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ANT- | ||
ANT WISDOM INCLUDES: | ||
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ANT- | ||
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BUMBLEBEE- | ||
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BEE WISDOM INCLUDES: | ||
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http://www.darsie.net/talesofwonder/raccoon.html |
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THE RACCOON AND THE BEE TREE- A Native American Tale |
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The Raccoon had been asleep all day in the snug hollow of a tree. The dusk was coming on when he awoke, stretched himself once or twice, and jumping down from the top of the tall, dead stump in which he made his home, set out to look for his supper. In the midst of the woods there was a lake, and all along the lake shore there rang out the alarm cries of the water people as the Raccoon came nearer and nearer. First the Swan gave a scream of warning. The Crane repeated the cry, and from the very middle of the lake the Loon, swimming low, took it up and echoed it back over the still water. The Raccoon sped merrily on, and finding no unwary bird that he could seize he picked up a few mussel-shells from the beach, cracked them neatly and ate the sweet meat. A little further on, as he was leaping hither and thither through the long, tangled meadow grass, he landed with all four feet on a family of Skunks---father, mother and twelve little ones, who were curled up sound asleep in a oft bed of broken dry grass. "Huh!" exclaimed the father Skunk. "What do you mean by this, eh?" And he stood looking at him defiantly. "Oh, excuse me, excuse me," begged the Raccoon. "I am very sorry. I did not mean to do it! I was just running along and I did not see you at all." "Better be careful where you step next time," grumbled the Skunk, and the Raccoon was glad to hurry on. Running up a tall tree he came upon two red Squirrels in one nest, but before he could get his paws upon one of them they were scolding angrily from the topmost branch. "Come down, friends!" called the Raccoon. "What are you doing up there? Why, I wouldn't harm you for anything!" "Ugh, you can't fool us," chattered the Squirrels, and the Raccoon went on. Deep in the woods, at last, he found a great hollow tree which attracted him by a peculiar sweet smell. He sniffed and sniffed, and went round and round till he saw something trickling down a narrow crevice. He tasted it and it was deliciously sweet. He ran up the tree and down again, and at last found an opening into which he could thrust his paw. He brought it out covered with honey! Now the Raccoon was happy. He ate and scooped, and scooped and ate the golden, trickling honey with both forepaws till his pretty, pointed face was daubed all over. Suddenly he tried to get a paw into his ear. Something hurt him terribly just then, and the next minute his sensitive nose was frightfully stung. He rubbed his face with both sticky paws. The sharp stings came thicker and faster, and he wildly clawed the air. At last he forgot to hold on to the branch any longer, and with a screech he tumbled to the ground. There he rolled and rolled on the dead leaves till he was covered with leaves from head to foot, for they stuck to his fine, sticky fur, and most of all they covered his eyes and his striped face. Mad with fright and pain he dashed through the forest calling to some one of his own kind to come to his aid. The moon was now bright, and many of the woods people were abroad. A second Raccoon heard the call and went to meet it. But when he saw a frightful object plastered with dry leaves racing madly toward him he turned and ran for his life, for he did not know what this thing might be. The Raccoon who had been stealing the honey ran after him as fast as he could, hoping to overtake and beg the other to help him get rid of his leaves. So they ran and they ran out of the woods on to the shining white beach around the lake. Here a Fox met them, but after one look at the queer object which was chasing the frightened Raccoon he too turned and ran at his best speed. Presently a young Bear came loping out of the wood and sat up on his haunches to see them go by. But when he got a good look at the Raccoon who was plastered with dead leaves, he scrambled up a tree to be out of the way. By this time the poor Raccoon was so frantic that he scarcely knew what he was doing. He ran up the tree after the Bear and got hold of his tail. "Woo, woo!" snarled the Bear, and the accoon let go. He was tired out and dreadfully ashamed. He did now what he ought to have done at the very first---he jumped into the lake and washed off most of the leaves. Then he got back to his hollow tree and curled himself up and licked and licked his soft fur till he had licked himself clean, and then he went to sleep. |
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BEE- |
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BUTTERFLY- | ||
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BUTTERFLY SPIRIT INFLUENCE INCLUDES: | ||
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http://home.no.net/norweagl/lore/leg226.htm | ||
A PAPAGO BUTTERFLY STORY - | ||
One day the Creator was resting, sitting, watching some children at play in a village. The children laughed and sang, yet as he watched them, the Creator's heart was sad. He was thinking: "These children will grow old. Their skin will become wrinkled. Their hair will turn gray. Their teeth will fall out. The young hunter's arm will fail. These lovely young girls will grow ugly and fat. The playful puppies will become blind, mangy dogs. And those wonderful flowers - yellow and blue, red and purple - will fade. The leaves from the trees will fall and dry up. Already they are turning yellow." Thus the Creator grew sadder and sadder. It was in the fall, and the thought of the coming winter, with its cold and lack of game and green things, made his heart heavy. Yet it was still warm, and the sun was shining. The Creator watched the play of sunlight and shadow on the ground, the yellow leaves being carried here and there by the wind. He saw the blueness of the sky, the whiteness of some cornmeal ground by the women. Suddenly he smiled. "All those colors, they ought to be preserved. I'll make something to gladden my heart, something for these children to look at and enjoy." The Creator took out his bag and started gathering things: a spot of sunlight, a handful of blue from the sky, the whiteness of the cornmeal, the shadow of playing children, the blackness of a beautiful girl's hair, the yellow of the falling leaves, the green of the pine needles, the red, purple, and orange of the flowers around him. All these he put into his bag. |
