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Carries the Golden Strand that leads to the Center of the Universe - Past lives - Spiritual enlightenment - Death and Rebirth

One day a hawk and a lady bug were out enjoying the warm sun and an afternoon's flight. The sky was blue and clear. The Hawk circled high in the sky singing hawk song. From a distance, he could see lady bugs flying from plant to plant. The lady bugs were flying and the sun was reflecting on their brilliant metallic orange bodies with black spots on them.

One Lady Bug seemed different from all the others. She looked like she was basking in the sun. She looked like she was experiencing enchantment while all others were just so busy being busy. This Lady Bug was listening to the music of hawk song.

As hawk song became louder and louder the lady bugs flew to hiding, all, except one. She did not move but listened to hawk song and watched Hawk's descent from the blue sky until the sky almost seemed to be filled with him. At Hawk's landing, a blushing eye contact was made. There were no words immediately just a peaceful observation of each other.

"Were the other lady bugs your friends," he asked? "Yes," she said. "Where have they gone and why did they leave you," Hawk asked? "They were afraid," she said. "Afraid!.. Afraid of what? Of me," he asked? "Yes, they are afraid of you. When they heard your song they feared and they took refuge," she said.

"Are you afraid of me," he asked? "Yes, I am a little but I see no need to run. If you wanted to harm me, we would not be talking," she said. She went on to say, "it must be really lonely for you always flying alone and singing alone?"

"Lady Bug, what makes you think I am lonely," he asked?

"Because I have watched you before and listened as you sang your song. Sometimes I have even sang to you but I was sure you could not hear me," she told him.

"It is your song that I am hearing. Your song does not sound like lady bug song. It sounds like hawk song I have heard before," he said. "Where did you learn it," he asked?

"I can not tell you that just now but I hope the time will come that I can tell you where I learned the song I sing. I am glad you heard it," she said.

"You are right," he told her, "it is lonely and many are afraid of me. They call me names that really are more suited to the humans. They call me predator but there is no predator like the human. Everywhere they go they kill and when they are not killing some of us, they are killing each other. We, of the hawk dominion, can never let our guard down because if we do for a minute, we find them hunting us with stones that fly in the air at great speeds and make us fall to the ground. Yes, it is lonely and so I sing and fly and hope that someone will fly with me and sing with me and share adventures with me."

Lady Bug told him, "I can fly with you sometime if you like, but I can not fly as high or as fast as you. I can not even see as far as you."

"You would fly with me? No one as beautiful as you would fly with me," he said. "I would," she said, "I would love to fly with you."

As the two look deep into each other eyes, the Hawk leans down and Lady Bug climbs his feathers to her perch. "Hold on, Lady Bug. We are going to the sky," he told her.

For hours the Hawk and the Lady Bug soar as they walk the sky.They sing with joy and feel excitement. Neither speaks but both are enraptured of the moment. Two who are very different in this moment do not seem different at all. Surrendered to the moment, love is known. The hours pass. The sun goes down. The moon comes up and their image is cast upon the moon as shadow. Neither has spoken a word when the Hawk thinks he is being selfish. It is all so good. Thought is suspended because of the right presence. It is time he must take Lady Bug home. She says to him, "So soon? Must you take me back so soon"?

"I thought you might be getting tired and I did not want to seem so selfish, though in truth, I do not recall when I have been happier. I do not want to take you home at all. I would be pleased if this moment did not have to end. What I would really like to do is watch you fly, listen to you sing, listen to you tell me of your hopes and dreams," he said.

"Are you sure you are a hawk," she asked?

"Yes, Lady Bug, I am a hawk," he told her. "What will your friends say when they find out you spent the day with me?" he asked.

"I have known my own joy today with you. I do not care what they say. They have not flown where you have shared with me," she said. She went on to say, "I do not want to return but I probably should. Will you come for me again? Do you think we could be friends?", she asked.

"I would love that," he said. "When can I see you again?", he asked. "How soon would you like to see me again?", she asked.

"Only moments from now. There is something I must do, but I can come for you again in two hours," he told her.

"Come back for me then in two hours. I will be ready and meet you right here. If you really want to be with me, show me the gift of your kiss when you return," she said. "I know you need some private flight time now to think and sing," she said. He said to her as he took flight, "It will be as you wish." And with that the Hawk took to the night sky exciting the wind behind him as he ascended.

Lady Bug blushed and went to tell her friends. When she arrived and told them all that she had done, they reported her to their elders. They refused to allow her to consider seeing this dangerous predator again and putting their village at risk.

As time began to run out and fearing she would leave, lady bug was restrained by the elder named Conventional Rule. The second restraining elder was the Guardian of Tradition. They bound Lady Bug.

"He will come for me," she said, "he will come."

When the Hawk returned, he did not see Lady Bug and began to wonder if everything was all right. After waiting and waiting, he came to the conclusion that she was not going to be returning to fly with him. He looked to the sky and said thanks for the time they had spent together. As he lifted again to climb the sky in a very slow spiral, he began to sing.

Lady Bug could hear the Hawk's song and began to sing herself.

This time the Hawk knew it was her. He could hear her song. He landed in her village and called for her. In fear of destruction, the elders of Convention and Tradition offered Lady Bug to the Hawk if he would agree not to destroy their village.

In a loud voice, he said, "NO. I have made a friend today and I will not allow you to shame her like this. I have learned today that you have lived in fear of me. You fear what you do not know," he said. Hawk continues, "who among you recalls how many times I have ever sought to harm any of your families and tribes. Your fears are unfounded and yet I know, most fear what they do not  know. If we could talk, you might discover ways that we could help each other that would make for a beneficial friendship.

