The Rabbit Dance

Reprinted from Legends of the

Iroquois

By Tehanetorens

Continued from last week

Following each other single file, they left the clearing and disappeared up the runway from where they had come.

The big chief rabbit waited until the last rabbit had left the clearing.

Then, giving a final thump, he too hopped up the rabbit trail and was soon lost to view.

The two boys were very surprised at what they had seen. Quickly they returned to the hunting camp where they told their father what they had seen. Their father laughed and said that they were good story tellers. But their wise old grandfather said that the boys were fortunate to have seen what had happened.

‘’You saw the Rabbit Dance” said he. ‘’The rabbits, like the Indians, have their own trails and their own council ground. They hold councils and move from place to place. They have secret signals, which are given by thumps on the ground with their hind legs. Very few people have seen the Rabbit Dance, end those who are so fortunate as to have seen it, usually become very good hunters. The big rabbit that you saw was the big chief rabbit, and he was watching over his people and the old man wisely shook his head as he went into the bark house.

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