When the Indians have walked a great distance and are very tired,
they have great faith in painting their feet, claiming that paint
eases the pain and rests their feet.
After their return from a long day's journey, when they would be
lying down resting, the sister would get her paint and mix it with
the deer tallow and rub the paint on her brother's feet, painting
them up to their ankles. The gentle touch of her hands, and the
soothing qualities of the tallow and paint soon put them into a
deep, dreamless steep.
Many such kind actions on her part won the hearts of the brothers,
and never was a full blood sister loved more than was this poor
orphan girl, who had been taken as their adopted sister. In the
morning when they arose, the sister always combed their long black
silken scalp locks and painted the circle around the scalp lock a
bright vermillion.
When the hunters would return with a goodly supply of beef, the
sister would hurry and relieve them of their packs, hanging each
one high enough from the ground so the prowling dogs and coyotes
could not reach them. The hunters each had a post on which to hang
his bow and flint head arrows. (Good hunters never laid their
arrows on the ground, as it was considered unlucky to the hunter
who let his arrows touch the earth after they had been out
of the quiver).
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