Use the story to answer the question.
The Little Mice
Once upon a time a prairie mouse busied herself all fall storing away a cache of beans. Every morning she was out early with her empty cast-off snake skin, which she filled with ground beans and dragged home with her teeth.
The little mouse had a cousin who was fond of dancing and talk, but who did not like to work. She was not careful to get her cache of beans and the season was already well gone before she thought to bestir herself. When she came to realize her need, she found she had no packing bag. So she went to her hardworking cousin and said:
"Cousin, I have no beans stored for winter and the season is nearly gone. But I have no snakeskin to gather the beans in. Will you lend me one?"
"But why have you no packing bag? Where were you in the moon when the snakes cast off their skins?"
"I was here."
"What were you doing?"
"I was busy talking and dancing."
"And now you are punished," said the other. "It is always so with lazy, careless people. But I will let you have the snakeskin. And now go, and by hard work and industry, try to recover your wasted time."
What is the moral or theme of the text?
How is that theme representative of the Sioux?
What do the characters in the story say and do that are reflective of their values and traditions?
The moral or theme of the text is the importance of hard work and industry. This theme is representative of the Sioux culture, which values self-reliance, work ethic, and the necessity of being prepared for the future.
The characters in the story demonstrate these values through their actions and words. The hardworking mouse is diligent in preparing for winter by collecting beans and using a snakeskin as a packing bag. She values preparation and hard work, and is willing to help her lazy cousin by lending her the snakeskin. The lazy cousin, on the other hand, is careless and irresponsible, preferring dancing and talking over work. She learns the consequences of her laziness and is encouraged to work hard to make up for lost time. This reflects the Sioux belief in the importance of personal responsibility and the consequences of laziness.