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BUTTERFLY - The butterfly symbolizes transformation. Caterpillar crawled and struggled across the ground, taking slow and laboring steps to climb each plant. Then he went through a slow death in the cocoon. He died to his old identity and emerged as the beautiful butterfly. If butterflies appear, you are going through change. Let go of the old, wait patiently for the new. You may even be considering a physical move. Make it beautiful! |
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COCKROACH- | ||
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COCKROACH'S WISDOM INCLUDES: | ||
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CRICKET- | ||
CRICKET'S WISDOM INCLUDES: | ||
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CRICKET AND COUGAR -Tribes of Alta and Baja California | ||
Cougar was walking in the forest, and he jumped onto a fallen log to look around. From inside the log came a tiny voice. Just then, a tiny mosquito flew up from the log buzzed into the big cats ear. |
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DRAGONFLY- | ||
DAMSELFLY/DRAGONFLY'S WISDOM INCLUDES: | ||
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DRAGONFLY -Dragonfly is associated with the nature angels, devas,and fairies. If one flies into your life it may be time to hike, camp, or play with some plants. Reconnect with your elemental nature by going outdoors and finding the divine all around you. Dragonfly's wings are clear but can appear colored in different lights. Similarly, our emotions color our reality. Dragonfly urges you to look beyond illusions and see the truth that is right in front of you. |
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FIREFLY- | ||
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FIREFLY'S WISDOM INCLUDES: | ||
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http://home.no.net/norweagl/lore/leg212.htm | ||
HOW THE SIOUX (LAKOTA) CAME TO BE BRULE (LAKOTA)- This story was told to me by a Santee grandmother. |
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A long time ago, a really long time when the world was still freshly made, Unktehi the water monster fought the people and caused a great flood. Perhaps the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka, was angry with us for some reason. Maybe he let Unktehi win out because he wanted to make a better kind of human being. |
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FLEA- | ||
FLEA'S WISDOM INCLUDES: | ||
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http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/cher/motc/motc047.htm | ||
THE EAGLE'S REVENGE | ||
Once a hunter in the mountains heard a noise at night like a rushing wind outside the cabin, and on going out he found that an eagle had just alighted on the drying pole and was tearing at the body of a deer hanging there. Without thinking of the danger, he shot the eagle. In the morning he took the deer and started back to the settlement, where he told what he had done, and the chief sent out some men to bring in the eagle and arrange for an Eagle dance. They brought back the dead eagle, everything was made ready, and that night they started the dance in the townhouse.
About midnight there was a whoop outside and a strange warrior came into the circle and began to recite his exploits. No one knew him, but they thought he had come from one of the farther Cherokee towns. He told how he had killed a man, and at the end of the story he gave a hoarse yell, Hi! that startled the whole company, and one of the seven men with the rattles fell over dead. He sang of another deed, and at the end straightened up with another loud yell. A second rattler fell dead, and the people were so full of fear that they could not stir from their places. Still he kept on, and at every pause there came again that terrible scream, until the last of the seven rattlers fell dead, and then the stranger went out into the darkness. Long afterward |
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FLY- | ||
FLY'S WISDOM INCLUDES: | ||
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http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore09.html | ||
HOW THE FLY SAVED THE RIVER-A Native American Lore |
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Many, many years ago when the world was new, there was a beautiful river. Fish in great numbers lived in this river, and its water was so pure and sweet that all the animals came there to drink. The beavers were worried. The water around their lodges was disappearing. Soon their homes would be destroyed. The fish were very worried. The other animals could live on land if the water dried up, but they couldn't. All the animals tried to think of a way to drive the moose from the river, but he was so big that they were too afraid to try. Even the bear was afraid of him. At last the fly said he would try to drive the moose away. All the animals laughed and jeered. How could a tiny fly frighten a giant moose? The fly said nothing, but that day, as soon as the moose appeared, he went into action. He landed on the moose's foreleg and bit sharply. The moose stamped his foot harder, and each time he stamped, the ground sank and the water rushed in to fill it up. Then the fly jumped about all over the moose, biting and biting and biting until the moose was in a frenzy. He dashed madly about the banks of the river, shaking his head, stamping his feet, snorting and blowing, but he couldn't get rid of that pesky fly. At last the moose fled from the river, and didn't come back. The fly was very proud of his achievement, and boasted to the other animals, "Even the small can fight the strong if they use their brains to think." |
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GRASSHOPPER- | ||
GRASSHOPPER/LOCUST/KATYDID'S WISDOM INCLUDES: |
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http://www.u-smokem.com/tobaccoanthology.asp | ||
HOW GLUSKABE STOLE TOBACCO-Abenaki | ||
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