[Spirit Dancer]

Four White-Feathered Crows

This story is dedicated to Chief Bill Thompson of the Eastern Lenape Nation who has been an inspiration to me and to many, many others over the years. White Feathered Crow

Many, many moons ago, before the two-legged ones were on the Earth, Rainbow Crow, who was a magnificent creature, with beautiful coloring and a magnificent voice, saved the four-leggeds from the Great Snow, but in doing this his beautiful feathers became sooty black, his beak also became black and his voice became hoarse and ugly. But this is another story. Today, Crow is all black and has as his song, the hoarse "CAW".



Today, one Crow was flying over the Earth Mother and looked down into a stream and saw his reflection. All of a sudden he noticed that on one wing he had four white feathers. "What is this," he said. "What does this mean?" He looked at himself in bewilderment. He remembered what the Great Spirit had told him when he became all covered with black soot. Crow flew away and then returned to the stream and look again upon his reflection and the four white feathers were still there. "I will ask the Great Spirit what this means." And, he flew up towards where the Great Spirit is to ask Him about his new four white feathers.

When Crow came into the presence of the Great Spirit, he called to Him and said, "Great Spirit, look at my wing with the four white feathers. What does this mean?" The Great Spirit looked upon Crow and said to him "It is for you to find out for yourself. But I will tell you what to look for to help you find the answer. You, of all of your family of Crow, are very special in that you will again be able to save your People, not only the four-leggeds and the winged ones, but the two-leggeds also."

The Great Spirit then told this special Crow to return to the Earth Mother and listen for Her heartbeat and then he will find the answer he is searching for. He did this because it is more important for an individual to search for his own answer to a question then for someone to tell him the answer directly.
Four White-feathered Crow returned to the Earth Mother in a dilemma. "Where can I find the heart beat of the Mother. How will I know it is Her's?" Crow was flying around in a circle listening hard to hear the Mother's heart beat, when all of a sudden he heard in the far distance an even beat of the Drum. As Crow flew in the direction of this Drum beat, it became louder and louder and Crow was filled with a great peace. He came closer to the earth and he saw the two- legged ones, the People, dancing in a circle and in the center of this circle was the Drum which is the heartbeat of the Mother. He came down closer and Crow saw the beauty of the People who were dancing and he followed them around the Circle, going from East to South to West to North. Crow flew around again in the same direction the People were dancing - from East to South to West to North and the peace which was within him became greater and greater as he followed the Circle. He felt a wholeness, a oneness with all: with the four-leggeds, with the ones who fly, with the crawly ones, with the two-leggeds. He felt renewed hope.

Crow saw the People in the Circle become one with the Earth Mother. Crow saw the continuity of the Circle as meaning the continuity of the People - that the People would always be one with the Earth Mother as long as they danced to Her glory and were caretakers of Her Earth. He felt renewed hope for all things living.

Then, it came to Crow -- the meaning of the four white feathers on his wing. They celebrated the four directions: East, South, North and West. They were a reminder to him and to everyone that the Circle of Life depends upon ALL the People to care for the Earth Mother and to respect Her and to celebrate Her, for without the Earth Mother we have no life and there is no future for our children. And Crow also realized that the Great Spirit had given him this sign so that he could save his People again as he did once before, so very, very long ago.


OINK, OINK, OINK

A very long time ago, so long ago that there was NOTHING, the Creator looked out into space and created the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars and the Earth. On Turtle Island, which is what is now called the North American continent, there were beautiful mountains, valleys, trees, rocks, lakes, rivers, springs. There was great beauty. It was good. And then the Creator added to this beauty by putting baby animals on Turtle Island. All kinds of animals were put there. And they played with one another, talked to one another, had a wonderful time with one another. The one thing they all enjoyed most was going into the various waters and splashing each other while they cooled off from being warmed by the sun. This was good. Everything was in harmony.

Then the animals got older. They started to notice various things about each other. Fox saw that he had a beautiful tail. He looked at buffalo and saw that he had a beautiful tail. Even rabbit, whose tail was short, looked like a little cloud all puffed up. He was beautiful too. Other animals took notice of what they looked like as they saw their reflection in the waters. And when they jumped into the waters, and played and splashed with oneanother, they talked about how they all looked so nice. This was good. Everything was in harmony.

Then the animals got older. The started to really see the difference in each other. They saw mouse with its long tail was little. They saw beaver with its flat tail had a beautiful pelt. They saw Cougar had a magnificent pelt and tail. They told each other how beautiful each looked, and went into the waters to cool off and to play with each other. And they splashed and they splashed and they splashed. This was good. Everything was in harmony.

Then the animals got older. They started to notice more of the differences in each other and to talk about them, and then they noticed pig. They pointed at pig, laughed at pig. Pig didn't have the beautiful tail of the fox, nor the beautiful pelt of the beaver. All pig had as a little corkscrew of a tail. They other animals thought pig was funny. They started to taunt pig and wouldn't let pig play with them because he had such a funny-looking tail. This was NOT good.

Pig went to the other animals and asked them why he couldn't play with them. He asked them what was wrong. The other animals just laughed at pig and pointed to his tail. Then they turned their backs on pig. When pig wanted to go into the waters to cool off, the others wouldn't let him. They told him that he couldn't play with them, and couldn't use the waters they used, because he was a ridiculous-looking animal. When pig started to say something to them, the other animals refused to listen and told pig that from then on whenever he spoke all anyone would hear would be "oink, oink, oink." This was NOT good.




