Rabbit-Boy

Also known as: Rabbit-Man · Family: Arikara · Role: young man and warrior · First appears: Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 1

In Tale 33, Rabbit-Boy saved Rabbit from the Eagle and said, “No, the Rabbit came to me, and I will take care of him.” After a while, Rabbit gave him a rabbit-skin, war-club, and medicine paints. When Rabbit-Boy returned to the village the next morning, his parents were glad to see him; before following the warriors, he had asked his sisters to make him several pairs of moccasins.

At the enemy’s village, Rabbit-Boy took the ponies and hid them in a hollow before attacking just before daylight, when he killed an old man. When he returned to his lodge, the people recognized him as a great warrior. In Part 2, he married a girl from the enemy’s camp. Her father, the old chief, found them together and summoned the warriors, but one warrior welcomed the marriage, and the girl’s people accepted Rabbit-Boy. He stayed in their village with his wife for several months; finally, the old chief led them to Rabbit-Boy’s home, where his people gave presents to his wife’s people. The Arikara later visited and made peace, ending their wars.

Relationship record

Life events

• Rabbit-Boy saves Rabbit from the Eagle.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 1)
  • With: Rabbit
  • “The boy said, ‘No, the Rabbit came to me, and I will take care of him.’”
• Rabbit gives Rabbit-Boy a war-club, rabbit-skin, and medicine paints.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 1)
  • With: Rabbit
  • “So the Rabbit gave the rabbit-skin, the war-club, and the medicine paints to the boy.”
• Rabbit-Boy returns home with the gifts, and his parents are glad to see him.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 1 · 📍 the village)
  • With: Rabbit-Boy's father Rabbit-Boy's mother
  • “They were both glad to see that the boy had returned.”
• After hiding the enemy’s ponies, Rabbit-Boy killed an old man during the attack just before daylight.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 1 · 📍 the enemy's camp)
  • “As he passed in front of where the Rabbit-Boy was, Rabbit-Boy ran and struck the old man on the head and killed him.”
• Rabbit-Boy took all the enemy’s ponies and hid them in a hollow before preparing the next-morning attack.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 1 · 📍 the enemy’s village)
  • “So the young man went and brought all the ponies from the village and hid them in a hollow.”
• The people recognize Rabbit-Boy as a great warrior.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 1 · 📍 their lodge)
  • “The people then recognized him as a great warrior.”
• The old chief found Rabbit-Boy in bed with his daughter and summoned the warriors.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 2)
  • With: the girl’s father and old chief (Tale 33)
  • “In the morning, when the girl’s father, who was chief of the tribe, woke up, he saw the things that the boy wore in battle hanging down from a tipi pole. He looked down and there he saw Rabbit-Boy in bed with his daughter. He made a big fire and sent for the warriors.”
• Rabbit-Boy was accepted by the girl’s people after a warrior welcomed his marriage to her.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 2)
  • With: the girl in the enemy’s camp (Tale 33)
  • “There was one man who did not come with the rest, but when he came he told the people to disperse to their homes; that although the young man had been killing their people, he, for one, was glad that he had come and married one of their girls; that now he would not kill any more, but that he would lead their people out to the enemy’s country and help kill the people.”
• Rabbit-Boy stayed in the enemy’s village with his wife.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 2)
  • With: the girl in the enemy’s camp (Tale 33)
  • “The young man stayed in this village for several months.”
• The old chief led the people to Rabbit-Boy’s home, where they received presents from his people.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 2)
  • With: the girl in the enemy’s camp (Tale 33)
  • “Finally the old chief asked that they might go to the young man’s home. This they did. The young man’s people gave him presents for his wife’s people.”
• The Arikara visited Rabbit-Boy’s people and made peace, ending their wars.(Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 2)
  • With: the girl in the enemy’s camp (Tale 33)
  • “The Arikara visited them, and they made peace. They never made war on one another any more.”

Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 1

• parent: Rabbit-Boy's father “His father scolded him, and wanted to know what was the matter with him.”
• parent: Rabbit-Boy's mother “He awakened his wife and told her to see the things that the son had brought back with him.”
• siblings with Rabbit-Boy's sisters “The young man told his sisters to make him several pairs of moccasins, for he was going to follow up the warriors.”

Tale 33 · The Rabbit-Boy · Part 2

• married with the girl in the enemy’s camp (Tale 33) “that although the young man had been killing their people, he, for one, was glad that he had come and married one of their girls;”
• with the girl’s father and old chief (Tale 33) (Father-in-law and son-in-law.) “The old chief was much pleased to have Rabbit-Boy for a son-in-law”

⭐ Constellation map → · 📖 Read the original → · 🗂 Character index → · 🕰 Chronicle → · 📍 Places →

Extracted from the original text of Traditions of the Arikara. Made with Rho MD.