Who you should be afraid of are the crawling things and the small birds, but they will not harm you if they are given notice that we have entered into relationship." "Let Lady Bug be with me because it is her choice. She has a heart to fly and to fly high. She is different from you and so you punish her and treat her poorly because she does not accept your ways of limitation," he says. "Should she be punished or loved for who she is," he asks? "I have chosen to love her because she has loved me without judgment. She has welcomed me, accepted me, and caused me to feel good again about who I am. For that I am thankful and in awe of her beauty," he said.

"Come, Lady Bug, let us fly," he calls to her.

On her approach, she asks, "Aren't you forgetting something?" As he leans down to kiss her, Lady Bug is transformed into a beautiful lady hawk and the Hawk is never lonely anymore. They fly together high in the sky. They love each other and sing hawk song together. If you listen closely now, you can hear their song of love as they dance the sky and keep a watchful eye.

Because of their watch, the village of the ladybugs is always safe.

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Intensity - Transformation while moving - Transparency -
Emphasis on childhood issues - Living in the moment

In the days when the Inland Empire was peopled by animals, birds, reptiles and fish - before human beings had been thought of - the banks of the Spokane River were the scene of a battle between the denizens of the water and the land.

Two beautiful maidens were the cause of the war. Both the land and the water people desired to have the maidens married into their respective ranks. Open hostilities were declared, and a short time later the maidens disappeared. At the same time Old Man Wolf and his family disappeared.

Mud Turtle led the first charge of the water people. The land people grew tired of watching his slow progress, and soon he was among them destroying them right and left. Bald Eagle finally shot an arrow between his shells, killing him. Long Jump, the frog, struck down many of the animal people before being killed. Salmon was then chosen. His armor of scales deflected the arrows and he made long leaps, inflicting great damage with his wicked tail and strong jaws. Finally, a flight of arrows fired from behind found their way under his scales, and he was killed.

Mrs. Mouse, the salmon's cousin, had a dam across the river. She and her children rescued the bodies from the war as they floated down the river. When Salmon's body drifted down, the mice dragged it carefully from the river. She bound his wounds and made a little sweat house. Mrs. Mouse's power was great, and Salmon lived again. Rattlesnake had betrayed Salmon and told how he could be killed. He was worried and went to the rocky country near Long Lake where he lives today. Salmon fought and defeated Rattlesnake and placed a curse on him and his family. This is why they always crawl in the dust and dirt and why they are hated and will be as long as the mountains stand and the rivers run.

Salmon built a sweat house and danced and sang. Finally, he knew who had taken the girls - the Wolf! Salmon defeated the Wolf and sent the girls back to their families. And so ended the tragic war between the water people and the land people.

It has never been resumed.

(Inland Northwest - Spokane )

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Using water to transform - Drawing energy inside one self -
Controlling energy flow in one direction

Long time ago there was a giant who loved to kill humans, eat their flesh, and drink their blood. He was especially fond of human hearts. "Unless we can get rid of the giant," people said, "none of us will be left," and they called a council to discuss ways and means.

One man said, "I think I know how to kill the monster," and he went to the place where the giant had las been seen. There he lay down and pretended to be dead.

Soon the giant came along. Seeing the man lying there, he said: "These humans are making it easy for me. Now I don't even have to catch and kill them; they die right on my trail, probably from fear of me!"

The giant touched the body. "Ah, good,' he said, "this one is still warm and fresh. What a tasty meal he'll make; I can't wait to roast his heart."

The giant flung the man over his shoulder, and the man let his head hang down as if he were dead. Carrying the man home, the giant dropped him in the middle of the floor right near the fireplace. Then he saw that there was no firewood, and went to get some.

As soon as the monster had left, the man got up and grabbed the giant's huge skinning knife. Just then the giant's son came in, bending low to enter. He was still small as giants go, and the man held the big knife to his throat. "Quick, tell me, where's your father's heart? Tell me or I'll slit your throat!"

The giant's son was scared. He said: "My father's heart is in his left heel."

Just then the giant's left foot appeared in the entrance, and the man swiftly plunged the knife into the heel. The monster screamed and fell down dead.

Yet, the giant still spoke. "Though I'm dead, though you killed me, I'm going to keep on eating you and all the humans in the world forever!

"That's what you think!" said the man. "I'm about to make sure that you never eat anyone again." He cut the giant's body into pieces and burned each one in the fire. Then he took the ashes and threw them into the air for the winds to scatter. Instantly each of the particles turned into a mosquito. The cloud of ashes became a cloud of mosquitoes, and from their midst the man heard the giant's voice laughing, saying: "Yes, Ill eat you people until the end of time."

As the monster spoke, the man felt a sting, and a mosquito started sucking his blood, and then many mosquitoes stung him, and he began to scratch himself.

----Retold from English source, 1883.
Taken from "American Indian Myths and Legends" Selected and edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz.

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The power of the whirlwind - Ease of movement in darkness/shadow - Transformation - Ability to confuse enemies -
Ability to find light in darkness

http://www.hoboes.com/html/Politics/Prohibition/Notes/Indian_Myths.html#Heading2

HOW GRANDFATHER PEYOTE CAME TO THE INDIAN PEOPLE-Brule Sioux  

This is how Grandfather Peyote came to the Indian people. Long ago, before the white man, there was a tribe living far south of the Sioux in a land of deserts and mesas. These people were suffering from a sickness, and many died of it. One old woman had a dream that she would find a herb, a root, which would save her people.

