by Franks Busch
When the men finally returned with the moose hide, the family began to break camp.
“Can’t we just stay a few more days?” asked Yellow Hawk Girl.
“Motch, my girl,” answered White Willow Woman. “We need to go home now. If it starts getting cold, it will be too dangerous to travel by canoe.”
“Why don’t we just stay here for the winter?” asked Flying Rabbit Boy.
“Once the lake freezes, anyone could come here,” said Walking Moon Woman. “We would be better protected being with the others in the village.”
Brown Shield Man took much of the meat and supplies in his canoe and took Yellow Hawk Girl with him, to balance the weight. Singing Doe didn’t care for this idea, but Walking Moon Woman asked her to come in her canoe. White Willow Woman offered to take Flying Rabbit Boy so that Little Grey Bear Boy could help Painted Turtle Man paddle his. Before they cast off, Painted Turtle Man offered prayers and tobacco in gratitude to Otowhowin and its bounty.
The four canoes cast off with Painted Turtle Man and Little Grey Bear Boy in the lead.
“Let’s not get too far ahead of the others, my boy,” said Painted Turtle Man, slowing his stroke.
“Moosum,” said Little Grey Bear Boy, “why do I call you ‘moosum’?”
“What?” laughed Painted Turtle Man. “You always ask the strangest questions. Any other boy your age would be asking about how to get their name or which warrior society will take them in. What made you think of such a thing?”
“Well, Walking Moon Woman is my nookum because she is my mother’s mother,” Little Grey Bear Boy explained, “but you are not my mother’s or father’s father.”
“So you no longer wish to call me ‘moosum’?” smiled Painted Turtle Man.
“Motch, Moosum, it’s not that. I just mean, why do I call you my ‘grandfather’?”
“I am your grandmother’s cousin,” the old man explained. “Therefore we are related. Also, I am almost old enough to be your grandfather. Since I am giving you the teachings, it is out of love and respect that you call me ‘moosum’ even though I am not.”
“Tapwe,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “I can understand that.”
Little Grey Bear Boy continued to paddle in long deep strokes.
“I wonder, why you are asking this?”
“On the way to Otowhowin, I was talking to Nookum about Rising Hawk Man.”
“Oh?” said the old man. “What did she tell you? That is, if it is not a private matter…”
“She told me that he had been killed defending the village from Dark Cloud Man and his followers.”
“I remember that day.” Painted Turtle Man took a long stroke with his paddle and then rested it across his lap.
“You were there?”
“Well of course. That was the day I earned my name.”
“You never told me how you got your name.”
“You never asked me about it,” chuckled Painted Turtle Man.
“Would you tell me the story now?”
“I guess this is as good a time as any,” he considered, plunging his paddle back into the water. “Where do I begin? I was not much older than you are now when Dark Cloud Man came back to the village seeking revenge. When the Red-Eye and his followers attacked I took my sister and hid inside a lodge. Some of his warriors who had their eyelids painted red found us and wanted to take my sister away. I could not allow them to do so, but I was too small to fight them. I threw myself over top of my sister so they could not drag her away.”
“That was brave!” said Little Grey Bear Boy.
“The Red-Eye warriors started beating me with their war hammers and with the shafts of their spears. They kept hitting me over and over and over until my back was black, blue, purple, and red with blood. The beating hurt horribly but I would not let them take my sister away. Some of the warriors of Nisichawayasihk heard the commotion and came into the lodge. They fought and eventually killed the Red-Eye warriors who had beaten me and tried to kidnap my sister. When it was over, I was still covering my sister with my body and they said I had looked like a painted turtle.
“That must have hurt.”
“After the battle was over, I was inducted into the Black Bear Warrior Society and named ‘Painted Turtle Man.’ Unfortunately, my back has troubled me since that day, especially when it is cold or raining.”
“Wow,” exclaimed Little Grey Bear Boy. “That story is even better than my father’s!”
