Myths and Legends of the Great Plains

<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg&nbsp;31]</SPAN></span></p> <h2>THE ANCESTORS OF PEOPLE</h2> <p class="subtitle">Osage</p> <p><span class="dropcap">T</span>here are people who come from under the water. They lived in the water weeds that hang down, all green, into the water. They have leaves upon their stems. Now the water people lived in shells. The shells were their houses and kept the water out.</p> <p>There were other animals who lived under the earth. Cougar lived under the earth, and bear, and buffalo. These creatures came up out of the ground. Then the shell people came up to the earth also; and the sky people came down. So all these three peoples lived together. They are the fathers of the people who live on the earth today.</p> <hr style="width: 45%;" /> <p><SPAN name="WOMANS_COSTUME" id="WOMANS_COSTUME"></SPAN></p> <div class="figcenter"> <SPAN href="images/mlgp04.jpg"> <ANTIMG src="images/mlgp04th.jpg" width-obs="211" height-obs="400" alt="A woman in traditional dress." /></SPAN> <span class="caption">Woman&rsquo;s Costume</span></div> <p class="center">(Omaha)</p> <p class="center"><i>Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution</i></p> <hr style="width: 45%;" /> <p><SPAN name="OMAHA_BEAU" id="OMAHA_BEAU"></SPAN></p> <div class="figcenter"> <SPAN href="images/mlgp05.jpg"> <ANTIMG src="images/mlgp05th.jpg" width-obs="239" height-obs="400" alt="An older man in traditional dress." /></SPAN> <span class="caption">An Elderly Omaha Beau</span></div> <p class="center"><i>Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution</i></p> <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />