Reprint from the Journal of Chickasaw History, written by Susie Fathree.

An Indian youth fell in love with the daughter of the chief but the chief did not like the young man and refused to let him court his daughter.  The youth knew he must change his lazy ways in order to impress the chief.  He did not know how to do this so he did nothing about it.

One day he sat on a log whittling a stick; it bagan to take the shape of a short whiskey bottle with a long neck.  As a squirrel scampered by, the youth threw his stick at the animal.  It was hit on the head and fell over dead. "What a powerful stick," he thought.

He took the squirrel home to his mother to cook for supper.  The next day and the next he continued killing squirrels with his stick.  He soon became known as a great hunter.  He kept his squirrel stick a secret, however.

The chief heard about the young man's changed ways and allowed him to court his daughter.  The courtship flourished and, in a few months, they were married.  He kept hunting with his secret weapon throughout their long life together.  They had many children.

He kept his secret until he lay dying, and then he told his eldest son the secret of the squirrel stick.  He made him promise to tell only his eldest son.  From that time on, the secret has been passed from generation to generation and for this reason, the legend of the squirrel stick survives today.