“Well I don’t think it is better,” laughed Painted Turtle Man. “It’s just different. Your story will be different and just as good I’m sure.”
“But you were so brave to protect your sister.”
“I didn’t feel brave at the time,” Painted Turtle Man explained. “I just did the first thing that came to my mind. You would do the same for Yellow Hawk Girl.”
“I would?”
“Yes, my boy,” said the old man. “It is in your blood.”
Painted Turtle Man looked up into the sky thinking of Grey Bear, the last Grey-Eye of the Bear clan. He was a kind uncle who did not deserve to have the Red-Eye for a son. It dawned on the old man that he was much older now than his uncle had been when he died. It still seemed as though Grey Bear would have been so much wiser, even though he was a younger man. They would have to rely on what wisdom could be inherited through blood now that there were no Grey-Eyes left to teach Little Grey Bear Boy,
31
nistomitanaw piyakosāp
Three winters passed with no sign of the Red-Eye or his followers. Blue Elk Man and Brown Shield Man were still reluctant to leave the village for more than two days at a time. With no big game coming in, the Bear clan had descended back into poverty.
Luckily, Painted Turtle Man had become a good provider. More and more, the warriors of Nisichawayasihk relied on his visions, charms, and prayers for success on the hunt. It seemed that Painted Turtle Man’s dreaming eyes always led a warrior to good hunting. Unfortunately for the Bear clan, this ability could not be used to the full benefit of the family as the best hunting was many days’ away.
The Eagle twins continued to expand their influence in Nisichawayasihk. When Sharp Stone Man, the son of the elder Eagle twin, came of age, one of the Turtle daughters presented herself at the Eagle lodge. The people of Nisichawayasihk saw this as a good match, since the Eagles had many sons and the Turtles had many daughters (and too few hunters). But the Eagle twins did not think this was the right match for their son and turned her away. They would not allow an Eagle son to marry a Turtle—or a Bear, for that matter. This upset the harmony of the village. No one was more disappointed than Sharp Stone Man, who had admired the Turtle daughter for many years.
The Eagle twins somehow exerted some influence over every aspect of village life. Some Eagle clan warriors even assisted the Wolf clan in standing watch over Nisichawayasihk. Whenever the Wolf clan matriarch tried to protest—arguing that protecting the village was not the responsibility of the Eagles—the twins would gently remind her of the incident with the Red-Eye intruder. “Think of the children,” they would plead, and the Wolf clan matriarch would of course capitulate.
To make matters more difficult, not long after the snow had melted, Talking Stone Woman, matriarch of the Crane clan and leader of the Circle of Clan Mothers, passed on into the Spirit World. As expected, the Crane clan appointed Drifting Butterfly Woman to lead them.
The time the Eagle twins had been waiting for had come: there would have to be an election to select a new leader of the Circle of Clan Mothers. Out of a mixture of fear of the twins’ sweeping influence and, in some cases, gratitude for recent gifts, the clan matriarchs appointed the Eagle twins to lead the people of Nisichawayasihk.
Walking Moon Woman opposed the appointment, but with most of the other clan mothers supporting the Eagle twins, she felt to oppose them would disrupt the harm
ony the village was slowly gaining back.
“It should have been you, my mother!” Singing Doe could not keep the disgust from her voice.
“Tapwe,” agreed White Willow Woman. “Who knows what troubles they will lead us to.”
“Motch! Put those thoughts out of your hearts,” Walking Moon Woman commanded. “The Circle of Clan Mothers has spoken and we must support our new clan mothers. Kitchi Manitou alone will decide the fate of the Nehiyawak.”
Walking Moon Woman’s wisdom could not be argued with. The structure of the clan system and the need for consensus would always overcome the ambitions of the few people like the Eagle twins. The new Crane clan mother, Drifting Butterfly Woman, busied herself with keeping all the people informed of any news, while taking it upon herself to discourage gossip. She was quick to call people out for starting rumours. Although this was effective, those on the receiving end of her chastisements would sometimes hold a grudge. Their complaints never got far, as the gossip always seemed to originate with the same few individuals.
