LAKOTA LEADERSHIP

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There was a chief who had a younger wife. He also had a Tahansi - Cousin, who kept messing around with his wife. So this chief said to his wife, (Hecun Sni Yo! - Don't Do That). He said to her, I'm chief here in this village. Don't Do That. You'll make it look bad for yourself. In this way he warned her three times. The third time he said, Hecun Sni Yo Ogna Ksuye Nici Yinkte! - Don't do that, you'll only hurt yourself, so remember. Then his wife and his Tahansi ran off. They both left their village. Then the people watched him to see what he would do. He was suppose to be a brave warrior, a great leader, so he might go after them, might shoot both of them. So the people watched him, but he went about his business normally, maintained his home, his horses, and his village, just went about his business. Then, all of a sudden, one day his woman - at that time they didn't say wife, came back. She went back to his Tipi. He said, Come In, so she went in. The people were watching, just wondering. They thought there would be a real big fight in that Tip, that the Tipi would be bulging here and there, things would get thrown around, but nothing happened. It was quite. So the next day they still watched him but he went about his business normally. The only thing he said to his wife was, Are You Happy Now? You did all this and now you're back. She said Yes. He said Iyo Nicipe Hwo? Are You Happy? She said Yes. So he went about his business. Then one day, his Tahansi - cousin, came back to the village to his parent's Tip. Again the people watched the Chief. They figured that he might get Canzeka - Angry or Nawazi - Jealous and go over there and do something violent. He was the leader, so he might even kick the whole family out. But he didn't do anything unusual. Then one day he caught two of his best horses, the one he went to war on and the one he caught buffalo with and he put his wife on the best one and piled everything that belonged to his wife and even own things on. He got ready and he sang a song for himself, went all around camp and came up to his Tahansi - cousins Tipi. Right away everybody came out saying Oh-Oh Big trouble! He went up to that Tipi, he sang that song and he Woglake, told his exploits, what he had done, what his life had been like. He called his Leksi na Tunwin - Uncle & Aunt out, and his Tahansi - cousin too. Then he said, Tahansi - cousin, I thought you were my relative, and I thought you were a man that could go out and earn those honors so that you could go pick any available woman in the village, and pick yourself a wife. But you couldn't do it, so I'll give you my other horse I kill buffalo with. I'll honor you because you can't earn these honors for yourself. You've been after my woman, so I'll give her to you. From this day fourth, she's your woman, he said. That Tipi over there, with everything that's in it, that's your new home. You can not do it yourself, you can not go and kill buffalo and get enough hides and build that home for your woman, so you have to take mine. I'm a man, so I'll start a new home. I have enough honor so I can find myself a new woman. Then he gave his wife and everything away. That was a leader. (From the book by Severt Young Bear Sr. * the Porcupine Singers, Porcupine, SD.)