Yellow-Calf (Tale 47 girl)

Also known as: Yellow-Calf · Family: Arikara · Role: daughter of the leading chief of the north village · First appears: Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 1

At Lovers’ Hill, Yellow-Calf met Young-Eagle, recognized him, and agreed to travel with him to her home. That night, she took him home in disguise as an unkempt boy; the next morning, her parents found him beside her and assumed they had married. He remained in his childish disguise, and people called him Big-Belly-Boy.

In Part 2, Young-Eagle took Yellow-Calf to the lake, where he emerged one evening transformed, wearing fine clothes and with long hair. Later, at Black-Sun’s village, Young-Eagle’s first sister, Young-Eagle’s second sister, Young-Eagle’s third sister, and Young-Eagle’s fourth sister welcomed Yellow-Calf as their sister-in-law and led her into the camp.

Relationship record

Life events

• Young-Eagle and Yellow-Calf met, recognized each other, and agreed to travel together to Yellow-Calf’s home.(Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 1 · 📍 Lovers’ Hill)
  • With: Young-Eagle
  • “Yellow-Calf finally consented; so they went on.”
• Yellow-Calf took Young-Eagle, disguised as an unkempt and unattractive boy, home with her.(Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 1)
  • With: Young-Eagle
  • “Yellow-Calf became scared, but she thought Young-Eagle was only making fun, so she took him home that night.”
• Yellow-Calf’s parents found Young-Eagle lying beside her and assumed they had married.(Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 1)
  • With: Young-Eagle
  • “The old people, knowing that Yellow-Calf had been away for some time, thought, of course, that she had got married, and had brought her husband home.”
• Young-Eagle remained in his childish disguised state, and the people called him Big-Belly-Boy.(Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 1)
  • With: Young-Eagle
  • “But the young man remained the same and the people made fun of him. They called him the ‘Big-Belly-Boy.’”
• Young-Eagle emerges from the lake transformed into a fine-looking man with long hair and fine clothes.(Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 2 · 📍 the lake)
  • With: Young-Eagle
  • “When he came out he had on his fine leggings, a fine robe and a mountain-lion quiver, and he was fine-looking, with long hair.”
• Young-Eagle returns to his family, and his sisters welcome him and embrace Yellow-Calf as their sister-in-law.(Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 2 · 📍 Black-Sun’s village)
  • With: Young-Eagle Black-Sun Young-Eagle’s mother (Tale 47) Young-Eagle’s first sister (Tale 47) Young-Eagle’s second sister (Tale 47) Young-Eagle’s third sister (Tale 47) Young-Eagle’s fourth sister (Tale 47)
  • “The girls embraced their sister-in-law and led her into the camp, took in the things that belonged to Young-Eagle and his wife, but led the ponies away.”

Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 1

• parent: the leading chief of the north village (Tale 47) “In the north village the leading chief had a daughter who had grown up to be a beautiful young woman.”
• siblings with Yellow-Calf's youngest brother (Tale 47) “He told the girl to tell her youngest brother that when the party should be out three days he should get some long intestines from the buffalo that the warriors would kill, and also some bones; these he should put in the fire; and that in the night he would hear the whistling of a young eagle, and he must know that it was his brother-in-law coming.”
• parent: Yellow-Calf's mother (Tale 47) (The passage identifies her parents collectively, but does not distinguish or name them; this attribution to her mother is uncertain.) “Young-Eagle lay down by the side of Yellow-Calf, and the next morning, when the parents arose to prepare the meal, they went to the girl and found a young man lying by her. The old people, knowing that Yellow-Calf had been away for some time, thought, of course, that she had got married, and had brought her husband home.”
• courtship with Young-Eagle “They sat down and talked, and here they found out each other’s mind.”

Tale 47 · The Deeds of Young-Eagle · Part 2

• married with Young-Eagle “Young-Eagle took his wife out to the lake where he had dived once before, and there he told her to take a swim.”
• parent: the leading chief of the north village (Tale 47) “Yellow-Calf’s father sat upon the lodge, listening, and thought that they were making fun of his son-in-law.”
• with Young-Eagle’s first sister (Tale 47) (Sister-in-law relationship.) “The girls embraced their sister-in-law and led her into the camp, took in the things that belonged to Young-Eagle and his wife, but led the ponies away.”
• with Young-Eagle’s second sister (Tale 47) (Sister-in-law relationship.) “The girls embraced their sister-in-law and led her into the camp, took in the things that belonged to Young-Eagle and his wife, but led the ponies away.”
• with Young-Eagle’s third sister (Tale 47) (Sister-in-law relationship.) “The girls embraced their sister-in-law and led her into the camp, took in the things that belonged to Young-Eagle and his wife, but led the ponies away.”
• with Young-Eagle’s fourth sister (Tale 47) (Sister-in-law relationship.) “The girls embraced their sister-in-law and led her into the camp, took in the things that belonged to Young-Eagle and his wife, but led the ponies away.”

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