Smiles Alot and Mother Turtle Grandmother Speaks Softly and Mother Silent Tongue was teaching Smiles Alot how to tan a hide. "This is very important for you to learn." Grandmother Speaks Softly tells Smiles Alot as she is scrapping the hide. "You need to make sure that all the flesh is off. You have to be very careful that nothing is left on so it will not rot and spoil." Grandmother watched as Smiles Alot scrapes the hide. "Now be careful not to cut into the hide. As soon as you get done scrapping we will hang it up and stretch it." Smiles Alot finished up. "Ok Grandmother, Mother I am done. See!" Smiles Alot grinned. "Very nice! You did a good job. Now grab a corner and we will hang it up." Father Running Bear had put up two poles just for the hide they were working on. Smiles Alot, Mother Silent Tongue and Grandmother Speaks Softly took the hide over between the poles and laced the rope, that Father Running Bear had made, through the holes in the hide. "Now pull on your end of the rope and I will pull my end." Grandmother Speaks Softly motioned to Smiles Alot. "We have to make sure it is tight." Smiles Alot pulled as hard as she could. "Okay now wrap your end around the small pole like I showed you." So Smiles Alot did. "Good. Now I will do my end." And Grandmother Speaks Softly wrapped her end around the small pole. Smiles Alot let out a sigh. "I know it's hard work Smiles Alot but the hides that we will do this summer will keep us warm this winter when it gets cold. You will need to know how to do this when you have a family of your own." "I know Grandmother and I'm grateful that you are here to help teach me the things I must know." Smiles Alot put her hand in her Grandmothers. "Now don't forget Smiles Alot your Mother, your Father and I are not the only teachers in your life. Just like learning from the deer about what berries to eat. Each living thing that the Creator gave us has a lesson for us. You just have to listen." "I will Grandmother. Thank you." "Well since you worked so hard, why don't you go down to the river and cool off?" Smiles Alot always made sure that she worked hard and listened to her Grandmother, Mother and Father, for when she did she was rewarded. "Oh thank you Grandmother! Bye Father! Bye Mother!" Smiles Alot waved as she ran off in the forest towards the small stream where she met Grandfather Bear. She hoped she would see him there again. As Smiles Alot reached the stream she didn't see any sign of Grandfather Bear. So Smiles Alot sat on a big rock and took off her moccasins. She decided to wade into the water. The water was cool and felt good on her feet and ankles. Smiles Alot walked around in the water, noticing all the different rocks in the streambed. She noticed a very different large rock. As she bent to pick it up, it moved! This made Smiles Alot jump. She never saw a rock that moved! Smiles Alot watched as this "rock" moved over to the shallow water near the edge of the stream. "Oh! Mother Turtle! It is you. I didn't think rocks could move!" Smiles Alot giggled. "Yes it is I. I didn't mean to make you jump." "That is okay Mother Turtle. I had a busy day today helping my Grandmother and Mother with hides. So I really wasn't paying any attention." Smiles Alot sat next to Mother Turtle. "That is good to help your family. We all must help each other and we can all learn from each other." "But Mother Turtle," Smiles Alot picked at some grass near her. "After my family has worked so hard, I look at all the creatures and it seems that they don't have to work as hard as we do." Mother Turtle didn't answer right away. She wanted to answer Smiles Alot in a way that she would understand. Then she spoke, "Oh Smiles Alot we do work just as hard as you do. We might not have to worry about preparing hides as you do, but we do have to make sure that we are prepared for winter also." Mother Turtle paused and ate some grass. Then continued, "have you ever watched the squirrels?" Smiles Alot nodded. "Well when they carry those acorns up the tree and go into a hole, that is their home and they are stocking up on food, just like you do." Once again Mother Turtle paused and ate some more grass. Smiles Alot sat patiently waiting for Mother Turtle to continue. Swallowing her last bite, Mother Turtle began again, "Now look up." Smiles Alot looked up and noticed a nest in the tree. "That bird that is in the tree now..." Smiles Alot nodded. "That bird didn't make that nest. But the bird that did, went through picking just the right twig and making it just right knowing that they would leave that nest for another bird to use. So you see Smiles Alot, we work just as hard as you do and we help each other also." They sat in silence for a bit. Smiles Alot noticed the marking on Mother Turtles shell. "And I bet you're wondering how we, my turtle family have helped. Let me explain." Smiles Alot lay back in the grass. The sun was shining through the trees. Mother Turtle moved closer to Smiles Alot so she could warm herself in the sun. "I am going to tell you the tale that has been passed down in my family of how we helped the Creator with forming the earth." Mother Turtle told Smiles Alot of a young sky maiden that was so fascinated with the water and the water creatures that was here that she had leaned too far over the hole that was in the sky. The young sky maiden had been holding onto the Great Tree when she had fallen and some seeds was all she had in her hand. Two Swans caught her so she wouldn't fall into the water. All the water birds and water creatures knew she couldn't live in water because she was made differently. They all gathered and talked about what they should do. One of the creatures said that someone must go deep in the water to get some earth and bring it up. But who? Several tried but couldn't go that deep. Then a tiny muskrat said that he would do it. The tiny muskrat dove down. Deeper and deeper he went. It was too deep but the muskrat didn't give up. He finally reached out his little paw and scooped up some earth. It was too much for the tiny muskrat and he floated to the top of the water. The others thought he had failed but then seen that in his tiny paw he had some earth. They wondered where they were going to put it. Just then a Great Turtle told them to put it on her back. The water creatures took the tiny muskrat over to the Great Turtle and put his paw against the shell. The earth that was placed on the turtle’s shell grew larger and larger until it became the Great Mother Earth. Then the two Swans brought the young sky maiden over. When she stepped on the earth she let the seeds she had been holding fall onto the ground. From those seeds the grass and trees grew up and life had begun. The Creator had watched what the water creatures had done and was happy. So the Creator made the earth creatures to take care of Mother Earth and all that was on it. Smiles Alot sat up. "So you see Smiles Alot, we have all helped each other. And you see the markings on my shell?" Smiles Alot ran her fingers on the markings on Mother Turtles back and nodded. "Those markings will always be on our shells for those are the markings from the brave little muskrat that helped. They are there to remind us that good comes to those that help." Mother Turtle turned toward the stream. "I must go now Smiles Alot. Thank you for listening to me and having the patience to wait." "Thank you Mother Turtle. My Grandmother Speaks Softly is teaching me to listen to all things because they can be our teachers also. And I thank you for telling me your story. I will share this story with my family." Smiles Alot reached into her leather pouch and pulled out two berries. She laid them on the ground in front of Mother Turtle. "Please Mother Turtle accept these berries as my gift to you. For you have given me the gift of your story. I will help all things no matter what." As Mother Turtle began to eat the first berry, Smiles Alot put her moccasins back on and ran back towards her family. She was so happy that Mother Turtle shared her story. As soon as Smiles Alot could see her Mother Silent Tongue and Grandmother Speaks Softly, she ran faster shouting, "Guess what! Boy do I have a story for you!" smileybear67 this article copyrighted to smileybear67 Home