The Eagle twins had finally achieved what they wanted, but somehow it wasn’t enough. They eyed Drifting Butterfly Woman with suspicion, jealous of how the people respected her.
Little Grey Bear Boy continued his education under Painted Turtle Man’s wisdom and guidance. He had grown strong in his knowledge of the medicine wheel teachings and the secrets of the plant world. The Grey-Eye magic and its uses, however, continued to elude him. He sometimes despaired that he would never truly be able to control the magic.
“How many times will I have to remind you?” Painted Turtle Man would say. “The Grey-Eye magic will be with you when you most need it.”
They were sitting in the Bear medicine lodge with mortar and pestles grinding herbs. The Trader’s caravan would return at the end of the next season and medicines always traded well. With Blue Elk Man and Brown Shield Man unlikely to go south to hunt buffalo, trading for buffalo robes where possible was a good option for the Bear Clan. The preparations were giving Little Grey Bear Boy the opportunity to learn how to mix a variety of medicines, knowledge it would have otherwise taken him years to acquire.
“Don’t you remember how you saved your cousin’s life by turning him into a turtle?”
“I didn’t do anything,” insisted Little Grey Bear Boy, pounding dried bitter root.
“Well then how do you explain what happened? You were the only Grey-Eye in the village. Who else could have turned Flying Rabbit Boy into a turtle?”
“Well I do not know how I did it. It just sort of happened…”
“Perhaps that is the way it works,” said Painted Turtle Man.
“But what about Soaring Star Woman?” He stopped pounding the roots. “Remember how she was able to float above Mother Earth? Not only that, she could make others around her float above the ground too. She could heal people with blue light and make things move by themselves without touching them.”
“I remember she used to float everywhere she went,” the old man said, pausing to examine the contents of his mortar. “Do you remember when we went to see her in the Eagle lodge the day she passed on? Do you remember seeing her knees?”
Little Grey Bear Boy blushed. “Her knees? What are you saying?” It was taboo to speak of a woman’s body parts much less look at them.
“Do not be alarmed,” Painted Turtle Man reassured his protégé. “I noticed that her knees were large and swollen. Sometimes, when a person gets older, their joints get bigger and cause them pain. See how it is happening to my hands?” Painted Turtle Man showed Little Grey Bear Boy the enlarged joints of his fingers.
“I believe Soaring Star Woman suffered from this infliction,” Painted Turtle Man explained. “It must have been very painful for her to walk or even stand for that matter.”
“She never spoke of this affliction,” said Little Grey Bear Boy.
“Of course not, my boy,” said Painted Turtle Man. “One should never burden others with their private troubles. You see, every person walking Mother Earth has their own challenges to overcome. To whine and complain about ours is to burden those who already carry their own concerns. It does our neighbours a great disservice, as it distracts them from their own journey and its challenges.”
“I never thought of it like that.”
“Tapwe. We must always try to help those around us, not cause them more suffering. That is the way of the medicine wheel.”
“Tapwe,” said Little Grey Bear Boy “But then, who will help us when we have troubles?”
“We must always try to help ourselves first,” said Painted Turtle Man. “We can only hope and pray that those around us would help us if we were in need. And so we must always treat others the way we would wish to be treated in the same situation.”
“That is a very powerful teaching,” observed Little Grey Bear Boy.
“Tapwe, it is the most powerful teaching we have been given by Kitchi Manitou.”
“What is the teaching called?”
“It does not have a name. I would simply refer to it as ‘The Way’ if I had to.”
“The Way?” Little Grey Bear Boy paused for a moment, then said: “Let us give thanks to Kitchi Manitou for teaching us The Way.”
“A very good idea.” Painted Turtle Man smiled proudly, putting down his mortar and pestle and dusting the powder off his hands. “Prepare my pipe and we will smoke and pray and give thanks.”
