Man-Made Ditches that Predate Amazon Rainforest

I have found this very interesting news article I wish to share with you, Man-Made Ditches that Predate Amazon Rainforest

Here's an article about ditches carved in places on the floor of the Amazon rainforest that were there long before the area had become a rainforest. I found this interesting because of other large designs that were carved into the high desert of Nazca, Peru, like this stylized hummingbird.

Both the Nazca images and the Amazon lines appear to be man-made, carved into the terrain, and best seen from the air. Here is just a bit about the Amazon ditches. A link to the article follows. Thank you for visiting!


The Mysterious Man-Made Ditches that Predate Amazon Rainforest

A recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed that a series of mysterious lines and geometric shapes carved into the Amazonian landscape were created thousands of years ago before the rainforest even existed, according to a report in Discovery News. The purpose of the massive earthworks and who created them remains unknown, and scientists are beginning to realise just how much there still is to learn about 

the prehistoric cultures of the Amazon and life before the arrival of Europeans.

Read more click link below

 http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/mysterious-man-made-ditches-predate-amazon-rainforest-001833#sthash.X9HRi6Oa.dpuf

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

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

KEEPING IT REAL by FRIZZY LIZZY

Hi dear friends and followers, this is Saturday, Frizzy Lizzy Day 

KEEPING IT REAL by FRIZZY LIZZY

Really, Teresa, I'm not at all surprised to hear that. Sometimes a boss is just a pain-in-the-ass at best and a pain-in-the-ass at worst!

Am I happy that I am retired? Sure, I am, and I would not go beck into the workforce for a million dollars but I don't think that I would sell back my experiences on the job for two million. If I had to do it all over again there are a few things that I might do differently but the whole thing was a lot of fun, now that I look back on it.

I was in the same line of work for a little over 30 years, Teresa. What did I do? I started out counting nuts and bolts in a storeroom and went up the ladder, retiring as a senior person in the contracts and purchasing field. I went back to school and earned my degrees and I loved what I did and that made it lots of fun.

When I was really young I recall looking for a job where I was living at the time. It was mainly a farming area with a few small factories in the neighborhood. I had tried my hand at seling insurance and real estate there but selling just was not me.

I went into this one factory where they were making the bodies for those big garbage trucks, you know, the ones that pick-up a container off the ground and dump it into the top of the truck. That's right, a dumpster. Any way, I was pretty desperate and I was open to any job that I could get my hands on. Sweeping floors sounded good to me.

The plant manager interviewed me and it felt positive. I wrote a thank-you letter in the hopes of getting a call but I heard nothing, so I went back to the plant. I tried to see the manager but his secretary was an effective gatekeeper. She would not let me in or give me an appointment to see him. He happened to hear me outside of his office and he asked me in.

It was then that he told me that he could have hired me to clean truck bodies with a steel brush to prepare them for painting, but that such work would bore me to death. (He was right.) He also told me that he had a job in mind for me and that I would be hearing from him. I thanked him and went home to wait by the phone.

A few weeks later I was their brand-new, just-hired Inventory Control Technician, part of the manufacturing team at Dempster Dumpster Systems! I was working in a plant that made everything "Dumpster," from little containers to huge trailers, and trucks that loaded from the top and back. If it looked like garbage, it went into a Dempster Dumpster!

A few weeks after I started my new "boss" arrived. He was a really nice guy, a fellow from Tennessee by the name of Carl. When it came to keeping a factory supplied, he was an expert, and we needed one of those because our production line was running out of something and shutting down almost every day. He was also as skinny as six o'clock and the guys on the factory floor called him "Zipper" because if he stood sideways and stuck his tongue out - you got it, Teresa, he would look like a zipper! Regardless of the razzing he took he was real gentleman and I liked working with him.

So between us we took a storeroom that was like a department store with no cash register because no one had been taking care of it and turned it into a place where the production managers could depend upon finding the parts needed to keep their lines moving.

It was a lot of fun to me! I learned about hydraulic hoses and fittings, paints and coatings, electrical supplies, raw steel, automotive parts, wire and cable, and fasteners. All of that knowledge prepared me for a promotion on that job to assistant buyer! And that was even more fun!

