When the tree flowered : $b An authentic tale of the old Sioux worldNeihardt, John G.
History
When the tree flowered : $b An authentic tale of the old Sioux world
Neihardt, John G.
Historical fiction; Oglala Indians -- Fiction
“Then Falling Star said to the head men, ‘You must do what I say. Set
up a tepee in the center of the hoop and make it tight without even a
smoke flap; for nobody is going to live in this tepee. Make a little
fire in there before you shut it tight. There are bison not far away.
I will go there and change myself into a bison. When you come to hunt,
there will be only one bison left, for the white crow will tell the
others to run away. This one bison will be I, but do not fear to kill
and butcher me, for you cannot hurt me. Do not take any meat for
yourselves--only enough for the little children who are crying. Then
you will see.’
“So Falling Star asked for a bison robe, and this he tied about him.
Then he began rolling on the ground and bellowing. All at once he was
a big bison bull, and he galloped away to where the other bison were
feeding, and the white crow was hopping around among them.
“Soon the hunters were coming, and the white crow began flying around
over the bison and screaming, ‘Run! Run! The hunters are coming!’ All
of them ran away from there except one big bull, and he just went on
feeding. So the white crow flew down onto the bull’s back and began
pecking and screaming, ‘Did you not hear me, bad one? I told you to run
away! The hunters are coming!’ But this big bull just made thunder in
his belly and went on feeding.
“The hunters were close now, and the white crow had to fly away. But he
was watching while the hunters killed and butchered the big bull. When
they had butchered they took some tender meat and good warm liver for
the little children who were crying, and went back to the village.
“Then the white crow came flying around and around the bull that was
butchered, and he was thinking, ‘I must be careful. Maybe this is a
trick.’ But the fresh meat smelled so good that he could not stay away
from it. So he hopped around the butchered bison, with his head on this
side, then on that side, then on this side, then on that side. [Three
heads wagged, illustrating the point.] All the while he was hopping a
little closer. When he could not wait any longer he pecked at one of
the eyes. But the way the other eye looked at him, he was frightened,
and he said, ‘This looks like Falling Star’s eye.’ So he flew away and
sat on top of a plum thicket to watch.
“While he was watching, the black crows and the magpies and two hawks
smelled the fresh meat and came swooping down on it to feast. This made
the white crow hungrier than before, and very angry too. So he came
flapping and screaming, ‘Get away from my meat! This is my meat, and
I will eat it myself!’ But nobody listened. So he hopped right inside
the butchered bison and began poking around for some good warm liver.
_Peck-peck. Peck-peck-peck. Peck-peck-peck-peck._ The meat was good and
he was greedy, so he forgot to be afraid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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