The woman was old and frail but, taking her little granddaughter, she went on a vision quest to learn how to find this sacred herb. They walked away from the camp until they were lost. Arriving at the top of a lonely hill, the grandmother made a brush shelter for herself and the young one. Without water or food they were weak, and as night fell they huddled together, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly they felt the wing beats of a huge bird, an eagle flying from the east toward the west. The old woman raised her arms and prayed to the eagle for wisdom and power. Toward morning they saw the figure of a man floating in the air about four steps above their heads. The old woman heard a voice: "You want water and food and do not know where to find it. I have a medicine for you. It will help you."

This man’s arm was pointing to a spot on the ground about four steps from where the old woman was sitting. She looked and saw a peyote plant-a large Grandfather Peyote Plant with sixteen segments. She did not know what it was, but she took her bone knife and cut the green part off. And there was moisture, the peyote juice, the water of life. The old woman and her granddaughter drank it and were refreshed.

The sun went down again and the second night came. The old woman prayed to the spirit: "I am sacrificing myself for the people. Have pity on me. Help me!"

And the figure of the man appeared again, hovering above her as before, and she heard a voice saying: "You are lost now, but you will find your people again and you will save them. When the sun rises two more times, you will find them."

The grandmother ate some more of the sacred medicine and gave some to the girl. And a power entered them through the herb, bringing them knowledge and understanding and a sacred vision. Experiencing this new power, the old woman and her granddaughter stayed awake all night. Yet in the morning when the sun rose and shone upon the hide bag with the peyote, the old one felt strong. She said, "Granddaughter, pray with this new herb. It has no mouth, but it is telling me many things."

During the third night the spirit came again and taught the old woman how to show her people the proper way to use the medicine. In the morning she got up, thinking: "This one plant won’t be enough to save my people. Could it have been the only herb in this world? How can I find more?"

Then she heard many small voices calling, "Over here, come over here. I’m the one to pick." These were peyote plants guiding her to their hiding places among the thorn bushes and chaparral. So the old owman and the girl picked the herbs and filled the hide bag with them.

At nightfall once more they saw the spirit man, silhouetted against the setting sun. He pointed out the way to their camp so that they could return quickly. Though they had taken no food or water for four days and nights, the sacred medicine had kept them strong-hearted and strong-minded.

When they arrived home, their relatives were happy to have them back, but everybody was still sick and many were dying. The old woman told the people: "I have brought you a new sacred medicine which will help you."

She showed the men how to use this pejuta, this holy herb. The spirit had taught her the ceremony, and the medicine had given her the knowledge through the mind power which dwells within it. Under her direction the men put up a tipi and made a fire. At that time there was no leader, no roadman, to guide them, and the people had to learn how to perform the ceremony step by step, from the ground up.

Everybody, men and women, old and young, ate four buttons of the new medicine. A boy baby was breast nursing, and the peyote power got into him through his mother’s milk. He was sucking his hand, and he began to shake it like a gourd rattle. A man sitting next to the tipi entrance got into the power and caught a song just by looking at the baby’s arm.

A medicine man took a rattle of rawhide and began to shake it. The small stones inside the rattle were the voice of Grandfather Peyote, and everybody understood what it was saying. Another man grabbed a drum and beat it, keeping time with the song and the voice inside the rattle. The drumming was good, but it did not yet have the right sound, because in that first ceremony there was no water in the drum.

One woman felt the spirit telling her to look for a cottonwood tree. After the sun rose, all the people followed her as Grandfather Peyote guided her toward the west. They saw a rabbit jumping out of a hole inside a dried-up tree and knew that this was the sacred cottonwood.

They cut down the tree and hollowed out the trunk like a drum where the rabbit hole had been. At the woman’s bidding they filled it with fresh spring water-the water of life.

On the way back to camp, a man felt the power telling him to pick up five smooth, round pebbles and cover the drum with a piece of tanned moose hide. He used the pebbles to make knobs around the rim of the drum so that he could tie the hide to it with a rawhide thong. And when he beat the drum it sounded good, as if a spirit had gotten hold of it.

When night came, the people made a fire inside the tipi and took the medicine again. Guided by peyote power, the old woman looked into the flames and saw a heart, like the heart-shaped leaf of the cottonwood tree. Thus she knew that the Great Spirit, who is also in Grandfather Peyote, wanted to give his heart to the red men of this continent. She told the man tending the fire to form the flowing embers into the shape of a heart, and the people all saw it beat in rhythm with the drum. A little later, one helper who was under the spirit power saw that th hide rope formed a star at the bottom of the drum. He shaped the glowing coals of the fire into a star and then into a moon, because the power of the star and the spirit of the moon had come into the tipi.

One man sitting opposite the door had a vision in which he was told to ask for water. The old woman brought fresh, cool water in a skin bag, and they all drank and in this way came under the power. Feeling the spirit of the water, the man who was in charge of the fire shaped the embers into the outline of a water bird, and from then on the water bird became the chief symbol of the holy medicine.

Around the fire this man made a half-moon out of earth, and all along the top of it he drew a groove with his finger. Thus he formed a road, the road of life. He said that anybody with the gift of wacankiyapi, which means having love and heart for the people, should sit right there. And from that day on, the man who is running a meeting was called the "roadman."

In this way the people made the first peyote altar, and after they had drunk the water, they thanked the peyote. Looking at the fire in the shape of the sacred water bird, they prayed to the four directions, and someone sprinkled green cedar on the fire. The fragrant, sweet-smelling smoke was the breath of Grandfather Peyote, the spirit of all green and growing things.

