Research source

A buffalo has wandered near an Indian village, and is being captured

Date of account: Published 1913
Source: Myths and Legends of the Great Plains
Reference: Myths and Legends of the Great Plains · selected passage 10
Rights: public_domain
Language: English retellings of multiple Indigenous North American traditions
Translation: Compiled by Katharine Berry Judson from identified sources
Record updated: 2026-08-24

Record summary

Published source text

Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.

Source passage

Source text · mention only

_A buffalo has wandered near an Indian village, and is being captured. The dotted lines indicate footprints. One Indian, having secured the buffalo by his forefeet, tells his companion of his success--indicated by the line drawn from his mouth to its feet. Another, having secured the buffalo by the horns, gives a companion a chance to kill it with an axe. This he intends to do--indicated by the line from his mouth to its head, as well as by his attitude. The Indian in the upper corner is told by his squaw to take an arrow and join in the capture. He turns his head to inform her that he has an arrow--indicated by holding it up, and by the line from his mouth to her._]

Historical context

Contextual commentary · mention only

This material belongs to a folklore tradition. Story type, collector, community, transmission and literary editing matter when comparing it with other sources.

Modern context

Contextual commentary · mention only

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