Descendents of Floyd & Grace Lytle

Ken Thompson's Unofficial Medicine Lodge Website

This page is devoted to stories about things that happened in the Gyp Hills. Some of them may be true and some of them may not be true. You be the judge. Table of Contents Talking with William There ain't no gold in them Gyp Hills The Cavalry comes to town The Great Blizzard of '71 Medicine Lodge needs Buffalo Bill! The Day Muck-Muck Got His Wish Deacon Jim How Willie the Cripple Got His Nickname The Chestnut Mare Every chance I get, I'll publish a new Tall Tales of the Gyp Hills story, so check back often. From November, 2004: The Early Dwellings at the Medicine River

Son of Moon crouched in the bushes, holding his breath so he would not scare the buffalo. As he eyed the buffalo, he knew it was the special one that he had pursued all through the cold season. In the face of the buffalo he could hear the cries of pain and anguish. Yes, this was the one. He wanted to shoot his arrow straight and true through the heart of the buffalo. His brothers of the land waited in hiding along the path so if there was a stampede, they could guide the herd of buffalo into the canyon. Son of Moon knew that when the herd of buffalo ran into the canyon, they would trample themselves. But he was proud and wanted to shoot his arrow straight and true through the heart of this buffalo.

He reached for his best arrow. He had worked while the sun passed a long distance over his head to make this arrow straight and true. He put the arrow into his bow. The bow was made by his father's father, White Hawk. It was solid and strong. It would make the arrow fly strong like the white hawk. Silently, as quiet as the mountain lion stalks its prey, Son of Moon got up on his knees. He pulled the string back on his bow and concentrated on the buffalo. The buffalo chewed, completely unaware of the presence of Son of Moon. White Hawk had taught his son's son well, to stalk the buffalo. The arrow flew straight and true and hit the buffalo in the heart. The buffalo let out a loud snort. Suddenly more arrows hit the buffalo, as the brothers of Son of Moon shot at the buffalo. Son of Moon knew that one arrow alone would not kill the buffalo. The buffalo snorted again, and fell to the ground. The other buffaloes started to stampede, just as the brothers of the land knew they would. But that did not concern Son of Moon. He carefully walked up to his dead buffalo laying in the red dirt. From his belt of buffalo hide, Son of Moon pulled out his knife, with a blade made of flint rock. As he began the skinning process he could hear the other buffalo stampeding into the canyon. He knew his brothers of the land would take home 2 or 3 of the buffalo today and have meat for the winter.

After Son of Moon finished skinning the hide of the buffalo, 2 other brothers of the land began cutting the meat with their knives of flint rock. This was a very good day. The brothers of the land would have meat for the winter and hides to keep them warm. Son of Moon was especially proud of his kill.

The red buttes were casting shadows as the sun went behind them. The brothers of the land were happy and proud as they carried their meat and hides back to the camp. Skystar smiled and ran to greet her brother as he proudly carried home his hide. He hung the hide up over the branch of a tree for the night. He sat down at the fire, and could smell the buffalo meat roasting over the fire. Yes, this was a good day. The gods of the hunt had been good to the brothers of the land.

In the morning, the sun came through the opening of the teepee. Sun of Moon was anxious to get to his work. As the sun passed over his head, he worked steadily to prepare the hide. White Hawk, his father's father, had taught him well how to work the hide. With skilled hands, Son of Moon used his flint rock knife to cut strips of hide into strings. When he knew he had enough materials, he got up and carried the hide and strings to the open meadow. Here, in the open meadow, was his heart's work from the warm time. He had worked on it since the last snow and now this hide would make it complete. On the ground in front of him were dozens of other buffalo hides, all sewn together to make one huge covering. Son of Moon checked the edges of the covering until he found the place. He placed the edge of the new hide alongside the edge of the large covering, and using the leather strings he began sewing the new hide into the large covering. By the time the sun was overhead, the sewing was complete. Son of Moon pulled on the sewing to made sure it would not come apart. White Hawk had taught his son's son well.

Many sunrises and sunsets passed. Each day Son of Moon would go out looking for trees that had branches as straight and true as the arrow that killed the buffalo. But Son of Moon wanted large branches, as big as his legs. The branches had to be as long as from the toes to the head of Son of Moon, and the toes to the head of 2 other brothers of the land. And when he found such a branch, he would climb the tree and use his axe of flint rock to chop the branch down. Then he would drag the heavy branch back to the open meadow. There, he would use his axe of flint rock to strip the bark from the branch. Son of Moon would do this between each sunrise and sunset, until he had as many branches as each finger and toe. He knew that would be enough branches. White Hawk had taught his son's son well.