Now the people had everything they needed: the sacred herb, the drum, the gourd, the fire, the water, the cedar. From that moment on, they learned to know themselves. Their sick were cured, and they thanked the old woman and her grandchild for having brought this blessing to them. They were the Comanche nation, and from them the worship of the sacred herb spread to all the tribes throughout the land.

-Told by Leonard Crow Dog at Winner, Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota , 1970.

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Attacking from the rear - Death and rebirth - Transmutation of poison - Reflecting dark and negative energy back to its sender

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Importance of keeping yourself mobile -
Understands the value of leaving a trail -
Ability to use slow movement to ones advantage -
Defense through retreat - Understands the value of humor

There was once a great chief on the Plains who had very tender feet. Other mighty chiefs laughed at him; little chiefs only smiled as he hobbled past; and though they did not dare to smile, the people of the tribe also enjoyed the big chief's discomfort. All of them were in the same canoe, having no horses and only bare feet, but luckily very few of them had tender feet. The unhappy medicine man who was advisor to the Chief-of-the-Tender-Feet was afraid and troubled. Each time he was called before the chief he was asked, 'What are you going to do about it?" The 'it' meant the chief's tender feet.

Forced by fear, the medicine man at last hit upon a plan. Though he knew that it was not the real answer to the chief's foot problem, nevertheless it was a good makeshift. The medicine man had some women of the tribe weave a long, narrow mat of reeds, and when the big chief had to go anywhere, four braves unrolled the mat in front of him so that he walked in comfort. One day, the braves were worn out from seeing that the chief's feet were not worn out. They carelessly unrolled the mat over a place where flint arrowheads had been chipped. The arrowheads had long ago taken flight, but the needle-sharp chips remained. When the big chief's tender feet were wounded by these chips, he uttered a series of whoops which made the nearby aspen tree leaves quiver so hard that they have been trembling ever since.

That night the poor medicine man was given an impossible task by the angry chief: 'Cover the whole earth with mats so thick that my feet will not suffer. If you fail, you will die when the moon is round.'

The frightened maker of magic crept back to his lodge. He did not wish to be put to death on the night of the full moon, but he could think of no way to avoid it. Suddenly he saw the hide of an elk which he had killed pegged to the ground, with two women busily scraping the hair from the hide, and an idea flashed into his groping mind. He sent out many hunters; many women were busy for many days; many braves with hunting knives cut, and women sewed with bone needles and rawhide sinews.

On the day before the moon was round, the medicine man went to the chief and told him that he had covered as much of the earth as was possible in so short a time. When the chief looked from the door of his lodge, he saw many paths of skin stretching as far as he could see. Long strips which could be moved from place to place connected the main leather paths. Even the chief thought that this time the magic of the medicine man had solved tenderfoot transportation for all time - but this was not to be !

One day, as the big chief was walking along one of his smooth, tough leather paths, he saw a pretty maiden of the tribe gliding ahead of him, walking on the hard earth on one side of the chief's pathway. She glanced back when she heard the pitter- patter of his feet on the elk hide pathway and seemed to smile. The chief set off on the run to catch up with her, his eyes fixed on the back of She-Who-Smiled, and so his feet strayed from the narrow path and landed in a bunch of needle-sharp thorns! The girl ran for her life when she heard the hideous howls of the chief, and Indians in the distant village thought that they were being attacked by wildcats.

Two suns later, when the chief was calm enough to speak again, he had his medicine man brought before him and told the unhappy man that next day, when the sun was high, he would be sent with all speed to the land of shadows.

That night, the medicine man climbed to the top of a high hill in search of advice from friendly spirits on how to cover the entire earth with leather. He slept, and in a dream vision he was shown the answer to his problem. Amid vivid flashes of lightning, he tore down the steep hillside, howling louder than the big chief at times, as jagged rocks wounded his bare feet and legs. He did not stop until he was safely inside his lodge. He worked all night and until the warriors who were to send him on the shadow trail came for him, just before noon the next day. He was surrounded by the war-club armed guards. He was clutching close to his heart something tightly rolled in a piece of deerskin. His cheerful smile surprised those who saw him pass. 'Wah, he is brave!' said the men of the tribe. 'He is very brave!' said the women of the tribe.

The big chief was waiting just outside his lodge. He gave the guards swift, stern orders. Before the maker of magic could be led away, he asked leave to say a few words to the chief. 'Speak!' said the chief, sorry to lose a clever medicine man who was very good at most kinds of magic. Even the chief knew that covering the entire earth with leather was an impossible task.

The medicine man quickly knelt beside the chief, unrolled the two objects which he took from his bundle and slipped one of them on each foot of the chief. The chief seemed to be wearing a pair of bear's hairless feet, instead of bare feet, and he was puzzled at first as he looked at the elk hide handicraft of his medicine man. 'Big chief,' the medicine man exclaimed joyfully, 'I have found the way to cover the earth with leather! For you, O chief, from now on the earth will always be covered with leather.' And so it was.

Thank you for sharing Wolf Spirit Moon!

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Master weaver - Weaver of the web of fate
Wisdom – Creativity - Divine inspiration - Shapeshifting
Understanding the patterns of illusion -
Female energy for the creative force of life

The Choctaw People say that when the People first came up out of the ground, People were encased in cocoons, their eyes closed, their limbs folded tightly to their bodies. And this was true of all People, the Bird People, the Animal People, the Insect People, and the Human People. The Great Spirit took pity on them and sent down someone to unfold their limbs, dry them off, and open their eyes. But the opened eyes saw nothing, because the world was dark, no sun, no moon, not even any stars. All the People moved around by touch, and if they found something that didn't eat them first, they ate it raw, for they had no fire to cook it.

