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Once in the long ago, Skel’aw’ (beaver) had a large family of young
men and not far from the beaver house, there lived a lone woman,
Waxes was her name. It was during the wintertime so it was very
cold and all the land was covered with snow. The ice was very thick
on the waters.
Skel’aw called all of his children and he said to them, that they
must go and gamble against the Iceman. I want you all to play hard
and don’t stop until you have defeated him. So, the young men went
to gamble against Iceman. They continued playing very hard for two
days and two nights without a break, so on the second night Skel’aw
went to the home of the Frog Woman, and told her that he wanted
for his wife.
She became very angry and she bitterly called him down. She struck
him and told to get out. Skel’aw’ becomes very sad and he began
to cry, saying, “caha caha”, and on his way home he could
hear the voice of all his boys singing over their gambling. The
chorus of their song was, “ice break open, ice break open”.
This they kept repeating as they continued playing and final the
ice began to groan and crack. By the morning the water is open and
all the ice is gone.
When Beaver seen the open water, he dives into it and he swims
around and leaps like a salmon. Soon the rains begins to fall, increasing
in violence as Skel’aw’ leaps and sings. In a short time the water
rises and enters the house of Frog Woman, who became, greatly alarmed
for her safety. In her fright, she calls out to the Beaver. “I
consent, Beaver, I consent, yes Beaver, I consent,” she screamed.
The only notice Beaver takes of her now is to call back and say
“Co! Co!” I am not such a bad fellow, after all, hey!
you would like to marry me now, would you? The Frog’s trying to
reach the top of the roof. Beaver continues his plunging, leaping
and singing. The water is just about to wash her frog off the roof
top when a drifting log comes by. she immediately grabs the log,
leaps upon it and is carried away.
After she was drifting around for sometime, the log is finally
beached she sees a large house. She approaches the house and secretly
peeps in. And in the house, she sees a man lying on the bed. He
had a very round head and a big white face. this man was the Moon Man.
She enters the house and seats herself on the side of the fire
farthest away from the Moon Man. The Moon Man said to her, “Come
and sit at the foot of my bed.” She answered him by saying,
“Do you think I came here to sit at the foot of your bed?”
Then the Moon Man said, Come and sit on my lap.” “do you
think that I came her to sit on your lap?” she replied. He
then said, come then, and sit on my breast, perhaps that would satisfy
you.” “I never came here for that propose either,”
was her reply to the invitation. “Well then, come and sit on
my forehead,” he said.
And to that invitation she gladly responds and quickly she jumped
up on his forehead, where she has remained ever since. So ends the
story of the Frog Woman.
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