Post by Jwoad on Feb 26, 2005 3:34:41 GMT -5
Something I thought all of you would enjoy...
Young Girl Who Became a Wolf (Cherokee))
By Svhyeyi Aga, Cherokee, used by permission
It had been a long and cold winter. Food was scarce. Many of the old ones and the babies died before spring arrived. As spring came, the animals became more active in the woodlands and forests and the men went out on many hunts to find food, to make the people strong again.
The men found little. They often saw a pack of wolves on these journeys and some of the men said it was because of the wolves that game had become so scarce. During the winter, when the snows were too deep, the wolves could go where man could not, and could easily take down the deer and the moose. The deer and moose gave the people not only food to live, but their fur and hides were a necessity as well. Nothing was wasted in a successful hunt.
"It is not the wolves." Four Steps said.
Four Steps, a young warrior had been so named, for the way he often walked, as a young boy, four steps at a time. He took each thing in life slowly, looking closely, taking the time to try to understand and learn and see what he may not have seen when he first looked.
"The wolves are our brothers too. They have families to feed and take only what they too need to survive." he said to the other men.
"Listen to him!" laughed Dark Sky. "He knows all about wolves." Dark Sky snorted in laughter, and some of the other men joined in.
"I say that as long as these wolves roam our hunting grounds, we will not have food for our families, or hides." Dark Sky said. "I say we should hunt these wolves. Kill them. We are hungry enough to eat wolf and it will rid them from our lands."
"I do not agree, Dark Sky." Four Steps said.
"You do not agree? Where is the food for the people then? What will you say when we return again, empty handed while our people's bellies ache with hunger?" Four Steps did not answer.
The men returned to the village, not entirely empty-handed. They had managed to find some rabbit and squirrel. At least there was something to eat, but not nearly enough. The women did what they could to feed as many with the food the men had brought back to the village.
Four Steps watched one young woman. She was very beautiful, the daughter of Dark Sky. How he longed to play his flute for her, but it could never be. Dark Sky would never permit it. Four Steps did not know why Dark Sky did not like him. He wished there was something he could do to change that. He knew speaking for the wolves only angered Dark Sky more.
She was called Little Flower. Little Flower knew Four Steps watched her. She would look up from her work, but did not allow him to know she too, looked at him. She liked Four Steps, even though she knew her Father did not seem to like him at all. He had no reason that she knew. Her Father was very angry after the last hunt because Four Steps had spoken for the wolves.
If her Father knew what she had done, Little Flower was afraid of what he might do to her. No one in the village knew what she had done, or where she often went. She thought about speaking to Four Steps about the wolves. But she was afraid to do that.
She finished her work and as soon as she could, she left the village and started the long walk into the deep woods. She had walked this way many times before. Finally she reached her destination and she was greeted with howls and yips and joyful nips to her arms and legs.
"Oh my friends, I have missed you this long winter!" Little Flower said. The wolves surrounded her. "We have missed you," one of the older wolves said. "It has been a hard winter for our pack. Many died. Wild and Free died." It was very quiet. Little Flower sat with her friends and could not hold back her tears. Wild and Free. The leading female of the pack. Strong. A fierce hunter and fighter for her pack. A good Mother.
"My friends I am worried about you all." Little Flower said. "My people in the village have gone hungry all winter. Food is scarce. The hunting parties have not see moose or deer but they have seen the pack. They blame all of you for no deer or moose. My own Father has spoken against you. He blames you all for this. I am afraid he will come and do harm to you. So, I have come to warn you. The pack must move on. If you remain here, you may be hunted and killed. My Father has even talked about eating the meat of your bodies. I am sorry my friends."
"Leave? We cannot leave." said Brown One. "This too, is our land. Our home."
"But you must." Little Flower said. "You might be killed."
"We need a strong leader." said another wolf. "Little Flower stay with us."
"I cannot stay with you. I am not a wolf. I am not a leader." Little Flower said. "I love you all, but how can I stay and be a leader when I am not a wolf, but a young woman? What about my own family? My Mother and Father and brothers and sisters?"
"We are your family." another wolf said quietly. "It is time for you to know."
"Know what?" Little Flower asked.
"You look like a young woman Little Flower," the wolf said, "but you can talk with us. You come to the pack and spend more time with us than you do with the people of the village. It is time for you to return to us forever."