Now I knew most of the people in the plant. We were friends or neighbors to some degree, and the guys on the production floor were all younger than me. How old was I? I was about 26 and they were not too long out of high school, but I knew their families. All of us were a little crazy because we were still close to that magic age of "indestructible 21."

I remember taking my bologna and cheese sandwich and potato chips out to the break area to have lunch with the rest of the guys.

One day they were playing a game. Have you ever heard of "Name that tune?" It was a popular game on TV at the time. It's a game where you take or make a dare to name a tune in as few notes as possible. It might start with one player saying that he or she can name a tune in 6 notes. The other says that they can name it in 5 notes. Then it goes to 4 notes and so on down until one of the players dares the other to "Name that tune!" How about playing it with "Eat that sandwich?" Yup, someone tried to eat that sandwich in 1 bite! After that I ate lunch in my office.

I learned a lot about plant safety and what I wouldn't do if I was running power tools. I always wore a hardhat and safety glasses when I was on the production floor or in the machine shop, and I urged those I saw to be careful, too.

Some took it to heart, especially if they had been out partying the night before. They punched-in to work and as long as they didn't get injured on the job they were OK but the output of the machine shop suffered and I wondered why. Then I stumbled on why.

There was a piece of culvert pipe behind the machine shop. It was a bit over a meter wide and someone had placed a pallet inside of it. On that pallet there was a mattress and sleeping bag, and the workers suffering from a hangover would go in there and sleep it off while still on the clock!

I never reported it because I thought it was pretty funny but they knew that I knew and the output of the machine shop stayed steady after that.

Perhaps some of the fun came because I did what was not expected of me to do as an assistant buyer.

We went through a lot of band saw blades in the machine shop. I studied what was happening and went shopping for a better blade. I found one that was more expensive but would last twice as long. After I did cost/benefit analysis and presented it to Carl, he approved buying the new blades. And from that point on he stopped reviewing my purchases and trusted what I did.

No, Teresa, not all of my jobs were as much fun. That one didn't stay fun for too long. I was there for about two years and just before Christmas I got a letter that the plant was closing and I was laid off. That was a real bummer. But it's safe to say that I learned from that job that it was possible for me to truly enjoy my work, and most of the time after that, I did.

Have I ever worked for a horse's ass? You bet I have, more than once! Let me tell you about one...

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

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

How Old Age Came Into the World

Hi dear friend and followers. Today we visit the Modoc people's legends.

I have a habit of reading everything, including maps, from th eleft to the right, top to bottom and I have done so with the Native American Map of the state of California. Yesterday's legend was from the Shasta People, a tribe living in te far north of the state. Today's legend, How Old Age Came Into the World, is a story told by their neighbors immediately to their east, the Modoc.

The Modoc were much like their neighbors in the region in that they fished for salmon during their seasonal runs and were somewhat nomadic in their following of other food sources. They preferred to pass the winter on the shore of a lake, living in an earthen dugout lodge with a dome shaped like a beehive made of sticks that was plastered with mud. 

During the winter they fished the lake and collected the seeds of aquatic plants.

Here is the legend that I promised. I would love to hear your comments on this one or any other legend.

How Old Age Came Into the World

Five brothers and their sister lived alone on a mountain; the brothers had killed a great many people in the country around. The sister gathered the wood and cooked the game they killed. When it was time for her maturity dance, she asked: "How can I dance when there is nobody to sing for me?"

"Walk around all the time," said her eldest brother, "pile stones, and don't sleep for five nights."

The girl kept awake four nights, then she was so tired that she fell asleep. She dreamed that her brothers were covered with sores and were starving. When she woke up, she cried and said: "I wish I had died long ago, then I shouldn't have brought trouble on my brothers. I have done this by not dancing and by going to sleep."

When she got home, she found that Sickness had been in the house. Sickness came 'every day for five days. Then each one of the five brothers had great sores on his body. There was nobody to hunt for deer, or rabbits, and soon the brothers were starving. The sister brought wood and kept the fire, but she couldn't find anything to eat. Everybody was glad that the brothers were sick and hoped they would die.

