Snakes Alive!!

Early days on the reservation consisted of the local Indian Agent trying to teach the Cheyenne how to become dry dirt farmers.
With a walk-behind plow, one handled the plow while another the reins to drive the mule.
After a couple of turns in the field as a demonstration, the Agent turned the reins over to the Cheyenne would-be farmers.
Things started out ok, until the plow turned over a couple of bull snakes (totally harmless, but snakes, nonetheless)
With much convincing the Indians finally continued to plow the field, only to turn up a rattlesnake, who was not pleased to be disturbed and in full rattle mode.
Dropping the plow, the Cheyenne men turned to the Indian agent and told him, they would not plow the field anymore lest something worse happen to them.
To them it made no sense to "Turn the grass upside down."
Thus ended the BIA attempt to make farmers out of the Cheyenne,

This from "A History of the Cheyenne People" by Tom Weist.