It's Frizzy Lizzy time

Hi dear friends and followers, Today is Saturday, Frizzy Lizzy at your service. Take five, relax and enjoy. {:o)

Come on in and sit down, Susan, and leave your boots on the mat by the door, OK? Yes, I have one there. I did not think that I would need on so early in the year. It's still only autumn but we have the snow, don't we? What's that? Do I have any coffee ready? Is a bluebird blue? Sure, I do. Pour yourself a cup and get a chair and have a fresh peanut butter cookie!

What do you think of all of that snow in Buffalo? Can you imagine, 7 feet of snow in some places? I haven's seen a snow job like that since Nixon was running for president!

And now it's cold after all of that snow. The low temperature is bad enough but the wind chill factor makes it that much worse, don't you think? It has been so cold for the last couple of days! How cold has it been? It's been colder than a Republican's heart, that's how cold it's been! It's so cold that when I shiver, I shake like a jelly donut at a Weight Watchers meeting!

Charley saw my Roomba - oh, come on, Susan, you know what a Roomba is, don't you? It's one of those automatic things that you just start it up and it automatically vacuum cleans the floor in the room while you do something that's more fun. Yes, it's low, flat, and round and looks like a flying saucer.

Anyway, Charlie saw mine and he got into looking at the catalogs on-line and guess what he found? He found a snow thrower that will automatically go along a pre-programmed course and clean a path in the snow. Oh, I don't know how the damn thing works, but it's supposed to go wherever you send it and come back to you.

Well, Charlie set his up with all the fancy computer controls and set it to work on his sidewalks and driveways while he sat inside and watched the football game. He was so sure that it was going to work right that he had a bag of chips and a beer open, and his shoes off. He knew that it was going to stop right in front of the house.

Well, he gets into the game and he doesn't see that 5 minutes go by, then 15 minutes, and finally a half-hour and no snow thrower. Charley looks out the door and he sees a path: just one single lane where the whole walk and drive should have been done.

So he gets dressed and goes out to find his snow thrower. He goes 1 block. He goes 2 blocks, then 3 block. The snow thrower is working like a champ, but where in creation is it? It sure isn't on Charley's front sidewalk.

Finally, in the third block he finds it, working its little pistons out, cleaning the parking lot at the Chinese carry-out restaurant! To add all sorts of insult to injury the damn thing is almost done with the lot when Charley stops it to check it and sees that it's almost out of gas, too, and he has no gas can with him!

So there he is, fresh out of his den from a football game, almost four blocks away from his home, in the parking lot of the New China Gourmet Carry-out, the lot cleaned courtesy of his automatic snow thrower, and no way in hell of getting it home without bringing his noisy diesel truck and a ramp and some gas to make it go up the ramp, you get the picture?

So what does Charley do? He pulls the snow thrower up next to the door and goes inside and tells the owner what just happened. The owner must be a pretty good guy because he gave Charley a bowl of egg drop soup for his efforts!

American Thanksgiving Day is coming this week, on Thursday. I wish all of you a very Happy and Heartfelt Thanksgiving Day! Enjoy your dinner and celebrate with your family and let the shopping go until Friday.

So what has Charley done with the snow thrower? Well, Susan, he might be seeing a lawyer about the fool machine. It went off course and got into his flower bed, where it got below the snow and pulled out his spring tulip bulbs and some stones and began to throw them along with the snow. Seems that it threw one of those stones a little too far and it broke the windshield on his neighbor's car. No, not that neighbor, the one who thinks all of Charley's power tools make too much noise as it is!

You're right, all men have their strange ways. Sure, they all seem normal until you marry one of them! Up to now I was sure that they were useful for two things: mowing the lawn in the summer and clearing the snow off the walk in the winter.

As for bed - just invest in a lot of safety pins so he can't pull the covers off. Yes, and with this being football season he's already talking about having a Super Bowl party. Well my idea of a super bowl is a self-cleaning toilet!

You want another coffee while I'm up, Susan?

Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read this. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.
Composed by Cynthia ©

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

Shawnee Mythology.

Hi dear friends and followers, welcome again to another Native American legend and myths, Shawnee Mythology.

We have traveled the east coast, from the Canadian Maritime to the Gulf of Mexico, and examined a few of the legends told by the Canadian First Nations and Native American Peoples who lived in those locales. Today we backtrack a bit to go into West Virginia as we move into the Central States.

West Virginia is mountainous territory that still has fast-flowing rivers and what feels like untamed wilderness through which one can travel on foot or by white-water raft. In this place the Shawnee were a strong presence. The region was shared with the Saponi and the Cherokee.

I was surprised that I could not find more of the Shawnee traditions to present here than I have because the Shawnee are far from being an unknown tribe. They were well-known to the British, the newly-created American nation, and the French. Under the leadership of the chief, Tecumseh, they participated in the War of 1812 on the side of the British.

What follows here is a commentary on the Shawnee creation myth and other myths that effect their daily lives. I hope that you find them interesting.

Shawnee Mythology

The Shawnee creation myth is similar to other Algonquin creation myths in maintaining that the people who are now the Shawnees originated from a different world - an island balanced on the back of a giant turtle-and traveled to this one.

According to Shawnee myth, when the first people were on the island, they could see nothing but water, which they did not know how to cross. They prayed for aid and were miraculously transported across the water. The Shawnees are the only Algonquin tribe whose creation story includes the passage of their ancestors over the sea, and for many years they held an annual sacrifice in thanks for the safe arrival of their ancestors to this country.

The Shawnees were also unique among the Algonquin peoples in believing their creator was a woman, who they called "Kokumthena", which means "Our Grandmother." Kokumthena is usually depicted as an anthropomorphic female with gray hair whose size ranges from gigantic to very small. According to Shawnee myth, the idea of creation came from the Supreme Being, who is called Moneto, but the actual work of creation was performed by Kokumthena the Great Spirit, and she is the most important figure in Shawnee religion.

 

The Supreme Being of all things is Moneto, who rules Yalakuquakumigigi, the universe, and dispenses His blessings and favors to those who earn His good will, just as He brings unspeakable sorrow to those whose conduct merits His displeasure. Moneto is not to be mistaken for the Great Spirit, the ruler of deities, who is subordinate to Him. The Great Spirit lives in a home in the sky and, in addition to Shawnee and other Native American languages, she speaks her own non-Shawnee language that can only be understood by children under age four, who forget it as soon as they begin to learn Shawnee.

In addition to creating the world, Kokumthena will end it. Prophets who travel to the afterworld find her weaving a blanket called a skeemotah, but she has a wolf who unravels what she has done. Someday, however, she will complete her blanket, scoop up the virtuous to come live with her, and punish and destroy the wicked.

This belief in a female creator/destroyer probably surfaced in or after 1824, although it may have existed earlier, and there are mixed opinions among historians about the reasons behind the emergence of this belief. Some believe that Kokumthena was inspired by a female deity of the Iroquois named Ataentsic, while another theory holds that the story of the Virgin Mary influenced the Shawnee myth.

In any case, the existing versions of the Kokumthena myth also contain warnings of a great white spirit who will try to change the creator's designs and shorten the years of the Shawnees and warnings of a great serpent who will come from the seas and destroy the Shawnees. According to Shawnee oral tradition, when the Shawnee first saw European ships, they recognized the forked ends of the Europeans' pennants as symbols of the tongue of the serpent.

The Great Horned Serpent, which is always portrayed in cartoon style drawings, is a creature which is shared with other eastern tribes. The serpent lived in a lake. One day he wrapped himself around a large buck deer and took its head which he wore as a mask to fool his prey. This event was witnessed by two ravens.

Another variation of this legend is that the creator was busy at work making the Earth when he let a thought about himself escape. In doing this he gave the serpent an opportunity to harness this power and instill it into himself, making him very powerful. When the creator realized this had happened he reached out toward the serpent and tried to recover this missing power. In doing so he only managed to capture the head of the serpent and separate it from his body.