One of the brothers saw two swans on a pond near the house, and when the sister came with a load of wood on her back, he said: "I wish we could kill one of those swans."
"Maybe I can kill one," said the sister. She got her brothers' bows and tried the strings to see which string was the strongest. She put down one bow after another, saying: "That isn't strong.". The strings had been strong enough for her brothers, but for her they were weak. She took the bow that belonged to her youngest brother, pulled the string, and said: "This will do." 

When she started for the pond, one of the brothers watched her, he said: "Now she is near the pond; now she is sitting down on the bank!" She drew the bow, and when he thought she had missed the swan, he nearly fell, he was so sorry. He didn't look out again. The arrow went through both swans. 

The sister brought the swans home and left them outside; she took the bow and arrow in and put them away. Her brothers felt bad; they were disappointed. When she asked: "Shall I cook them in the house?" they were glad. They tried to get up, but they couldn't stand on their feet, they were so weak.
The girl cooked the swans and gave her brothers some of the meat. She said: "Eat a little at a time, so it will last longer." She saved the fat and rubbed her brothers with it, to heal their sores.

"Now I am stronger," said the eldest brother. "Give me my bow; I feel as if I could shoot something." Each brother said the same. 

When the people at the foot of the mountain heard that the five brothers were sick, they were glad and sent a young man to find if it were true. He cameback, and said: "They are sick and are going to die."

When the sister had gone for wood, the eldest brother said: "I know that somebody is coming; I want to be strong." They all had the same feeling, and each one tried his bowstring. When the sister came back, the eldest brother said: "You must roll us up in our blankets, and tie them around us as though we were dead. Put our bows and arrows and beads near us."

When she had done that, she went off to the mountains, for she felt bad and didn't want to stay with her brothers; she didn't want to live any longer. 

The brothers waited for her. and when it was dark and she didn't come, one said: "Our sister is always talking about dying; maybe she is dead."

Now the people at the foot of the mountain sent a little boy to see if the five brothers were alive. He crossed the pond in a canoe; he rowed the canoe by saying: "Peldack! Peldack!" [Go fast]. When the boy saw the men tied up in their blankets he went back, and said: "They are dead. In their house there are bows and arrows and nice beads. You must go and get them." 

The chief said: "Get ready; we will go and scalp those men, and take their things."

When the brothers saw the men coming, they said: "We will lie here as if we were dead, and when they pack up our things and start away, we will spring up and fight them with knives."

The men came into the house. They unrolled the brothers and kicked them around; they took their blankets, bows, arrows and beads, took everything they could find, and started off.
Then the five brothers jumped up and ran at them with knives. They killed every man, threw the bodies into the pond, and started off to hunt for their sister. They hunted a long time. At last they found her body and burned it; then the eldest brother said: "Let us leave this country and kill every man we can find."

They started and traveled toward the west. They killed every man or woman they met. When people saw them coming they ran and hid, they were so afraid of them. The brothers traveled a long rime, and killed a great many people. At last they came to a big lake. They made a canoe and started to cross it, but before they got to land, the canoe sank. It went under the water and under a mountain and out into another lake. There they met Storm.

He was a man then and could kill anybody he could catch and draw into the water. He tried to kill the five brothers, but the youngest brother fought with him, cut him to pieces with his knife, and said: "You will be a person no longer, you will only be something to scare people," and he drove him away. All the people under the water hid, for they were afraid of the brothers.

When the brothers couldn't find anyone to kill, they turned toward the east and traveled till they came to a country where they found a very old man and a very old woman. They said: "We have come to fight you."

"I don't want to fight," said the old man. "We have always lived here, this is our place; nobody ever came here before to trouble us. We don't bother anyone, Go away and leave us."
"You must fight," said the brothers. "If you don't, we will kill you; we kill every one we meet."

"You can't kill us or harm us, no matter what you do," said the old man. "We are Komuchass [Old Age]. We shall live always."
The five brothers were mad; they didn't listen to the old man, but shot at him with arrows, and pounded him with clubs; then they built a fire and tried to bum him. When they couldn't kill him in any way, they got scared and ran off.