All the People met in a great powwow, with the Animal and Bird People taking the lead, and the Human People hanging back. The Animal and Bird People decided that life was not good, but cold and miserable. A solution must be found! Someone spoke from the dark, "I have heard that the people in the East have fire." This caused a stir of wonder, "What could fire be?" There was a general discussion, and it was decided that if, as rumor had it, fire was warm and gave light, they should have it too. Another voice said, "But the people of the East are too greedy to share with us," So it was decided that the Bird and Animal People should steal what they needed, the fire!

But, who should have the honor? Grandmother Spider volunteered, "I can do it! Let me try!" But at the same time, Opossum began to speak. "I, Opossum, am a great chief of the animals. I will go to the East and since I am a great hunter, I will take the fire and hide it in the bushy hair on my tail." It was well know that Opossum had the furriest tail of all the animals, so he was selected.

When Opossum came to the East, he soon found the beautiful, red fire, jealously guarded by the people of the East. But Opossum got closer and closer until he picked up a small piece of burning wood, and stuck it in the hair of his tail, which promptly began to smoke, then flame. The people of the East said, "Look, that Opossum has stolen our fire!" They took it and put it back where it came from and drove Opossum away. Poor Opossum! Every bit of hair had burned from his tail, and to this day, opossums have no hair at all on their tails.

Once again, the powwow had to find a volunteer chief. Grandmother Spider again said, "Let em go! I can do it!" But this time a bird was elected, Buzzard. Buzzard was very proud. "I can succeed where Opossum has failed. I will fly to the East on my great wings, then hide the stolen fire in the beautiful long feathers on my head." The birds and animals still did not understand the nature of fire. So Buzzard flew to the East on his powerful wings, swooped past those defending the fire, picked up a small piece of burning ember, and hid it in his head feathers. Buzzard's head began to smoke and flame even faster! The people of the East said, "Look! Buzzard has stolen the fire!" And they took it and put it back where it came from.

Poor Buzzard! His head was now bare of feathers, red and blistered looking. And to this day, buzzards have naked heads that are bright red and blistered.

The powwow now sent Crow to look the situation over, for Crow was very clever. Crow at that time was pure white, and had the sweetest singing voice of all the birds. But he took so long standing over the fire, trying to find the perfect piece to steal that his white feathers were smoked black. And he breathed so much smoke that when he tried to sing, out came a harsh, "Caw! Caw!"

The Council said, "Opossum has failed. Buzzard and Crow have failed. Who shall we send?"

Tiny Grandmother Spider shouted with all her might, "LET ME TRY IT PLEASE!" Though the council members thought Grandmother Spider had little chance of success, it was agreed that she should have her turn. Grandmother Spider looked then like she looks now, she had a small torso suspended by two sets of legs that turned the other way. She walked on all of her wonderful legs toward a stream where she had found clay. With those legs, she made a tiny clay container and a lid that fit perfectly with a tiny notch for air n the corner of the lid. Then she put the container on her back, spun a web all the way to the East, and walked tiptoe until she came to the fire. She was so small, the people from the East took no notice. She took a tiny piece of fire, put it in the container, and covered it with the lid. Then she walked back on tiptoe along the web until she came to the People. Since they couldn't see any fire, they said, "Grandmother Spider has failed."

"Oh no," she said, "I have the fire!" She lifted the pot from her back, and the lid from the pot, and the fire flamed up into its friend, the air. All the Birds and Animal People began to decide who would get this wonderful warmth. Bear said, "I'll take it!" but then he burned his paws on it and decided fire was not for animals, for look what happened to Opossum!

The Birds wanted no part of it, as Buzzard and Crow were still nursing their wounds. The insects thought it was pretty, but they, too, stayed far away from the fire.

Then a small voice said, "We will take it, if Grandmother Spider will help." The timid humans, whom none of the animals or birds thought much of, were volunteering!

So Grandmother Spider taught the Human People how to feed the fire sticks and wood to keep it from dying, how to keep the fire safe in a circle of stone so it couldn't escape and hurt them or their homes. While she was at it, she taught the humans about pottery made of clay and fire, and about weaving and spinning, at which Grandmother Spider was an expert.

The Choctaw remember. They made a beautiful design to decorate their homes, a picture of Grandmother Spider, two sets of legs up, two down, with a fire symbol on her back. This is so their children never forget to honor Grandmother Spider, Firebringer!

SPIDER

Spider spins her web where and when she please. She reminds us that home is always within and we can create life however we want it to be. Our thoughts, words, and deeds we are always spinning new realtiies. Pay attention to the one you are creating.

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Ability to shed the outer skin (masks) and transform - Creativity -
Spinning a web to entrap enemies - Defense of territory -
Intimidation by size - Use of environment to conceal oneself

Spider Rock stands with awesome dignity and beauty over 800 feet high in Arizona 's colorful Canyon de Chelly National Park (pronounced da Shay.) Geologists of the National Park Service say that "the formation began 230 million years ago.

Windblown sand swirled and compressed with time created the spectacular red sandstone monolith. Long ago, the Dine (Navajo) Indian tribe named it Spider Rock.

Stratified, multicolored cliff walls surround the canyon. For many, many centuries the Dine (Navajo) built caves and lived in these cliffs. Most of the caves were located high above the canyon floor, protecting them from enemies and flash floods.

Spider Woman possessed supernatural power at the time of creation, when Dine (Navajo) emerged from the third world into this fourth world.

