ARAPOOASH

The Great Up-Sah-Ro-Ku Chief and Medicine Man --- His Story of the Mysterious Under-Water People

 

(By Dan R. Conway)
(Published in the Hysham Echo February 18, 1926 and December 13, 2013)

The old chief had said he would tell the story of Arapooash, the great Crow chief and medicine man, who lived and led his people is the days when the white men first came to the land of the Up-Sah-Ro-Ku. It is a beautiful spring evening and the hunters have all gathered into the camp on Big Horn river, happy in the success of their quest for meat. The youths, who have finished staking the horses close to the lodges of their owners, have assembled in the large lodge of their chief. It is again the time for story telling and the Crow lads await in eager anticipation the mysteries and legends which are about to be unfolded before them.
To watch this old warrior is to be at once carried back through the years that have gone to the time when the Crows were a great and powerful people. Erect of stature, despite his almost four-score of years, and with eye and brow that signify leadership and justice and honesty, his appearance alone, command the respect that is accorded him by these youths and all the members of his tribe.
He has finished his smoking, and the silence that has remained unbroken, save for the occasional stomp of a hoof on the outside of the lodge, ends when the old man slowly starts his evening narrative.
“Ho! My Sons! At the time of the last story telling, I spoke of our Great Arapooash, who lived until not so many years ago, and who was chief when we Crows first saw the whites.

The Great Arapooash

“Arapooash, (Rotten Belly), my sons, was a great Crow chief and a Crow medicine man, but he was not so great as Long Hair, whose story I told you a short time ago. Arapooash’s medicine was the thunder. He claimed, my sons that one night he dreamed what the thunder was, and carried a piece of it with him, but what it was we never were able to learn.
“One time when Rotten Belly was camped with some of his people, at Stinking Water canyon, he told his people that the Great Spirit had come to him in a dream and that it had promised him success in making captives if he went in a certain direction. After a number of the warriors had joined him, he led an expedition into the Judith Basin country, against the Piegans.
“Here, while they were looking out from the hills, they saw some 60 persons approaching in their direction. These people were on foot, and Rotten Belly said that they were the people of whom the Great Spirit had told him. As they came nearer, the Crows discovered that they were all Piegan women. They were easily taken, and after the Crows had selected 26 or the youngest and handsomest, the party returned to the Crow country. A part of these escaped on the way to the Crow village, but most were carried to the Crow country and adopted into the Crow tribe. Three of these, my sons, are still living with the Crows. (1875).

At Fort McKenzie

“Another time Arapooash raised a war party of about 200 braves, and, without telling them what he was going to do, led them against Fort McKenzie on the Missouri, (at the mouth of the Marias). He made his camp above the fort and was visited by the men from the post, who asked him what it was that he wanted; but upon seeing that he was not friendly, the traders returned to their stockade. Then the chief trader sent him presents of knives and tobacco, but Arapooash said that he did not want these, stating that he was after powder. The powder was not given to him and he threw the tobacco into the river. Many of his warriors left him and returned to the Crow camp. Some of those that remained, visited the fort, and found that the doors were loosed against them. They attempted to shake hands with the whites, but the height of the wall prevented this. This greatly angered Arapooash to think that some of his number favored the whites and he sent these home. After he had remained near the fort for several days, he returned to his own country, very angry and with a much diminished force.
“Arapooash, was, however, a great friend of the whites, and even the Fort McKenzie fur trading post was looked upon by him with friendly eyes. In the days when the great white chief, Captain Bonneville and his party passed through the Crow country, these white men found protection and welcome in Arapooash lodge. The reason that Arapooash made the expedition against Fort McKenzie was because he was angry over the fact that the traders gave ammunition to the Blackfeet and would not give it to the Crows.

His Dream Horses

“Arapooash had a powerful medicine. One time he described two horses which he said he had been told by his medicine in dreams, were in the Piegan camp. One of these horses, he said, was a pinto with a black spot on each flank; his ears were red and he was otherwise peculiarly marked; and the other horse was gray with odd markings. He said that he must capture these horses and a party of warriors accompanied him when he started out for this purpose. Arapooash and his warriors came upon the Piegan camp at night; they crept into it and succeeded in getting the two horses, with which they escaped, and when it became light enough for them to see the horses they had taken, they found that they were marked exactly as Arapooash had described from his dream.

The Mare With Twin Colts

“Another time, Arapooash dreamed that there was in the Piegan camp, a mare that would that spring give birth at one time to two colts. He made up his mind to capture this mare for a present to his wife. He was laughed at when he asked for a party to accompany him, for the braves thought it was impossible in that no mare ever had two colts at one time. They said that Arapooash’s medicine had tricked him, but he was sure that his medicine was right, and finally a few warriors went with him. They found the camp and captured the mare. And, my sons, just as the old chief had said, she was the mother of two colts born shortly after the party reached the Crow camp.

The Gros Ventres Punished

“One time while Arapooash was on a visit to the River Crows (the Gros Ventres or Ah-mah-chay), his favorite bay horse was stolen from him. He demanded that it be given up but the Gros Ventres refused to do so. This made the old chief very angry, and he said, ‘But you would not do this if you knew me. I am Arapooash; you know my name, but you do not know what I can do. I will leave you now, but I am angry, and before long you will learn of my power.’
“He moved away from the Gros Ventres one day’s march, camping early in the afternoon. The day was a fine one, with not a cloud and no sign of any coming storm, but Arapooash told all his people to fasten their lodges with stay ropes and make them strong. The sun had finished its walk to the west, and every one of the Crows grew very uneasy. They knew that Arapooash, had planned something, but they feared that his medicine was failing him. Suddenly they heard the sound of four loud blasts from a horn come from the lodge of the old warrior. At once, the wind began to blow so strong that the lodges rocked to and fro like the limbs of trees, but they were fastened well and did not fall. Rain began to fall just as though much water was being poured from the sky. Every draw was turned into a river and great lakes were formed in the low places. Then, as it ceased to rain, great hail stones fell, some of them as large as a man’s fist. After a time the storm passed, and Arapooash said, ‘Perhaps now they will return my horse.’
“The next day the Crow party remained in their camp. They all understood by this time that the storm had been brought on by their old chief, and a watch was kept in the direction of the Gros Ventres village. The sun had hardly ceased his walk to the west when a large party on foot and on horseback was seen coming toward the Crows. When they came near, it was seen that the leader was the head chief of the Gros Ventres, and that he was leading a bay horse, the one that had been stolen from Arapooash. Behind him followed a number of men with pack animals carrying robes and other articles meant for a present to Arapooash. These were all spread out before the old Crow chief and the Gros Ventre chief said:
“‘We have done wrong and have been punished. Your horse was taken and we refused to return it. You left us in anger yesterday morning, and last night there came a terrible storm of rain and hail that soaked our houses (the Gros Ventres lived in dirt lodges made of earth and willows) so that many of them fell in and are destroyed, and the others were filled with water. The hail beat down our corn and pumpkins, and our fields that in the morning promised us a good harvest, are now bare. But we do not complain, for we deserved it. We now return your horse, and besides bring you presents, which we want you to accept, and turn from your anger, that we receive no further punishment.’
“‘I will accept your presents,’ said Arapooash, ‘and injure you no more, but you did well to act as you have, for this winter I should have caused such storms of snow to come upon you as you never saw. I would have heaped it over your villages so that you could not get away and you would have died. They are fools who make Arapooash angry.’ (Cont. next week) Print this post