The Lost Trail

  The Lost Trail is a Native American myth that begins with a man named Acantow and his wife, Manetabee. Acantow had to leave for four days and left his wife in their lodge. When he returned, his wife was gone. He saw footprints and knew the Arapaho took her. He followed the trail and game across some Arapaho men gambling over Manetabee. Acantow quietly untied his wife and they began to run back to his horse. The Arapaho men saw him and began to chase them. Acantow almost made it to his horse, but then tripped over a root. Just then, a flood of fire came from the clouds in a loud roar. When Acantow and Manetabee looked back, all they saw was a large block of river granite dripping with blood. Their enemies and trail were gone. They believed their god, Manitou, had broke the trail so that the Arapaho will never cross it again.

This myth shows a story of a god protecting Acantow and his wife. I think this myth shows a lot about how the Native Americans viewed their gods. They probably were feared because they could easily strike you down. However, they also looked out for their people. These principles are seen in the way Manitou strikes down the Arapaho men, and protects Acantow and Manetabee. Therefore, I think they viewed their gods as gods that protected the good and did not tolerate evil people.