PAGE CREATED: June 22, 2000
LAST UPDATED: June 22, 2000
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© 2000 dragonstar14@hotmail.com
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Tales of the Wild Plains and Great Grandmother Tree
A cool breeze swept over the plains. It was a sunny day and the clouds rolled away to show the bright afternoon sky. It was the colour of sapphires. The wild antelope and wild zebra bounded across the wild grasses. It was in these wild plains, at the very centre, a huge oak tree stood, tall and proud; it was Great Grandmother Tree!
Great Grandmother Tree was the one who watched over all of the wild things on the wild plains. It is on these wild plains where the first people came to be. These people were called the Ancient Peoples (because they lived so long ago!) and Great Grandmother Tree watched over them too.
She watched over them, because the time of the Great Winter was coming, and for the Ancient Peoples, Great Grandmother Tree was greatly worried. For the Ancient Peoples, Great Grandmother Tree knew would not survive the Great Winter, because they were wanderers and they traveled over the wild plains looking for wild fruits to eat. They knew nothing of the Great Winter or even how to survive through it.
The Great Winter was strong, hard, for all those who lived on the Wild Plains, since the plants would not be there once the winter came. So, Great Grandmother Tree talked to the Clouds up high, the Blue Rain, the animal spirits, the wind, and the wide Sky about what they could do to help the Ancient Peoples.
None knew of an answer, but the Great Phoenix had overheard their conversation and knew how to help. The Ancient Peoples would need sacred fire and the form of hunting the Great Spirits in the Sky had, because the Great Spirits in the Sky were like the Ancient Peoples and that was how they survived, by hunting and using the sacred fire.
So, the Great Phoenix volunteered to go to the Great Spirits in the Sky and ask for their help, for the Ancient Peoples this winter.
Great Phoenix went to the Great Spirits in the Sky, those who created the wild plains and told them of the Ancient Peoples? plight. When they hear of the situation, they granted Great Phoenix the sacred fire and the form of hunting that they used for their own and sent her back to Great Grandmother Tree and the others.
As Autumn persisted and the winds began to chill, Great Grandmother Tree summoned a man from the Ancient Peoples. The Clouds up high, the Blue Rain, the animal spirits, the wind, the Wide Sky, and the Great Phoenix were there at the meeting as well. The man?s name was Wise Man of the Ancient Peoples and he came urgently to the summons, because Great Grandmother Tree never called summoned them, and because the weather was already getting too cold for the Ancient Peoples. Wise Man of the Ancient Peoples didn?t understand why.
?Why have you summoned me, Great Grandmother Tree?? asked Wise Man.
?I have summoned you,? said Great Grandmother Tree, ?Because you are the Wise Man of the Ancient Peoples. You hold the future of your people. The Great Winter is coming again; it has not been here in hundreds of ages, and without your help, the Ancient Peoples will die.?
Wise Man looked hard at Great Grandmother, his eyes liquidy at the thought, ?But why?? questioned Wise Man.
?Because, it is time, and I watch over all on the wild plains. Without help there would be no wild plains there would be no Ancient Peoples. And with no Ancient Peoples there would be no wild plains.?
?What can I do, Great Grandmother?? asked Wise Man.
?Everylight, for seven lights, I need you to come here to visit me, because I will give you gifts that will help you peoples this coming winter. Do not worry, because I will teach you the secrets of these gifts, and then you will teach them to your people, Wise Man.?
This they agreed upon, that Everylight, for seven lights, Wise Man will return to this spot to receive the gifts.
On the first light, Great Grandmother Tree and Great Phoenix (since she brought it back from the sky) gave to Wise Man from the Great Spirits in the Sky, the sacred fire. ?What is this?? asked Wise Man.
?This is the sacred fire, Wise Man,? said Great Phoenix, interrupting.
??You will be able to keep warm with the sacred fire and to light your way in the dark,? finished Great Grandmother Tree.
?Thank-you Great Grandmother,? and when Wise Man got back to his peoples, he showed them the sacred fire of the Great Spirits in the Sky. They were in awe, and the night didn?t seem at as dark. They were happy.
On the second light, Wise Man came, Great Grandmother presented him with an elegant bow made of the white birch; long and strong, with it came a quiver full of delicately made turkey feather arrows. ?Wise Man, these will allow you to hunt wild turkey, wild antelope, and wild zebra for food, but it will also protect you from wild bear and wild cat, who hunt the plains at night. Wise Man looked confused, he had never eaten animal flesh before, just the wild fruits and nuts of the wild plains. So, Great Grandmother told Wise Man the properties of animal flesh, and this would increase their survival through the Great Winter. ?Remember, Wise Man, that you must cook the animal?s flesh on sacred fire, just like the Great Spirits of the Sky.?
?I will Great Grandmother, and thank-you,? he replied, as he ran towards his people with the new gift.
That night they brought back a antelope and two zebras and cooked it merrily and there was plenty of food for all and no one was hungry after, like they would have been without the bow and arrows. They were happy, as was Great Grandmother Tree.
On the third light, Wise Man stood in front of Great Grandmother Tree, tall and proud, because of how he had helped his people. The Clouds up high, the Blue Rain, the animal spirits, the wind, and the Wide Sky, as well as the Great Phoenix watched as Great Grandmother Tree presented the next gift. Wild Jackal sat down next to Great Grandmother Tree. She pointed from Wise Man to Wild Jackal and presented Wild Jackal to Wise Man.
Wise Man asked, ?Why is Wild Jackal here, Great Grandmother??
?Because, Wise Man, he is the third gift.? Wise Man looked confused. ?He will help you hunt.?
?But why would I need help hunting??? Wise Man said, laughing.
Great Grandmother Tree looked sternly into Wise Man?s eyes, ?Wild Jackal will help you, because there are things you cannot do. He will help you to look for animals to hunt and he will attack wild bear and wild cat, if they attack you, because Wild Jackal has teeth like them. That means he can fight them better, but if you fight them together you will be even stronger. Your families will be safer. One more thing,? said Great Grandmother, as Wise Man turned to go.
?Yes??
?Wild Jackal will be your friend, when you are lonely. He will be faithful and loyal, as long as his kind live on the wild plains.?
?Thank-you, Great Grandmother.?
On that?s night?s hunt there were three antelopes and five zebras, enough to last. Thanks to Wild Jackal, the First Companion.
In the subsequent lights Wise Man received four more gifts from Great Grandmother Tree and the Spirits in the Sky, allowing the Ancient Peoples to survive the coming Great Winter.
The Clouds up high gave Wise Man seeds of orange squash. This was far more reliable than only having the wild fruits and nuts to eat that they had depended on before. The Blue Rain gave Wise Man and his people water to feed their throats and their squash plants during the winter. The animal spirits gave Wise Man their fur and feathers, which clothed the Ancient Peoples, with blankets of Wild Buffalo hides, and wild antelope skin shirts. But the best gift given was by the wind that blows across the wild plains, it gave the gift of music and song. The enjoyment of the sounds would please the Ancient Peoples, and they could pass the time during the Great Winter.
All of this was thanks to Great Grandmother Tree of the wild plains!
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I love native american stories about how things came to be and in the process of creating one, I decided that this one would be a children's story.
PAGE CREATED: June 22, 2000
LAST UPDATED: June 22, 2000
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© 2000 dragonstar14@hotmail.com
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