The headless body managed to slither away and return to the lake. Once there the serpent took the head of the deer to replace what he had lost. Shawnee elders say the serpent was killed and some of his flesh was carved off. It is said that some of the flesh, which has remained fresh, and is in the bundle of each of the Five Divisions. (The Shawnee have 5 divisions, which may be regarded as phratries, or perhaps as originally distinct tribes, and the members of these divisions occupied different sides of the council house in their public assemblies. Their names are: Chilahcahtha (Chillicothe), Kispokotha (Kispogogi),
Spitotha (Mequachake), Bicowetha (Piqua), and Assiwikale (Hathawekela)).

Shawnee are warned to stay away from hollow logs and holes in the ground because the spirit of the serpent may lurk there.

Shawnee tradition has three figures that control weather. Each of these was created by the Grandmother Spirit and was instructed not to cause harm to the Shawnee. One of these is Cyclone Person, a female face with braids of hair that cause tornadoes. She is given great respect by the Shawnee for not harming them. The Shawnee are not afraid of these storms.

The second weather spirit which is actually four separate spirits is called the Four Winds. The Four Winds are often called upon to witness prayers, and they have colors associated with them. The winds were told by Grandmother Spirit to respect all women and not to stare at them. Shawnee women will pull their skirts up to their waist to embarrass the winds, thus causing clouds to retreat.

The third spirit and most well-known are the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds cause storms when they fight with the Great Horned Serpent and other evil creatures. Lightning is caused by their blinking eyes. The Shawnee believe that the Thunderbirds guard the entrance to heaven and are honored by Kispoko during the war dance as the patrons of war. 

Tales of the origin of the various divisions also exist. The Piqua, whose name means "a man coming out of the ashes," tell of an ancient fire that after burning out yielded a great puffing and blowing from which a man rose from the ashes. Mequachake signifies the perfect man of the Great Spirit's creation, and this is one reason for believing that the division was responsible for the priesthood.

The most important object in Shawnee religion was the sacred bundle, called 'mishaami.' Each division had its own bundle, which was believed to contain the welfare of not only the tribe but the entire universe. People sometimes had their own personal sacred bundles that protected them and enabled them to cast spells. The rituals, contents and history of the mishaami are considered sacred mysteries and are kept in secrecy even to this day. According to Shawnee legend, all the mishaami were given to the Shawnees by Kokumthena, who can still control them and will inform a chosen prophet if she desires a change in either the contents of a bundle or a ritual surrounding a bundle.

A custodian - always a man - and one of very high moral character - was assigned to the mishaami by the chief. 

The mishaami were consulted by the custodian whenever the tribe was considering a major move, and they were opened and their contents moved around before events such as battles in order to protect their outcome.

"The sun is my father, the Earth my mother, who nourishes me, and on her bosom I will recline"
- Tecumseh, August 1810
Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read this Native American legend. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

The Tale of Evening Star and Orphan Star

Hi dear friends and followers. Today I present to you the Caddo People.

The Caddo People held influence over a large portion of what is now the state of Louisiana as well as parts of east Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and possibly into southwestern Missouri. Their appearance in the area goes back into the time before the Common Era.

They were successful as farmers and did well growing corn. Hunting and fishing were also sources of food.

Their religion was far too complex to cover here but they did believe in a Supreme Being whom they addressed as "Lord Above" or "Lord of the Sky."

The first contact with the white man was in a clash with De Soto's exploratory teams and a band of Caddo in 1541 in Arkansas. As time passed they were able to negotiate comparatively favorable treaties for themselves.