The Creator saw that pig was being treated unfairly and He made a great patch of cool mud where pig could roll and keep himself cool. It felt so wonderful to pig to be cool again. He rolled in the mud, cooled his skin, and protected himself from hot rays of the sun. It was good. When he came out from the mud, the other animals looked at pig, and made fun of him because he looked so muddy. They laughed at pig, called him all kinds of names. This was NOT good. When pig tried to say something to the other animals, all the others heard was OINK, OINK, OINK.

Then, the Mantantu came and brought flies to Turtle Island. The flies buzzed around the Buffalo, the Elk, the Deer, the Fox. The flies buzzed around all the animals and neither their beautiful tails nor their beautiful fur could keep the f lies away from their eyes, and noses, and mouths. The flies were driving all the animals crazy. They jumped into the waters, but the flies followed them. As soon as they came out of the waters the flies buzzed round them again, and again, and again. This was NOT good. It seemed that nothing was in harmony.

The other animals looked all around. Then they saw pig. Pig was not bothered by flies at all. They looked at each other, then ran to Pig and said to Pig "How is it that you aren't bothered by the flies?" Pig, though he was very hurt by what the other animals had done to him, started to tell the fox, the buffalo, the deer, the elk, the beaver, and all the animals, that it was the mud that was keeping the flies away, and that all they had to do was roll in the mud and their problems with the flies would be over; but all the other animals heard Pig say was "Oink, Oink, Oink."

How foolish we can be when we refuse to listen or turn our backs upon others who are different than we!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Doris Riverbird Woman
2002


HOW COYOTE GAVE AWAY THE MEADOW

A long time ago, before the two-leggeds were created; Turtle Island was thought about and therefore became. It was beautiful. Mountains, valleys, lakes, streams: everything one needed to survive in Beauty. Then the Creator put animals on Turtle Island and they grew and were nourished by all the Beauty that was there. The meadows were green and seeds from corn and the berries from the brush were bursting with goodness. The deer was able to graze and to strip the bark from the trees with ease and grow and be fulfilled as he danced his deer dance. The turkey was able to fulfill her needs as well. And the Beauty of the Meadow prevailed over all.

Coyote, who was prowling and cavorting as usual, had heard that the Creator had made other lands. And as he was a curious creature anyway, he decided to go exploring what was on the other sides of the oceans of Turtle Island. He first went to what is now known as Europe and surveyed all that was there. He saw beautiful meadows, and huge trees and very happy animals.

Now, Coyote, was never really happy unless he was disturbing something. I guess it was inherent in him to sometimes see how far he could "push" others. In many ways, Coyote reminds me of many of the People: never satisfied. In Europe, he met horse and had a most interesting conversation with him.

"Horse, you have a beautiful meadow here. Much grass is growing as is hay. But it is nothing like what we have on Turtle Island." Horse just looked at Coyote and continued to munch his grass.

"Horse," said Coyote, "you must come and see what real grass is like. You must come to Turtle Island. You can bring, if you wish, some of your own grass to compare it with what we have on Turtle Island; but I can assure you, our grass is much better, greener, filled with more nutrients than that which you have here."

Horse was interested in what Coyote told him and felt a little trip would do him no harm, so he took some of his seeds, just in case he needed them, and went to Turtle Island and saw the Beauty that was there. The grass was good in the meadows of Turtle Island. But, Horse took some of his own seeds from his homeland and planted them on the beautiful meadow and from the earth came a wondrous grass that horse could not believe. It was very rich and full and horse was happy.

Coyote, in the meantime, traveled to Asia. In Asia he found Chicken pecking away at her most plenteous seeds which were there for her nourishment. Coyote told chicken the same as he told horse and invited her to come to Turtle Island too. And Chicken listened to Coyote and came to Turtle Island with some of her seeds. She, as did horse, found Turtle Island to be very much to her liking and she planted the seeds she had brought with her and there grew a most diverse and pleasant grain.

One day, Deer came upon horse in his pasture. Horse invited deer to dinner and told him to partake of this special grass. This, Deer did and found the grass very good and to his liking. In the same way Turkey was invited to partake of the grains which were planted by Chicken, which she did. And she too also was surprised at how good the grain was.

BUT, all of a sudden, Deer, while he was talking with Horse, started to neigh. And Turkey, while she was talking with Chicken started to cackle. Others who were near heard this and became very worried. What is happening to Deer and to Chicken. We must go to the wise ones and asked them for their help. We cannot let Deer become Horse; nor Turkey become Chicken. It would not be good for Turtle Island.

So some of the old ones approached the old wise Bear and told him what had happened. Bear, in his very deep voice, after much cogitation, said that the old ones were to go and REPLANT the grass and the seeds in the old way. And Bear gave them some of the old seeds which he had been keeping. He told them to go and plant them in the Meadows of Turtle Island. There is plenty of room for both seeds to grow. This way Horse and Chicken can have their grass and seeds; and Deer and Turkey can have theirs. This was done. Deer started to graze in his Meadow and was happy and became Deer again-- didn't neigh. And Turkey stopped clucking like a chicken and started to gobble again as a Turkey should.




It has been said that every blade of grass and every dropped seeds is a ceremony, a dance, a song. A very important part of the Culture of the People of Turtle Island. Let the ceremonies, dancing and signing continue in the spirit of the old ones.

We do not expect Horse and Chicken to become Deer and Turkey. So please, don't expect Deer and Turkey to become Horse and Chicken.

Doris Riverbird Woman
2004