The Piqued Buffalo Wife by Blackfoot Stories
This story tells a tale of a family torn apart. It begins with the birth of a child. He was born from a buffalo and therefore every night he would turn back into a calf. But, since his father was a human, every day he was a child. During the days he would run and play with the tribe's children and learn their games. Every night he would depart and spend the night in the field with his mother. One day his curiosity got the best of him. He had to know who his father was. He went to the chief and asked him to help him find his dad. The chief called for the eldest men of the tribe and asked him to identify his dad. He could not find his father among the group. The chief then sent out for the age group underneath. He could not identify his father from this group either. Finally, he called for the unmarried men. The child quickly was able to identify his father! His father wanted to meet his mother. He took him to the field. There his mother charged him four times and as he was instructed, his father did not move. On the fourth time, she turned into a woman. They were reunited. But, only till night. Then the son and mother returned to the field. This was not good enough for his father. He missed them dearly and wanted them to be in his life. He went to retrieve them. Upon arriving, he met with his son. He told him that he had to go through a trial to be with them. The head buffalo was not sure of his intentions. This lead him to setting up 4 trials. He only passed 3, after failing the last one, the herd stormed him. His mother and the child mourned his death. Then they found one piece of him left and revived him. Because of this effort, the chief allowed them to go with him.
Buffalo and her calf. Source: Flickr
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