20
they were on the run, or just even going hunting, they buried
and hid the food they needed. I am really happy to know that
our people were so intelligent and used this method of having
food available. How did they prevent getting mosquito bites?
0: I am not sure.
C: Did they use some kind of grease to put on their bodies?
0: Yes, I heard that they used some kind of grease to put on their
bodies to prevent insect bites.
LEGEND OF THE TURTLE AND THE BLOOD CLOT
The turtle had been on a hunt with the other hunters. After
they had made a killing, each of the hunters took all of the deer
meat. The only thing left of the deer was a blood clot. The
turtle began thinking that he spent all that time on the hunt,
and when he returns home his wife and children will be expecting
some food and some meat from the game the hunters had killed.
He thought about how disappointed everyone would be if he didn't
bring home anything. So he took the blood clot of the deer, and
wrapped it with yards and yards of Spanish moss, and made it look
like a big bundle of meat.
When he returned home, his wife marvelled at how he ex-
pected his family would be able to eat so much meat. He didn't
say anything as she began unwrapping the meat. She unwrapped, un-
wrapped, and unwrapped, until she came to a little blood clot.
Was she ever angry! She picked up the blood clot and threw it
at him, hitting him in the eyes. That is why he has red eyes to
this day.
Exactly how she broke his shell, I am not quite sure, but
in her anger she had broken his shell on his back. As he was
lying there and unable to get up, a opossum happened to pass by.
The opossum asked if he had been hurt. The turtle told him
what had happened to him, and said that his family left him
there in that condition, and went away without him. He told
that opossum that he did not think it was right for her to
beat him and leave him there.
He asked the opossum if he would be able to help him, or
if not, could he get a medicine man to help him? It just so
happened that the opossum knew the medicine chants and knew what
herbs to use. He gathered the herbs, and sung the chant which