At that time, monsters roamed the land and killed many people. Since Spider Woman loved the people, she gave power for Monster- Slayer and Child-Born-of-Water to search for the Sun-God who was their father. When they found him, Sun-God showed them how to destroy all the monsters on land and in the water.

Because she preserved their people, Dine (Navajo) established Spider Woman among their most important and honored Deities.

She chose the top of Spider Rock for her home. It was Spider Woman who taught Dine (Navajo) ancestors of long ago the art of weaving upon a loom. She told them, "My husband, Spider Man, constructed the weaving loom making the cross poles of sky and earth cords to support the structure; the warp sticks of sun rays, lengthwise to cross the woof; the healds of rock crystal and sheet lightning, to maintain original condition of fibres. For the batten, he chose a sun halo to seal joints, and for the comb he chose a white shell to clean strands in a combing manner." Through many generations, the Dine (Navajo) have always been accomplished weavers.

From their elders, Dine (Navajo) children heard warnings that if they did not behave themselves, Spider Woman would let down her web- ladder and carry them up to her home and devour them!

The children also heard that the top of Spider Rock was white from the sun-bleached bones of Dine (Navajo) children who did not behave themselves!

One day, a peaceful cave-dwelling Dine (Navajo) youth was hunting in Dead Man's Canyon, a branch of Canyon de Chelly. Suddenly, he saw an enemy tribesman who chased him deeper into the canyon. As the peaceful Dine (Navajo) ran, he looked quickly from side to side, searching for a place to hide or to escape.

Directly in front of him stood the giant obelisk-like Spider Rock. What could he do? He knew it was too difficult for him to climb. He was near exhaustion. Suddenly, before his eyes he saw a silken cord hanging down from the top of the rock tower.

The Dine (Navajo) youth grasped the magic cord. which seemed strong enough, and quickly tied it around his waist. With its help he climbed the tall tower, escaping from his enemy who then gave up the chase.

When the peaceful Dine (Navajo) reached the top, he stretched out to rest. There he discovered a most pleasant place with eagle's eggs to eat and the night's dew to drink.

Imagine his surprise when he learned that his rescuer was Spider Woman! She told him how she had seen him and his predicament. She showed him how she made her strong web-cord and anchored one end of it to a point of rock. She showed him how she let down the rest of her web-cord to help him to climb the rugged Spider Rock.

Later, when the peaceful Dine (Navajo) youth felt assured his enemy was gone, he thanked Spider Woman warmly and he safely descended to the canyon floor by using her magic cord. He ran home as fast as he could run, reporting to his tribe how his life was saved by Spider Woman!

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Defense of personal space - Single-mindedness -
Connection to tropical forests - Co-operative living

THE COMRADES-A Native American Lore

Mashtinna, the Rabbit, was a handsome young man, and, moreover, of a kind disposition. One day, when he was hunting, he heard a child crying bitterly, and made all haste in the direction of the sound.

On the further side of the wood he found one tormenting a baby boy with whips and pinches, laughing heartily meanwhile and humming a mother's lullaby.

"What do you mean by abusing this innocent child?" demanded the Rabbit; but the other showed a smiling face and replied pleasantly:

"You do not know what you are talking about! The child is fretful, and I am merely trying to quiet him."

Mashtinna was not deceived, for he had guessed that this was Double-Face, who delights in teasing the helpless ones.

"Give the boy to me!" he insisted; so that Double-Face became angry, and showed the other side of his face, which was black and scowling.

"The boy is mine," he declared, "and if you say another word I shall treat you as I have treated him!"

Upon this, Mashtinna fitted an arrow to the string, and shot the wicked one through the heart.

He then took the child on his arm and followed the trail to a small and poor teepee. There lived an old man and his wife, both of them blind and nearly helpless, for all of their children and grand- children, even to the smallest and last, had been lured away by wicked Double-Face.

"Ho, grandfather, grandmother! have brought you back the child!" exclaimed the Rabbit, as he stood in the doorway.

But the poor, blind old people had so often been deceived by that heartless Double-Face that they no longer believed anything; therefore they both cried out:

"You liar! we don't believe a word you say! Get away with you, do!"

Since they refused to take the child, and it was now almost night, the kind-hearted young man wrapped the boy in his own blanket and lay down with him to sleep. The next morning, when he awoke, he found to his surprise that the child had grown up during the night and was now a handsome young man, so much like him that they might have been twin brothers.

"My friend, we are now comrades for life!" exclaimed the strange youth. "We shall each go different ways in the world, doing all the good we can; but if either is ever in need of help let him call upon the other and he will come instantly to his aid!"

The other agreed, and they set out in opposite directions. Not long after, the Rabbit heard a loud groaning and crying as of some person in great pain. When he reached the spot, he found a man with his body wedged tightly in the forks of a tree, which the wind swayed to and fro. He could not by any means get away, and was in great misery.

"I will take your place, brother!" exclaimed the generous young man, upon which the tree immediately parted, and the tree-bound was free. Mashtinna took his place and the tree closed upon him like a vise and pinched him severely.

The pain was worse than he had supposed, but he bore it as long as he could without crying out. Sweat beaded his forehead and his veins swelled to bursting; at last he could endure it no longer and called loudly upon his comrade to help him. At once the young man appeared and struck the tree so that it parted and Mashtinna was free.

He kept on his journey until he spied a small wigwam quite by itself on the edge of a wood. Lifting the door-flap, he saw no one but an old blind man, who greeted him thankfully.

"Ho, my grandson! you see me, I am old and poor. All the day I see no one. When I wish to drink, this raw-hide lariat leads me to the stream near by. When I need dry sticks for my fire, I follow this other rope and feel my way among the trees. I have food enough, for these bags are packed with dried meat for my use. But alas, my grandson, I am all alone here, and I am blind!"