Little Grey Bear Boy unpacked the medicine bundle and prepared the pipe as he had many times before. As they gave their thanks to the Great Spirit, they heard an eagle screech overhead, an acknowledgement that their prayers had been heard. When they had completed their ceremony, Little Grey Bear Boy dutifully cleaned the pipe and repacked the medicine bundle.
They rolled up the medicines they were making in soft deer hide and went to the Bear lodge to help prepare the evening meal. They entered the lodge to find everyone standing and smiling. Many Fish, husband of Drifting Butterfly Woman, stood between Blue Elk Man and Walking Moon Woman, holding something in his hands.
“Tansi, Uncle,” said Little Grey Bear Boy politely.
No one spoke. Everyone kept looking at him and smiling.
“What is going on?” he asked.
Many Fish stepped towards the Grey-Eyed boy. “Little Grey Bear Boy of the Bear clan,” he said formally, “will you accept this whistle?”
Many Fish held out an eagle bone whistle with a leather strap tied around the middle. Little Grey Bear Boy bit his lip. The gift of an eagle bone whistle meant only one thing to the Nehiyawak: Many Fish was offering to sponsor him into the sundance, the holiest of ceremonies. Little Grey Bear Boy did nothing until Painted Turtle Man gave him a nudge.
“Tapwe, I accept, Uncle!” he said, louder than he meant to.
Many Fish handed him the whistle.
“There will be much to prepare,” said his sponsor.
“I will do whatever you ask of me,” promised the boy.
“Good, then I will see you in the morning, ekosi.”
Many Fish shook hands with Blue Elk Man, Brown Shield Man, and Painted Turtle Man. He gave Walking Moon Woman a hug and a kiss on the cheek and nodded at the other women. He wished them well as he left the Bear lodge.
Everyone congratulated Little Grey Bear Boy. Everyone except his mother. White Willow Woman was busying herself about the evening meal, trying to conceal her tears.
“It will be okay, my girl,” said Walking Moon Woman, giving her daughter a hug.
“Tapwe,” said White Willow Woman. “I just didn’t think it would be so hard.”
“It is always hard for a mother to see her child take the first steps on man’s road. I had three sons. I know. But it is his time.”
32
nistomitanaw nīsosāp
Summer. It was a special time for the people of Nisichawayasihk, as it was the
ir turn to host the sacred sundance ceremony. There was much work to be done as pilgrims from the surrounding villages would be coming to participate. The people of Nisichawayasihk would feed them and care for them for seven days. Little Grey Bear Boy had twice the responsibility of any boy his age. Not only did he have to make his own preparations for the sundance ceremony under the guidance of Many Fish, but he also had to assist Painted Turtle Man prepare the medicines. The old man would serve as the host sundance chief, though he would be assisted by sundance chiefs from other villages.
White Willow Woman was accorded the honour of choosing the centre pole for the sundance. The pole, also known as the Tree of Life, would serve as the focal point of the ceremonies and all prayers and intentions would be made to the tree. She paid no heed to the rumour that she had only been chosen for the honour because of her Grey-Eyed son, a rumour perpetuated, she had no doubt, by the meddling Eagle twins. Whatever the reason she was selected, she was honoured, and set about selecting a white poplar tree in a manner befitting a mother of the Nehiyawak.
She walked the forest for four days, one day in each of the four cardinal directions. On the fifth day, she made a selection after careful thought, prayer, and consideration. The warriors set about the task of relocating the great white poplar to the sundance grounds. Every effort was made to save the tree from too much damage, but they had to cut many roots.
“I hope you picked the right tree,” said Singing Doe to her sister when the work was done. “We don’t need to give the Eagle twins any reason to find fault with us right now.”
“It is Kitchi Manitou who selects the tree,” said Painted Turtle Man. “Long before any of us were born. White Willow Woman’s job was only to determine which tree Creator intended for us to use.”
