Myths as Historical Sources

1. Summarize this legend in 2 - 3 sentences.

This legend is basically that there were these two Indian tribes, the Pawnees and the Kiowas. The leader of the Kiowas was Saynday, and one day Saynday was thinking of leaving his people because of the lack of life on his lands, and also in the future all he saw was death and being caged in and wanted to abandon everyone. As he was leaving for his new life however he met Small pox, who said he was coming to kill the Kiowas. Saynday told him instead he should go for the Kiowas enemies, the Pawnees because the Pawnees had left few Kiowas left so if Smallpox went after the Pawnees there would be more people to kill, which pleased him, and he left the Kiowas to kill the Pawnees instead accidentally telling Saynday the only thing he's afraid of is fire just before he left.


2. What changes does Saynday notice when he looks at the landscape?


He notices that "the world has changed". In the Legend, it says "Where the buffalo heards used to graze he saw white-faced cattle. The Washita river, which one ran bankful with clear water, was soggy with red mud. There were no deer or antelope in the brush or skittering across the high plains. No white tipis rose proudly against the blue sky; settlers' soddies dented the hillsides and the creek banks." Basically, the land is just unappealing to him now.


3. What is the relationship between Smallpox and white men? 


Smallpox tells Saynday that the relationship between him and the white men was very nice.  He says he is one with their people like Saynday is one with the Kiowas. He calls himself their companion, which is pretty ironic since he's probably the last companion they'd ever want.


4. According to this legend, in what ways do the Kiowas see themselves as different from white people? 


According to this legend, the Kiowas see themselves as different from white people because they see the white people as powerful and ignorant like most native americans at the time. I can tell, because Saynday talks about how he sees the Kiowas in the future being fenced in like white mens cattle, without the ability to break the fences in fear that the barbed wire will tear their flesh. 


Also, the white men always count all the cattle sheep chickens children living and dead and the Kiowas count only the enemies they touch. Saynday makes this seem more humane than the whites because he goes on to say, "men are not cattle, anymore than women and children are."


5. What do you think was the relationship between the Kiowas and the Pawnees? 


The relationship between the Kiowas and the Pawnees definitely isn't a positive one. In the legend, Saynday mentions the Pawnees a few times to Smallpox, trying to persuade him to attack their village instead of his. You can tell the Kiowas and the Pawnees are enemies because they've fought eachother. Saynday states in the story that the Pawnees left the Kiowas with few people alive, alluding to the fact that they did in fact fight.