The old man called to them to stop, but they didn't listen; then he said: "We shall follow you; you cannot get away; wherever you go we shall go. You will never get home."
The old man and old woman followed the brothers for a long time, and at last they caught up with the eldest brother. Right away he was old and weak. He stumbled along for a little way, then fell to the ground and died.

They overtook the second brother; he also grew old and weak, fell to the ground and died. The third brother reached the lake; he was running on the ice when Komuchass overtook him; he grew weak and fell; the ice broke and he was drowned. The fourth brother died in the same manner. The youngest brother thought he was going to get away from the old man; he was only a few steps from home when Komuchass overtook him. Right off he was an old man; he stumbled along a step or two, then fell to the ground and died. 

This is how old age came into our world. If the five brothers had let the old man and his wife alone, they would have stayed in their own country, and there would have been no such thing as old age.

Komuchass turned the bodies of the five brothers into five rocks, and those rocks are still to be seen in the Klamath country.

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

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

Why Mount Shasta Erupted

Hi dear friends and followers. Today we visit the Shasta people.

The state of California is the home to many different groups of people today. It is an industrial and manufacturing state, an agricultural center, the home of America's entertainment and technology development industries such as Tesla, Cisco, Hewlett Packard, and others, and if it was an independent nation, its economy would be the world's eighth largest.

I cannot say why, but California has been attracting many diverse groups of people for centuries. If you look at the reference map you will see why I make this statement. The map points out at least thirty different Native American Peoples having roots in California.

Today we will look at a legend of the Shasta People from Northern California for whom Mount Shasta is named. It features our friend, Coyote, in the role of a trickster of sorts, Thank you for taking some time to enjoy another fine legend with me.

Why Mount Shasta Erupted

Coyote, a universal and mischievous spirit, lived near Mount Shasta in what is now California. Coyote's village had little fish and no salmon. His neighboring village of Shasta Indians always had more than they could use.

Shasta Indians had built a dam that served as a trap for fish, especially the wonderful salmon. They ate it raw, baked it over hot coals, and dried large quantities for their winter food supply. Other tribes came to Shasta Village to trade for salmon, which created wealth and respect for the Shasta tribe.

One day Coyote was dreaming of a delicious meal of salmon. His mouth watered at the thought of a nice freshly cooked, juicy salmon.

"I am so terribly hungry," he said to himself upon waking. "If I visit the Shasteans, maybe I can have a salmon dinner."

Coyote washed and brushed himself to look neat and clean, then started for Shasta Village with visions of fresh salmon swimming behind his eyes. He found the Shasteans at the dam hauling in big catches of salmon. They welcomed him and said that he could have all the fish he could catch and carry.

Hunger and greed caused Coyote to take more fish than was good for him. Finally, he lifted his big load onto his back and began his homeward journey, after thanking the Shasta Indians for their generosity.

Because his load was extra heavy and he still had a long way to go Coyote soon tired. "I think I had better rest for a while," he thought. "A short nap will do me good."

He stretched himself full length upon the ground, lying on his stomach, with his pack still on his back. While Coyote slept, swarms and swarms of Yellow Jackets dived down and scooped up his salmon. What was left were bare salmon bones.

Coyote waked very hungry. His first thought was how good a bite of salmon would taste at that moment. Still half-asleep, he turned his head and took a large bite. To his great surprise and anger, his mouth was full of fish bones! His salmon meat was gone. Coyote jumped up and down in a rage shouting, "Who has stolen my salmon? Who has stolen my salmon?"

Coyote searched the ground around him but could not locate any visible tracks. He decided to return to Shasta Village and ask his good friends there if he could have more salmon.

"Whatever happened to you?" they asked when they saw his pack of bare salmon bones.

"I was tired and decided to take a nap," replied Coyote. "While I slept, someone slightly stole all of the good salmon meat that you gave me. I feel very foolish to ask, but may I catch more fish at your dam?"

All of the friendly Shasteans invited him to spend the night and to fish with them in the morning. Again, Coyote caught salmon and made a second pack for his back and started homeward.

Strangely, Coyote tired at about the same place as he had on the day before. Again he stopped to rest, but he decided that he would not sleep today. With his eyes wide open, he saw swarms of hornets approaching. Because he never imagined they were the culprits who stole his salmon, he did nothing.

