The Planes Indians practiced polygamy, and one chief had three squaws.
The first squaw lived in a teepee of elk hide, the second in a teepee made of buffalo hide, and the youngest in a teepee of hippopotamus hide.
Then he slept with each wife on the eve of his great hunting trip.
He was gone nine moons and when he returned, he went into the elk hide teepee and found that his wife had borne him a son.
Likewise, in the buffalo hide teepee, that squaw, too, had borne him a son.
So, imagine his surprise when he found twin baby boys in the hippopotamus hide teepee.
This just proves that …
The squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sum of the squaws of the other two hides.
Long ago in a plains tribe, three young men came of age and were to be married. They were sent out into the world with a bow and arrow and a knife to kill an animal the fur of which was to be used to make their marriage bed
Brave Eagle returned with a wonderful cougar hide that was tanned into a beautiful fur
Charging Bull returned with the hide of a young bear that was tanned into a beautiful fur.
Falling Rocks was not very successful. He returned with the skins of two rabbits and a squirrel. These were not large enough to make a marriage bed. His wise grand mother suggested he take them to the trading post and get a striped blanket.
Alas, the trader would not part with a blanket for such a minor return but offered a dusty hippopotamus hide that though rough was in fact large enough.
A year passed
The squaw of Brave Eagle presented him with a son
The squaw of Charging Bull presented him a beautiful daughter
The squaw of Falling Rocks presented him with twins, a boy and a girl
Theorem:
The Squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the squaws of the other two hides