Myths as Historical Sources

"'I Bring Death': The Kiowas Meet Smallpox"

Questions:

1. Summarize this legend in 2 - 3 sentences.
The legend is about a man, Saynday, who liked to challenge what was normal.  His tribe, the Kiowas, were in an area of land that had very little to offer, so he left and ran into a stranger on a horse, Smallpox.  He learned that Smallpox brought death and convinced him to visit the Pawnees, the enemy of the Kiowas, instead of the Kiowas.

2. What changes does Saynday notice when he looks at the landscape?
Saynday notices many changes in the landscape.  He sees that the Washita River is now murky and there are no more roses.  Also, there are no more deer or antelope .  He appears to be blaming white settlers, as seen where it states "settlers' soddies [houses made of sod] dented the hillsides and the creek banks".  Another reason he appears to be blaming the white settlers is that he mentions that buffalo are no longer in the area, but cattle, which he later refers to as "the white man's cattle", have taken over the area.  Those are the changes Saynday observes.

3. What is the relationship between Smallpox and white men? 
 Smallpox is a white man, but he also kills the white men.  He states that the white men count everything and so does Smallpox.  He counts how many people are alive or dead and their ages.  Yet, he also kills the white people.  He is often traveling and living with them, bringing death.  Yet he comes from the East, like the white man.  He is one who kills those whom he associates himself with and others.

4. According to this legend, in what ways do the Kiowas see themselves as different from white people? 
The Kiowas see themselves as different from the white people.  One way is that they do not have the same cattle that the white people do and they expect the white people to fence them off into a little area.  Another difference that the legend makes a point of bringing up is counting.  The Kiowas do not believe in counting living people, only enemies, because animals are not cattle and should not be counted like cattle, while "white men always count".  That is a large difference and shows how the Kiowas valued humans and did not think of them as numbers as whites did.

5. What do you think was the relationship between the Kiowas and the Pawnees? 
 The relationship between the Kiowas and the Pawnees was not a good one.  The Pawnees had almost killed all of the Kiowas and were now very wealthy while the Kiowas were poor.  The probably led to the Kiowas resenting the Pawnees.  This resentment is shown by Saynday leading Smallpox there.  It was a bad relationship.