Young Girl Who Became a Wolf (Cherokee))
By Svhyeyi Aga, Cherokee, used by permission
It had been a long and cold winter. Food was scarce. Many of the old ones and the babies died before spring arrived. As spring came, the animals became more active in the woodlands and forests and the men went out on many hunts to find food, to make the people strong again.
The men found little. They often saw a pack of wolves on these journeys and some of the men said it was because of the wolves that game had become so scarce. During the winter, when the snows were too deep, the wolves could go where man could not, and could easily take down the deer and the moose. The deer and moose gave the people not only food to live, but their fur and hides were a necessity as well. Nothing was wasted in a successful hunt.
"It is not the wolves." Four Steps said.
Four Steps, a young warrior had been so named, for the way he often walked, as a young boy, four steps at a time. He took each thing in life slowly, looking closely, taking the time to try to understand and learn and see what he may not have seen when he first looked.
"The wolves are our brothers too. They have families to feed and take only what they too need to survive." he said to the other men.
"Listen to him!" laughed Dark Sky. "He knows all about wolves." Dark Sky snorted in laughter, and some of the other men joined in.
"I say that as long as these wolves roam our hunting grounds, we will not have food for our families, or hides." Dark Sky said. "I say we should hunt these wolves. Kill them. We are hungry enough to eat wolf and it will rid them from our lands."
"I do not agree, Dark Sky." Four Steps said.
"You do not agree? Where is the food for the people then? What will you say when we return again, empty handed while our people's bellies ache with hunger?" Four Steps did not answer.
The men returned to the village, not entirely empty-handed. They had managed to find some rabbit and squirrel. At least there was something to eat, but not nearly enough. The women did what they could to feed as many with the food the men had brought back to the village.
Four Steps watched one young woman. She was very beautiful, the daughter of Dark Sky. How he longed to play his flute for her, but it could never be. Dark Sky would never permit it. Four Steps did not know why Dark Sky did not like him. He wished there was something he could do to change that. He knew speaking for the wolves only angered Dark Sky more.
She was called Little Flower. Little Flower knew Four Steps watched her. She would look up from her work, but did not allow him to know she too, looked at him. She liked Four Steps, even though she knew her Father did not seem to like him at all. He had no reason that she knew. Her Father was very angry after the last hunt because Four Steps had spoken for the wolves.
If her Father knew what she had done, Little Flower was afraid of what he might do to her. No one in the village knew what she had done, or where she often went. She thought about speaking to Four Steps about the wolves. But she was afraid to do that.
She finished her work and as soon as she could, she left the village and started the long walk into the deep woods. She had walked this way many times before. Finally she reached her destination and she was greeted with howls and yips and joyful nips to her arms and legs.
"Oh my friends, I have missed you this long winter!" Little Flower said. The wolves surrounded her. "We have missed you," one of the older wolves said. "It has been a hard winter for our pack. Many died. Wild and Free died." It was very quiet. Little Flower sat with her friends and could not hold back her tears. Wild and Free. The leading female of the pack. Strong. A fierce hunter and fighter for her pack. A good Mother.
"My friends I am worried about you all." Little Flower said. "My people in the village have gone hungry all winter. Food is scarce. The hunting parties have not see moose or deer but they have seen the pack. They blame all of you for no deer or moose. My own Father has spoken against you. He blames you all for this. I am afraid he will come and do harm to you. So, I have come to warn you. The pack must move on. If you remain here, you may be hunted and killed. My Father has even talked about eating the meat of your bodies. I am sorry my friends."
"Leave? We cannot leave." said Brown One. "This too, is our land. Our home."
"But you must." Little Flower said. "You might be killed."
"We need a strong leader." said another wolf. "Little Flower stay with us."
"I cannot stay with you. I am not a wolf. I am not a leader." Little Flower said. "I love you all, but how can I stay and be a leader when I am not a wolf, but a young woman? What about my own family? My Mother and Father and brothers and sisters?"
"We are your family." another wolf said quietly. "It is time for you to know."
"Know what?" Little Flower asked.
"You look like a young woman Little Flower," the wolf said, "but you can talk with us. You come to the pack and spend more time with us than you do with the people of the village. It is time for you to return to us forever."