Today's legend features an orphan, a heroic character in many stories, some magic, and a great reward for the orphan. You can compare it with the Iroquois legend, How the Fairies Worked Magic, and see the similarities.
The Tale of Evening Star and Orphan Star

A poor orphan boy lived with a large family of people who were not kind to him and mistreated him. He could not go to play or hunt with the other boys, but had to do all of the hard work. Whenever the camp broke up the family always tried to steal away and leave the boy behind, but sooner or later he found their new camp and went to them because he had no other place to go. One time several families went in boats to an island in a large lake to hunt eggs, and the orphan boy went with them. After they had filled their boats with eggs they secretly made ready to go back to the mainland. In the night, while the orphan boy was asleep, they stole away in their boats, leaving him to starve on the lonely island.

The boy wandered about the island, eating only the scraps that he could find around the dead camp fires, until he was almost starved. As he did not have a bow and arrows, he could not hunt, but he sat by the water’s edge and tried to catch fish as they swam past him. One day as he sat on the lonely shore he saw a large animal with horns coming to him through the water. He sat very still and watched the animal, for he was too frightened to run away. 

The monster came straight to him, then raised his head out of the water and said: “Boy, I have come to save you. I saw the people desert you and I have taken pity upon you and come to rescue you. Get upon my back and hold to my horns and I will carry you to the mainland.”

The boy was no longer afraid, but climbed upon the animal’s back. “Keep your eyes on the blue sky, and if you see a star tell me at once,” the animal said to him. They had not gone far when the boy cried, “There in the west is a big star.” The monster looked up and saw the star, then turned around at once and swam back to the island as fast as he could.

The next day he came and took the boy again, telling him, as before, to call out the moment that he saw a star appear in the sky. They had gone a little farther than they had the day before when the boy cried out, “There in the west is a star.” The animal turned around and went to the shore. The next day and the next four days he started with the boy, and each time he succeeded in getting a little farther before the boy saw the star.

The sixth time they were within a few feet of the opposite shore when the boy saw the star. He wanted to reach the shore so badly that he thought he would keep still and not tell the monster that he saw the star, for he knew that he would take him back to the island at once if he did. He said nothing, and so the monster swam on until they were almost in shallow water, when the boy saw a great black cloud roll in front of the star. He became frightened and jumped off of the animal’s back and swam to the shore.

Just as he jumped something struck the animal with an awful crash and he rolled over dead. When the boy came upon the shore a handsome young man came up to him and said: “You have done me a great favor. 

For a long time I have tried to kill this monster, because he makes the water of the lake dangerous, but until now I could never get the chance. 

In return for what you have done, I will take you with me to the sky, if you care to go.” The boy said that he wanted to go, as he was alone and friendless upon the earth. The man, who was Evening-Star, took him with him to the sky, and there he may be seen as Orphan-Star who stands near Evening-Star.

Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read this Native American legend. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

Hi dear friends and followers, thank you for dropping by, Today is Wednesday, poem day. I wish to present to you another Poem titled, Pandora's Enchantment. So take five and relax and have a read. Enjoy

Pandora's Enchantment 

Upon the side of the highway she sat,

fragile and scared to those who would see.

On the side of that worn and dirty road she sat,

waiting for the one she knew would be coming.

A dark form appeared, astride a swift horse.

His poncho-like hat gathered the dew 

of the early morning's mist

running down the rim in tiny rivulets 

that dropped,

then traced their way down his back;

he shivered slightly at their coldness.

Ahead he saw a dark form beside the road and

instantly his sword was freed from its sheath. 

He stopped his horse and came to the ground.

Sword still in hand, with caution approached.

A woman he found; he could hear her sobs.

Upon one knee he knelt, with sword aside,

with his right hand gently on her knee, he spoke:

"My lady, how may I assist you?"

Her crystal tears sparkled 

in the early morning's light,

as they traced their way 

down her alabaster cheeks.

So sad she looked; Prince Aledine's heart melted.

He took her hand and drew it to him,

then gently pressed his lips upon it.

In tones so soft, scarce could she hear, he said,

"I am Aledine. son of Deluca's king.

I was on my way when I saw you here.

How may I assist you, my lady?" 

he inquired again, a bit dismayed.

