Native American languages * Native American cultures * Native American nations

Native American Legends: Thrown Away

Name: Thrown Away
Tribal affiliation: Assiniboine, Hidatsa, Arapahoe, Sac, Menominees
Also known as: Thrown-Away, Bad Boy
Native names: Mahaash/Mahash/Ma-hash (Hidatsa), Wahinak'weakit (Menominee), Fåtcasigo (Creek).
Type: Hero, magical twin
Related figures in other tribes: Wild Boy (Caddo), Spring Boy (Crow), Long Teeth (Arikara)

 Thrown Away is a young hero from the legends of the Midwestern and Plains people. Thrown Away and his brother Lodge Boy were twins (considered a powerful and dangerous occurrence in many cultures of this region) and were also ripped from their mother's womb, another portentous event. Consequently, Thrown Away and his brother had strong magical powers. In most versions of the story, a Two Face or other vicious monster (or sometimes a violent relative) kills Thrown-Away's pregnant mother while his father is out hunting. The villain leaves one of the unborn children in the lodge, and throws the other one out the door into the yard or into a spring of water. Because of their magic, both children survive, but Lodge Boy (who was thrown inside the lodge) is found by his father and raised in civilization, while Thrown Away (who was thrown outside the lodge) is not found and grows up in the wilderness. Eventually Thrown Away reunites with his brother, avenges his mother's death, and goes on to have monster-slaying adventures. In some versions of the epic Lodge Boy is a moral person while Thrown Away is wicked; in others, Thrown Away is wilder and more uncivilized, but both are generally benevolent heroes.

Thrown Away Stories

*Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away:
    Hidatsa legend about the two mythical brothers.

Recommended Books of Related Native American Stories
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links

Hidatsa Texts:
    Collection of Hidatsa legends and folktales.
Mandan-Hidatsa Myths and Ceremonies:
    Anthropology text on the religious beliefs and traditions of the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes.
Buffalo Bird Woman's Garden:
    Interesting book about Native American farming traditions narrated by a Hidatsa woman.

Sponsored Links

Additional Resources

 Sac legends
 Sac and Fox Indians
 Assiniboine tribe
 Hidatsa tribe
 Indian tribes of North Dakota
 Plains Native American language
 Siouan speakers



Back to Native American myths and legends for kids
Learn more about the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara nation.



Native American heritage * Learning Choctaw language * Cherokee culture * Indian dream * Native American names

Would you like to help support our organization's work with endangered American Indian languages?

Native Languages of the Americas website © 1998-2020 * Contacts and FAQ page