in
the snow._
XX
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT
Why would the women be apt to make traps before the men did?
What animals did the men hunt most? How did they hunt them?
What animals did the women hunt most? How?
How many kinds of knots can you tie? Which of these knots slip?
Which of these knots would be the best to use in a trap?
_How Antler made Snares_
While Fleetfoot and Flaker were little boys, they learned a few
lessons in trapping. The men seldom trapped at that time, but the
women trapped in several ways.
Antler was only a little girl when she learned to catch birds with a
seed on a string. She was called Snowflake then and she lived in
another cave.
Snowflake's mother taught her to do all the things that little girls
needed to know. She learned to hunt for roots and berries, to catch
birds, and to make traps,
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