A feeling made it's way through him,

spectral, like a ghost or wraith of something unseen.

Once more in that morning Prince Aledine shivered;

and as quickly as the feeling had come, it vanished.

The woman, wearing a black cape and hood, stood up;

she took his hand as she pulled back the hood.

Her tears appeared to possess an energy of their own;

her beauty filled him with enchantment.

She both mesmerized and befogged him

with her beauty. 

Their lips pressed together

He was floating in a sea of honey!

He found himself seduced by her emerald eyes.

He knew that he had entered an unknown land,

and for his coming close 

she now owned his soul.

For allowing her to seduce him

the curse had been fulfilled.

Never could he return to his kingdom 

and be prince of the beloved people.

He would be forever roaming the moors,

wandering like a lost soul without home,

lonely.

He knew that he must never make contact with his people

or his curse would befall them, too.

His soul was now hers for as long as it pleased her.

She was a white gem against the deepest night,

her eyes like emeralds with an inner light of their own.

He wished only to partake of the sweetness of her fragrance. 

Red hair framed her face and cascaded down her back;

her heart-shaped lips gleamed in the first light of dawn.

She took him away on that fateful morning.

They stopped but once along the way,

Speaking with but one before leaving for eternity.

To the wizard of Deluca, one of the greatest in the land,

the prince gave his last report;

 whilst she lingered in the court.

They left quietly, 

riding two horses.

No one paid any mind to the lady and the prince 

that night, failing to see anything out of place

leaving through the main gate to the kingdom of Deluca,

they rode off into the dark.

Never to be seen again;

only one man knew, twas the wizard of Deluca.

She buried her beauty back under her cloak,

as they rode off into the dark forest of Lure.

That night they lay under the trees,

she removed her cloak and tunic to reveal herself.

His passion flared, as her predatory instincts arose.

Soon her body turned into a horrid beast.

His passion died as he blanched at the apparition

that stood before him. 

He felt the life in him wither 

like a bloom in late fall,

his very soul shriveled and retreated.

He knew now who she was - 

Pandora, the enchantress, queen of the dark abyss.

The clawed finger of the beast stood close enough

for him to smell the pungent decay typical of the moors.

Now adorned in mosses and lichen, she stood,

legs slightly apart, a haze-like a mist,

arose around her, pointed towards another path.

He would not go further lest his soul be damned.

Condemned to forever wander 

the moors at night,

with the beast queen, Pandora's, curse. 

Not always had she been the queen of the moors.

For once long ago she had been a princess. 

And she was to be wed 

to the most handsome prince of the land.

But she had been removed from her kingdom,

and condemned to exile, never to return.

This was her long sought revenge,

to retake the realm which was once hers.

He took a blade and pressed it against her skin, 

The beast waved it's finger, then bent down 

and swooped the knife from his shaking hand.

When he awoke she was nowhere to be seen.

Confident was she he would remain 

unconscious for a while.

she went roaming the moors 

to search of more unwary souls.

He was up on his feet, although a little unsteady. 

He knew where he had to go, but it was not easy.

For the trail was uneven and not clearly marked. 

But he continued to stagger and run when he could, 

quickly, now, quickly, 

through the thick brush!

He was surprised to find she had left his sword 

leaning against a tree.

He thrashed his way through the brush with his sword.

Finally he could go no more

and fell to the ground.

A soft green light drifted through the woods,

lighting the grove where he lay.

A delicate hand brushed his cheek.

Prince Aledine awoke 

and opened his eyes suddenly,

then shot up to his feet, sword in hand;

standing, or rather, hovering in the air,

were three small beings 

radiating the calm green light

Composed by Cynthia. 

To be continued

Thank you again for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read my poem. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful Sunday.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

The Legend of the Big White Dog and the Sacred Pole

The Legend of the Big White Dog and the Sacred Pole

Hi dear friends and followers.
Our last legend was taken from the Choctaw People, a dominant tribe in the state of Alabama. If you go back to that legend and the map included with it, you will see that they shared that land with the Chickasaw People. This legend explains how that came to be and was borrowed directly from the official website of the Chickasaw Nation. I have not changed a word of it.

