Sun Boy And The Rainbow
Rainbow Is Snare In Lakhota Tradition
Great Plains, N.D. - A long time ago there was a terrible storm and much rain fell to the ground and the rivers got large and dirt was washed away from some places.
After a while the sun was shining and, in the sky, was a Wígmuŋke, or colored bow. A boy said that he would make a vow to climb to the top of it, so he started out to find where it touched the ground and climbed it.
He shot a blazing arrow when he got to the top of the bow that time, and the people went to get it, but could never find it and the spirits keep them from finding where the bow touches the ground.
They will always keep the sun boy up there. The people never heard of him again.
Now, nearly every time it rains, this same colored bow comes and the people point to it and tell about when the boy climbed to the sky. When it comes the sun always comes with it, so the people call the boy the Hokšíla Wí, Sun Boy, because the sun comes with the colored bow.
The Lakȟóta refer to rainbows as Wígmuŋke, A Snare. It is said that the wígmuŋke, causes the storm to end by trapping it, so that no more rain can fall. No one points at the wígmuŋke with their fingers, but use their lips or elbows if they gesture to it.
“When a rainbow comes everyone looks at it. But no one points at it. If you point at it you will suffer then. Your finger will grow very large. It gets big. It is bad to point at the rainbow.” Mrs. Amanda Grass, May 15, 1921.
After a while the sun was shining and, in the sky, was a Wígmuŋke, or colored bow. A boy said that he would make a vow to climb to the top of it, so he started out to find where it touched the ground and climbed it.
He shot a blazing arrow when he got to the top of the bow that time, and the people went to get it, but could never find it and the spirits keep them from finding where the bow touches the ground.
They will always keep the sun boy up there. The people never heard of him again.
Now, nearly every time it rains, this same colored bow comes and the people point to it and tell about when the boy climbed to the sky. When it comes the sun always comes with it, so the people call the boy the Hokšíla Wí, Sun Boy, because the sun comes with the colored bow.
The Lakȟóta refer to rainbows as Wígmuŋke, A Snare. It is said that the wígmuŋke, causes the storm to end by trapping it, so that no more rain can fall. No one points at the wígmuŋke with their fingers, but use their lips or elbows if they gesture to it.
“When a rainbow comes everyone looks at it. But no one points at it. If you point at it you will suffer then. Your finger will grow very large. It gets big. It is bad to point at the rainbow.” Mrs. Amanda Grass, May 15, 1921.
