| Raven Eyes nodded. Then she said, "But what are these strange things I have seen? What do they mean? What answer is it that you look for?" All the shamans quietly whispered to each other behind their feather fans. Many minutes passed while they seemed to be deciding if they would answer her or not. Finally a decision was made. Bear Tooth said, "Some of the things you have seen, we do not yet know what they are or mean. Some things we do know. But we must wait until you find the red hands before we speak more of this. Then we will know that you truly are a messenger from the Great Mystery. Go now and speak of this to no one. When you find the red hands then come to me." Then Bear Tooth called Arrow, the apprentice that had brought Raven Eyes, and told him to escort Raven Eyes back to her home. Five years later Raven Eyes was a young wife. She had a tepee of her own and a fine husband. She was happy. Life was good. She had not thought about the visions or the red hands in a long time. As Bear Tooth had instructed her, she had told no one about them. Not even her husband. Raven Eyes was gathering gooseberries. She had one basket full and the second one was half full. There were many gooseberries this year. Working her way up the side of a hill full of bushes and ripe berries, she came to a large bush that was heavy with big ripe gooseberries. She started to pick them off this bush. Then she noticed something. This bush was covering the opening of a cave. There were many caves in this land. Most were hidden. Many were used by animals. Raven Eyes stopped and listened and sniffed the air. No sounds, no smells of any animals. She started to pick berries again. Suddenly in her mind, she saw red hands. She had not thought about them in a long time. She sat her basket down and slowly and quietly entered the cave. She stepped inside and stood still. Letting her eyes adjust to the dimness. It looked like a fire had once been made a little way from the opening. She knelt down and looked at what was left of the fire circle. There was still a small log near where a fire had once burned. She got up and left the cave to gather enough wood to make a small fire. A few minutes later she was back. She made ready for a fire and took her flint from her pouch. Within a few min she had a nice little fire burning. Then she looked around. There they were! On the walls of the cave were painted red hands. There were other things painted near each set of red hands. She went close and looked at each set of paintings. She saw some strange things. Things she did not understand. There was a head in a square with two sticks sticking out the top. There was a big canoe with three big logs sticking up from it. There was sister moon with a man standing on top of her. There were many strange things. But there were two things the same in each set of paintings. The red hands, and the fish and animals and people dying. By the time she had finished looking at all the paintings, her small fire was almost out. She left the cave, took her baskets of gooseberries, and headed for home. When she entered the village she looked toward Bear Tooth's tepee. Bear Tooth was laying on his side in front of his tepee, watching his wife weave a basket. She stopped and just looked at him. Suddenly he looked right at her. She just nodded her head. He sat up straight. He nodded his head back at her and then got up and quickly went into his tepee. Raven Eyes took her baskets of gooseberries to her tepee and put them away. Then she went just outside the village and sat to wait. About an hour later Bear Tooth came toward her. He was carrying a bundle. Raven Eyes offered to carry it for him, but he refused. "You have seen the red hands?" Bear Tooth ask her. "Yes," Raven Eyes answered. "Then lead the way to them," Bear Tooth said. She turned and started toward the place of the red hands. Bear Tooth followed close behind. Before they got to the cave of the red hands, Raven Eyes started to collect firewood along the way. By the time they had reached the cave of the red hands, she had her arms full of firewood. She entered the cave with Bear Tooth right behind her. She took the firewood to the place where she had made the small fire. Bear Tooth had stopped just inside the opening to the cave. He stood still and let her build a fire. Then he sat his bundle down and opened it. He took out some sacred herbs and chanted as he sprinkled them into the fire. Raven Eyes stood quietly until Bear Tooth was through with his prayers and blessings. When this was completed, Bear Tooth looked around. " It has been a long time since I was in this cave," he said. |
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| music: Metukweasyn |