The Legend of the Big White Dog and the Sacred Pole

About the Author: Reverend Humes was born November 25, 1887 at Tishomingo, Indian Territory, the old capital of the Chickasaw Nation. In July of 1935, at the age of forty-seven, he became a Methodist minister and served faithfully not only his own people, but also the Choctaws until his retirement in affairs and welfare of his fellow Indians. This highly respected senior citizen was one of the eight members of Chickasaw Governor Overton James Advisory Council. Reverend Humes and his wife made their home at Wapanucka, Oklahoma, some twenty miles northeast of Tishomingo.

When statehood came to Oklahoma in 1907, my people, the Chickasaws, were living in an area between Red River and the Canadian River in what was then the southwestern part of Indian Territory. That area today is the south-central part of Oklahoma.

The land in Indian Territory had not always been home to them, however. Only since the 1830s, when the heartbreaking Treaties of the Removal forced them west of the Mississippi River, had the Chickasaw people resided in this location.

Before that time, the Chickasaw's vast domain had extended northward from the northern portions of the present states of Mississippi and Alabama to the Ohio River and eastward from the Mississippi River to the headwaters of Elk River in what is now the state of Tennessee.

That was the old homeland of the Chickasaw Indians. That was where my people were living when the first Europeans--De Soto and his party--passed through their country in the winter of 1540 and '41 on their way to discovering the Mississippi River. That was the land on which my ancestors had lived and died for untold centuries.

Yet the story of this Muskhogean tribe of Indians, according to an old Chickasaw legend, stretches back into time even farther. The legend reveals that long before my people were ever known as the Chickasaw, they dwelt in a land far to the west of the Mississippi.

This Chickasaw legend of The Beginning goes like this: IN A TIME long since past, there lived somewhere in the West a tribe of Indians constantly warred upon by a powerful enemy. Because of the never ending attacks, the people of this tribe enjoyed little of the peace and comfort for which they so deeply yearned.

In time, the families who lived nearest the enemy and who, over the years, had borne the brunt of enemy assaults became so weary and heavy-hearted that they appealed to their wise prophets to find a solution to the problem.

The men of wisdom held a special consultation. They sat around the council fire and deliberated for many hours, and, most important, they sought guidance from Ubabeneli, The Creator of all things, who sat above the clouds and directed the destiny of all.

At last, the prophets concluded their deliberations. They summoned their fellow tribesmen and told them of the decision they had reached.

The people, said the wise men, would seek a new home where they could find peace and happiness. Their guide to the new land would be a kohta falaya (long pole). This kohta falaya, though, was no ordinary pole. It was something extra special, for it had been made sacred by Ubabeneli.

At the end of each day's journey, the prophets explained, the sacred pole would be stuck into the ground so that it stood perfectly straight. Each morning the pole would be carefully examined, and in whatever direction it was leaning, that would be the direction of travel.

That procedure was to be repeated until the kohta falaya leaned no more. And when that happened, the people would know it was a divine sign from Ubabeneli that their journey was over, and their new home had been reached.

Then the prophets told them the people would be split into two groups to make traveling safer and easier and that the brave young chief called Chickasaw would lead one party and his equally brave brother Choctaw, also a chief, would lead the other.

The people listened intently. They liked what they heard. 

The words of optimism which fell from the tongues of the wise men lifted their spirits immeasurably and when the talks ended, the elated people started dancing and singing, continuing to rejoice until the early hours of morning.

During the next few days, the families busied themselves packing their meager belongings and making other necessary preparations for the journey. At last, the eve of departure arrived.

That evening the prophets stuck the kohta falaya into the ground and then retired for the night; the next morning, at the break of day, the long pole was closely inspected and found to be leaning toward the east.