"Take my eyes, grandfather!" at once exclaimed the kind-hearted young man. "You shall go where you will, and I will remain here in your place."

"Ho, ho, my grandson, you are very good!" replied the old man, and he gladly took the eyes of the Rabbit and went out into the world. The youth stayed behind, and as he was hungry, he ate of the dried meat in the bags.

This made him very thirsty, so he took hold of the raw-hide rope and followed it to the stream; but as he stooped to the brink, the rope broke and Mashtinna fell in.

The water was cold and the bank slippery, but after a hard struggle he got out again and made his way back to the teepee, dripping wet and very miserable. Wishing to make a fire and dry his clothes, he seized the other rope and went to the wood for sticks.

However, when he began to gather the sticks he lost the rope, and being quite blind he did nothing but stumble over fallen logs, and bruise himself against the trunks of trees, and scratch his face among the briers and brambles, until at last he could bear it no longer, and cried out to his comrade to come to his aid.

Instantly the youth appeared and gave him back his eyes, saying at the same time:

"Friend, be not so rash in future! It is right to help those who are in trouble, but you must also consider whether you are able to hold out to the end."

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TICK'S WISDOM INCLUDES:

Transmission of ideas - Patience -
Ability to use heat and movement to see - Ingenuity

When spring finally came to the country, the bear woke from hibernation. She got out of her den and said "The spring has arrived again."

She went for a walk to the place where most of the snow had melted so that she could eat berries. She left her children behind where they were still asleep. After she had finished eating, she went back to her den and took a nap. While she was sleeping, her children woke up and saw that their mother's mouth was purple from eating berries.

One cub said to the other, "Look, what's that in mother's mouth, sticking to her teeth?"

The other replied, "Let's get them out."

And they took the berries out that had been sticking in mother bear's mouth, and ate them.

The first cub said, "They taste very good. Let's follow her footprints and see if we can find the berries too."

So they followed their mother's footprints until they reached a patch of berries and started eating too. After they had eaten enough berries, they both went home. When they had nearly reached their den, they heard their mother making desperate cries.

But it was too late. A greedy monster had killed their mother and had eaten her. This monster knew that there were cubs around because he had seen their footprints in the snow. We was very excited because he knew that baby cubs are very tasty and tender to eat. He started to run as he chased after the baby cubs.

The cubs had already taken off running when they heard their mother screaming. After running for a long time, they met grandmother porcupine along the trail. They said to her, "Grandma, please let us pass. We are running away from someone who has killed our mother. Will you try to stall him while we run again?"

"Yes, I will," replied the grandmother porcupine. "You have another grandmother who can kill this monster. You will find her. Just follow this trail," pointing to the path ahead. And so the cubs ran again.

Shortly thereafter, the monster got to the grandmother porcupine. He said to her, "Please move out of the way grandma. I'm looking for our grandchildren. They have run away from me."

Grandmother porcupine said, "I will not move out of the way unless you can do what they have done for me."

The monster replied, "What did they do?"

She said, "They built me a fire and they rubbed their faces on my tail."

The monster replied, "Oh, that's easy. I can do that for you." And so he built her a fire. He was very happy thinking that she would soon let him pass.

After he had finished making a fire, he rubbed his face on her tail. But while he was doing this, grandmother porcupine swung her tail very hard on his face. Guills were lodged all over his eyes and mouth.

"Now I will move out of your way so you can pass," she said to the monster.

The monster passed, taking his time to pull the porcupine quills out of his face. After he had finished picking the quills out, he was on his way again. He saw the cubs' prints on the ground.

The cubs were still following the trail that the grandmother porcupine had shown them. They finally reached their other grandma's house. This grandma was a giant seagull. They said, "Grandma, we are running away from someone who has killed our mother. We are afraid he might try to kill us too."

The grandma said, "Don't be afraid. I have killed this kind of monster before." The cubs were no longer afraid.

She said, "I will take both of you across to where you can stay safely." She took them across the water in her boat.

The cubs said to their grandmother, "Will you kill this monster, Grandma?"

"I will," she replied.

When she got back to her boat, she painted it with dirty, smelly fish. When the monster reached the crossing place, he called out to the seagull, "Grandma, please come help me get across!"

The seagull paddled her boat to the monster.

"Did you see our grandchildren? I have been running after them. I was thinking of eating them because they are still very tender."

The seagull said, "Yes, I have seen them. I took them across. Would you like to go across too?"

"Yes," said the monster. And he got into the boat. When he got into the boat, he couldn't stand the smell of it.

The seagull said, "If you can't stand the smell, hang your head over the side instead." And so the monster held his head over the water to avoid smelling the stinking boat. While he was doing this, the seagull took a huge knife out from hiding and cut his head off. It fell into the water.

After she had killed the monster, she went back to the bear cubs. "I have already killed the monster who killed your mother," she said. "You can both stay here, and I will make you toys to play with."

The bear cubs played with their boat on the river, and they had a lot of fun. They stayed there forever.

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Regeneration - Purifies the Earth - Ability to find nurturing within the Earth - Camouflage - Ability to wiggle out of difficult situations

http://www.web-holidays.com/grcorn/wormpipe.asp

HOW THE WORM PIPE CAME TO THE BLACKFOOT
As told to anthropologist George Bird Grinnell, 1900

There was once a man who was very fond of his wife. After they had been married for some time they had a little boy. After that the woman fell sick and did not get well. The young man loved his wife so dearly that he did not wish to take a second wife. She grew worse and worse. Doctoring did not seem to do her any good, and at last she died.