Many sunrises and sunsets had passed. Son of Moon noticed that the leaves were turning brown as he worked on the branch that would represent his last toe. He must hurry before the cold god of water fell on the land and all the leaves fell from all the trees. He worked feverishly to strip the last bark from the branch.

Finally the great day came. Son of Moon arranged 3 of the branches on the ground in a V shape. His sister Skystar gave him the rope that his father's father, White Hawk, made from the hides of buffalo many many cold seasons and warm seasons earlier. Son of Moon tied the rope around the branches where they crossed to form the V. His brothers of the land stood at the foot of each of the branches to hold them into the red dirt. Son of Moon pulled on the rope while another brother of the land lifted the V up into the air. As Son of Moon pulled and pulled on the rope, the branches raised up into the air to form his tripod. The brothers of the land smiled as they moved the branches apart so the tripod would stand on its own. Skystar was proud of her brother. Son of Moon smiled as he looked at the tripod, towering in the sky, as tall as from his toes to his head, and from the toes to the head of 2 of his brothers of the land. He carefully checked the bottom of each branch where it went into the red dirt, to make sure the branches were far enough apart.

One by one, Son of Moon and his brothers of the land dragged each branch from the open meadow to the tripod. They carefully hoisted each branch up into the air, and leaned it into the tripod, making sure that the bottom was correctly placed into the red dirt. As each branch was placed, Son of Moon would climb up the branch to the top, and tie the branches together with the pieces of rope and string he had made from his buffalo hides. Finally, as the sun was sinking towards the red buttes, all the branches were in place, one for each finger and toe. Skystar was happy and proud of her brother. Son of Moon stood back and looked at the structure. White Hawk had taught his son's son well.

Son of Moon had one task remaining in his work of the warm time. In the open meadow, he tied the rope made by his father's father, White Hawk, to the long edge of the covering of hides. Skystar picked up one edge of the covering, and the other brothers of the land picked up the other edges. Together they carried the large covering to the tripod. They placed it on the ground with the long edge and rope towards the tripod. Son of Moon coiled up the rope, and gave it a strong toss over the top of the tripod. Skystar smiled as the rope came down on the other side. Son of Moon walked to the other side and picked up the rope, as the other brothers of the land picked up the edges of the covering. As he pulled on the rope, the brothers of the land guided the covering as it slid up the tripod. The brothers on the ends of the covering pulled it around the tripod, so the ends would meet. The sun sunk below the red buttes as the brothers of the land went to eat buffalo meat at the fire.

Son of Moon opened his eyes and was happy and proud. He could tell from the light and shadows that soon the sun would come up over the ridge. Skystar woke up when she heard her brother stirring. She stoked the fire, but followed her brother outside. It was chilly and she wrapped herself in her buffalo hide, one that her father's father, White Hawk, made for the cold season. Outside, several of the brothers of the land were gathering with Son of Moon at the tripod with the covering. They took their places around the covering and sat, waiting patiently on the sunrise. As the sun was fully above the ridge, Son of Moon actively directly the brothers of the land to position the covering so that the two ends met exactly facing the sun.

Son of Moon thought back to what his father's father, White Hawk had taught him. "The opening must face the sun. The sun gives us warmth and light. The warmth and light makes the buffalo grow, so that we may have meat to eat. The warmth and light turns the cold snow to water, so that we may drink. The opening must face the sun so that we may have warmth and light, meat and water inside." He stood back and looked at his structure. He was proud and happy. Skystar looked at the structure. She was proud and happy.

Skystar walked to the fire in the center of the camp, and stuck a piece of firewood in the fire, so that only one end would burn.

The other brothers of the land came carrying sticks as long as from the elbow to the hand. Son of Moon climbed up the structure, poking the sticks through the hide and behind the branches, so that they would hold the covering in place. Other brothers of the land carried rocks inside and Skystar placed them into a circle to form a fire. Other brothers of the land carried in firewood. Skystar walked to the fire in the center of the camp, and grabbed the firewood that was burning on only one end, and carried it into the new fire ring and placed it into the fire so as to start the other logs burning. Other brothers of the land brought in more hides, and Skystar placed them around the fire ring. As the other logs in the fire started burning, the smoke went straight up and out the opening that Son of Moon had left where he tied the branches together.

Skystar stood at the new teepee that her brother had built. She was happy and proud. Son of Moon stood and looked at the new teepee that he had built. His father's father, White Hawk, had taught him well. Son of Moon was very proud, because the buffalo that trampled and killed his father provided the last hide to make the new teepee.

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