So with Chief Chickasaw at the head of one of the parties and Chief Choctaw heading the other, the two-headed colony bade farewell to the remainder of the tribe and set out in the direction of the rising sun.

It was a sight to behold, this great Indian caravan: Old men and old women, boys and girls, young braves and young maidens, husbands and their wives--some with newborn babies, others with babies yet unborn--all moving along on foot with their few worldly possessions, each knowing with certainty that somewhere a new homeland awaited them and by-and-by the sacred long pole would lead them to it.

Far in front of this procession of red people ranged a large white dog. He darted to the right, then to the left; he was everywhere, always on the alert. The people loved the big creature very dearly. He was their faithful guard and scout, and it was his duty to sound the alarm should enemies be encountered.

Travel was slow and laborious. Every evening found migrating Indians only a short distance from where they had commenced that day's journey. Even so, each day's walk took the people farther and farther from their old homeland, until, in time, they found themselves passing through the homelands of other red people--red people who eyed them with suspicion and considered them intruders.

Sometimes the weary travelers were allowed to pass unmolested through these foreign domains, but more often than not they were set upon by the jealous guardians of their ancestral lands and forced to fight their way through.

Sickness was a constant companion of marchers, and the tribal doctors stayed busy digging into their medicine bags. But when sinti, the snake, struck any one of them, the big white dog was quickly summoned and had only to lick the wound to make the victim well again.

Yet, even with the extraordinary healing powers of the medicine men and the beloved white dog, the ugly hand of death reached down into the double-headed colony of red people and took away loved ones at will.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years. And then one day, just as the sun was setting, the two parties of Indians came upon a scene beyond their imagination. It was a great river, the likes of which they had never seen before, and the unexpected sight overwhelmed them.

For a long time the astonished people stood on the riverbank and stared in awe at the mighty watercourse. They called the giant river misha sipokoni (beyond all age); today, that great river is known far and wide as the Mississippi.

That night the families sat around their campfires and talked joyfully to one another. Many of the people believed the promised land had been reached and felt certain the sacred long pole would confirm their belief at daybreak.

But at sun up the next day, the homeless people saw that the kohta falaya still leaned toward the east, and they knew that "home" was somewhere on the other side of the wide, wide river before them.

The tribesmen hurriedly set about constructing rafts, and soon the crossing was underway. Almost immediately a serious mishap occurred which left the Indians very sad. The raft carrying their beloved white dog came to pieces in the middle of the river, and though all the people were quickly rescued, the big dog, which managed to climb onto a piece of broken timber, could not be reached. The people could only watch helplessly as he was swept downstream and out of sight. That was the last the Indians ever saw of their faithful guard and scout.

Many days were required to ferry all the people and their belongings to the opposite side, but, in time, the difficult crossing was completed.

The families rested by the river several days, then packed up and continued their eastward march. Some weeks later they camped at a certain place, which later became known as Nanih Waya, in what is now Winston County, Mississippi. At daylight the following morning, the people found the kohta falaya wobbling around crazily, leaning first in one direction and then another.

The migrants became somewhat excited--and uneasy, too--for they had never before seen the sacred long pole behave in such a strange manner. At last the kohta falaya grew very still and stood perfectly straight.

At this point, the two brothers--Chief Chickasaw and Chief Choctaw--had their first difference of opinion. Chief Choctaw, as well as some of the prophets, was quite satisfied that the perfectly erect pole was the divine sign from Ubabeneli that their new home had been reached. Chief Chickasaw on the other hand, was not at all pleased with the way the sacred pole had wobbled around, and he felt certain the promised land lay farther toward the rising sun.

Discussions on the matter were held by the two chiefs and the prophets, but at the end of several hours, opinions remained unchanged. Seeing that talking was getting them no place, Chief Chickasaw pulled the sacred long pole from the ground and commanded all those who believed the promised land lay farther to the east to pick up their packs and follow him.