The man used to take his baby on his back and travel out from the camp, walking over the hills crying. He kept away from the village. After some time he said to his child, "My little boy, you will have to go and live with your grandmother. I am going to try to find your mother and bring her back."

He took the baby to his mother's lodge and asked her to take care of him, and left it with her. Then he started off to look for his wife, not knowing where he was going nor what he was going to do.

He traveled toward the land of the dead; and after long journeying, by the assistance of helpers who had spiritual power, he reached it. The old woman who helped him to get there told him how hard it was to penetrate to the ghosts' country, and made him understand that the shadows would try to scare him by making fearful noises and showing him strange and terrible things. At last he reached the ghosts' camp, and as he passed through it the ghosts tried to scare him by all kinds of fearful sights and sounds, but he kept up a brave heart.

He reached a lodge, and the man who owned it came out and asked him where he was going. He said, "I am looking for my dead wife. I mourn for her so much that I cannot rest. My little boy, too, keeps crying for his mother. They have offered to give me other wives, but I do not want them. I want only the one for whom I am searching."

The ghost said to him: "It is a fearful thing that you have come here. It is very likely that you will never get away. There never was a person here before." But the ghost asked him to come into the lodge, and he entered.

Then this chief ghost said to him: "You shall stay here for four nights, and you shall see your wife; but you must be very careful or you will never go back. You will die right here."

Then the chief went outside and called for a feast, inviting this man's father-in-law and other relations who were in the camp, saying, "Your son-in-law invites you to a feast," as if to say that their son-in-law was dead, and had become a ghost, and had arrived at the ghosts' camp. Now when these invited people, the relations and some of the principal men of the camp, had reached the lodge, they did not like to go in. They called out, "There is a person here!"

It seemed that there was something about him that they could not bear the smell of. The ghost chief burned sweet pine in the fire, which took away this smell, and the people came in and sat down.

Then the host said to them: "Now pity this son-in-law of yours. He is seeking his wife. Neither the great distance nor the fearful sights that he has seen here have weakened his heart. You can see for yourselves he is tender-hearted. He not only mourns for his wife, but mourns also because his little boy is now alone, with no mother; so pity him and give him back his wife."

After consultation the ghosts determined that they would give him back his wife, who should become alive again. They also gave him a sacred pipe. And at last, after many difficulties, the man and his wife reached their home.

George Bird Grinnell, article in Atlantic Monthly, 1902.

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Use of female warrior energy - Sisterhood -
Understanding female societies - Communal living

http://home.no.net/norweagl/lore/leg044.htm

YELLOW JACKET AND ANT-Native American Lore

Envy will cause good friends to become enemies. Ant was jealous of Yellow Jacket eating salmon, even though he himself had as much food and comforts of living. Ant invaded his neighbor's privacy and destroyed their friendship. Because neither would liste n to his warning, Coyote turned them both into stone as an example for the Human Beings who were coming.

The Yellow Jackets and the Ants all lived together on the hillside about ten miles above Tse-me-na-kem ( Lewiston , Idaho ). on the Clearwater River . The two families were quite friendly, although every once in a while members would get into an argument , which is no more than natural.

There was quite a bit of jealousy between the Chief of the Yellow Jackets and the Chief of the Ants. This was not real hatred, but each saw to it that his rights were not harmed. On the whole, the two bosses got along pretty well, considering their go ssiping wives and their many children.

Chief Yellow Jacket was used to eating his meals on top of a certain rock, and he liked dried salmon the best. One day, he was seated on this rock, calmly eating a big dish of dried salmon which his wife had set before him. Along came Chief Ant, and seeing Chief Yellow Jacket calmly eating his dinner, he became very angry. It is true that there were other rocks around for him to use, and he could have had dried salmon if he wished, but the sight of Chief Yellow Jacket ma de him very angry.

"Hey there, you Yellow Jacket," he shouted at him, "What are you doing on the rock? I have as much right there as you. You can't eat there without asking me."

Chief Yellow Jacket looked up in surprise. "Why, Ant, what are you shouting about? I have always eaten my dinner on this rock."

"That makes no difference," said the Ant. "Why didn't you ask me about it?"

Yellow Jacket had by this time become very angry too. He rattled his wings and snapped his legs and yelled, "None of your business, you little runt."

"Don't call me a runt," shouted Ant. "Nobody can insult me that way."

So saying that, Ant climbed up the side of the rock, and he and Yellow Jacket began to fight all over it. They fought face to face, and with arms locked about each other, they reared up on their hind legs, biting and poking for all they were worth.

Suddenly a great voice boomed out, "Here, you Ant and Yellow Jacket, stop that fighting."

It was Coyote, who happened to be passing down on the other side of the river. He had seen them struggling, but neither of them heard him because they were too busy fighting.

Again Coyote shouted, "You, Ant, and you, Yellow Jacket, I order you to stop fighting. My subjects cannot fight. There is plenty of room and plenty of food for all of us, so why be foolish?"

This time they heard, but neither of them would stop. A third time Coyote warned them,
"This is the last time. I'm going to tell you now. Stop fighting or I shall turn you both into stone. You will no longer be great, for the La-te-tel-wit (Human Beings) are coming."

They paid no heed, so Coyote used his magic medicine, waved his paws, and just as Ant and Yellow Jacket were arched together, Coyote turned them to stone.

To this day they remain for all to see, locked in each others arms on top of the big rock where Yellow Jacket ate his meals, but which became a battle ground because of greed.

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