That was the beginning of the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indian Nations. From that day on Chief Chickasaw's followers, who were relatively few compared to the great number who remained in camp, were referred to as Chickasaws, and those who stayed with Chief Choctaw were called Choctaws.

After leading the Chickasaws farther eastward to various parts of what are now states of Alabama and Georgia, the kohta falaya reversed its direction and guided the people westward to a place in the vicinity of the present-day towns of Pontotoc and Tupelo, Mississippi; and there, less than a hundred miles north of where the Choctaws had settled, the sacred long pole stood straight as an arrow. The Chickasaw people then knew with certainty that at last they had found their new homeland and that their long journey was at an end.

By the Reverend Jess J. Humes
as told to
Robert Kingsberry

Thank you for dropping by and taking a few minutes of your time to read this Native American legend. I would appreciate hearing what your thoughts are on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

Grandmother Spider Steals the Fire

Hi dear friends and followers, today we again resume the Native American legends and myths, So take five and have a read. Enjoy

Grandmother Spider Steals the Fire

Many thousands of years ago groups classified by anthropologists as Paleo-Indians lived in what today is referred to as the American South. These groups were hunter-gatherers who hunted a wide range of animals, including a variety of megafauna, which became extinct following the end of the Pleistocene age. The 19th-century historian Horatio Cushman noted that Choctaw oral history accounts suggested their ancestors had known of mammoths in the Tombigbee River area; this suggests that the Choctaw ancestors had been in the Mississippi area for at least 4,000–8,000 years. Cushman wrote: "the ancient Choctaw through their tradition (said) 'they saw the mighty beasts of the forests, whose tread shook the earth." Scholars believe that Paleo-Indians were specialized, highly mobile foragers who hunted late Pleistocene fauna such as bison, mastodons, caribou, and mammoths. Direct evidence in the Southeast is meager, but archaeological discoveries in related areas support this hypothesis.

Choctaw History at Glance

The Choctaw are native to the Southeastern United States and members of the Muskogean linguistic family, which traces its roots to a mound-building, maize-based society that flourished in the Mississippi River Valley for more than a thousand years before European contact. 

Although their first encounter with Europeans ended in a bloody battle with Hernando de Soto’s fortune-hunting expedition in 1540, the Choctaw would come to embrace European traders who arrived in their homeland nearly two centuries later. By the time President George Washington initiated a program to integrate Southeastern Indians into European American culture following the Revolutionary War, many Choctaw had already intermarried, converted to Christianity and adopted other white customs. The Choctaw became known as one of America’s Five Civilized Tribes, which also included the Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek and Seminole.

Trail of Tears

The Choctaw signed nine treaties with the United States before the Civil War, beginning with the Treaty of Hopewell in 1786 – which set boundaries and established universal peace between the two nations. Subsequent treaties, however, reshaped those borders and forced the Choctaw to cede millions of acres of land. In 1830, the United States seized the last of the Choctaw’s ancestral territory and relocated the tribe to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi. The Choctaw were the first to walk the Trail of Tears. Nearly 2,500 members perished along the way.

Despite the many lives lost, the Choctaw remained a hopeful and generous people. The first order of business upon arriving in their new homeland was to start a school and a church. They drafted a new constitution. And when the great potato famine befell the people of Ireland, the Choctaws collected money to help alleviate the country’s suffering. 

Grandmother Spider Steals the Fire

(Creation story of the Choctaw People of Tennessee and Mississippi)

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 Pow-wow, with the Animal and Bird People taking the lead, and the Human People hanging back. The Animal and Bird People decided that dark 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 Pow-wow had to find a volunteer Chief. Grandmother Spider again said, "Let me 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 Pow-wow 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 in the corner of the lid. Then she put the container on her back, spun-a-web all the way to the East, and walked tip-toe 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 tip-toe 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 with 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 remembered!!!

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: Fire-bringer!!!

Thank you again for dropping by and taking a few minutes to read native American legend. I would appreciate hearing what your thoughts on it, thank you and have a wonderful day.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿

Walk in Peace