Quicker than he could blink his eyes, the Yellow Jackets again stripped the salmon meat from the bones and in a flash they disappeared!

Furious with himself, Coyote raged at the Yellow Jackets. Helpless, he ran back to Shasta Village, relating to his friends what he had seen with his own eyes. They listened to his story and they felt sorry for Coyote, losing his second batch of salmon.

"Please take a third pack of fish and go to the same place and rest. We will follow and hide in the bushes beside you and keep the Yellow Jackets from stealing your fish," responded the Shasta Indians.

Coyote departed carrying this third pack of salmon. The Shasteans followed and hid according to plan. While all were waiting, who should come along but Grandfather Turtle.

"Whoever asked you to come here?" said Coyote, annoyed at Grandfather Turtle's intrusion.

Turtle said nothing but just sat there by himself.

"Why did you come here to bother us," taunted Coyote. "We are waiting for the robber Yellow Jackets who stole two packs of salmon. We'll scare them away this time with all my Shasta friends surrounding this place. Why don't you go on your way?"

But Turtle was not bothered by Coyote; he continued to sit there and rest himself. Coyote again mocked Grandfather Turtle and became so involved with him that he was completely unaware when the Yellow Jackets returned. In a flash, they stripped the salmon bones of the delicious meat and flew away!

Coyote and the Shasta Indians were stunned for a moment. But in the next instant, they took off in hot pursuit of the Yellow Jackets. They ran and ran as fast as they could, soon exhausting themselves and dropping out of the race. Not Grandfather Turtle, who plodded steadily along, seeming to know exactly how and where to trail them.

Yellow Jackets, too, knew where they were going, as they flew in a straight line for the top of Mount Shasta. There they took the salmon into the center of the mountain through a hole in the top. Turtle saw where they went, and waited patiently for Coyote and the other stragglers to catch up to him. Finally, they all reached the top, where turtle showed them the hole through which the Yellow Jackets had disappeared.

Coyote directed all the good people to start a big fire on the top of Mount Shasta. They fanned the smoke into the top hole, thinking to smoke out the yellow jackets. But the culprits did not come out, because the smoke found other holes in the side of the mountain.

Frantically, Coyote and the Shasta Indians ran here, there, and everywhere, closing up the smaller smoke holes. They hoped to suffocate the Yellow Jackets within the mountain.

Furiously, they worked at their task while Grandfather Turtle crawled up to the very top of Mount Shasta. Gradually, he lifted himself onto the top hole and sat down, covering it completely with his massive shell, like a Mother Turtle sits on her nest. He succeeded in completely closing the top hole, so that no more smoke escaped.

Coyote and his friends closed all of the smaller holes.

"Surely the Yellow Jackets will soon be dead," said Coyote as he sat down to rest.

What is that rumbling noise, everyone questioned? Louder and louder the noise rumbled from deep within Mount Shasta. Closer and closer to the top came the rumble. Grandfather Turtle decided it was time for him to move from his hot seat.

Suddenly, a terrific explosion occurred within the mountain, spewing smoke, fire, and gravel everywhere!

Then to Coyote's delight, he saw his salmon miraculously pop out from the top hole of Mount Shasta--cooked and smoked, ready to eat!

Coyote, the Shasta Indians, and Grandfather Turtle sat down to a well-deserved meal of delicious salmon.

To this day, the Shasta Indian tribe likes to conclude this tale saying, "This is how volcanic eruptions began long, long ago on Mount Shasta."

Reference map

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

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

The Wings of Love

Hi dear friends and followers, today I have a poem for you, titled;

The Wings of Love

"Alvers, so fair, so good and so radiant,

Where have you gone, O Queen of the misty lands?"

"You just vanished from your throne in middle of the night

Where art thou, our dearest, loving queen?,"

the forlorn prince asks as he rest in the grass,

his back to a log at the edge of the wagon trail

She sits on high, upon a mountain's summit;

surrounded by snow in a place only she can go.

And there on high is her frozen solace;

only here, with the sighing of the wind is peace.

She wonders now if she will miss the life 

she left behind in the valley below.

If life could be in the warmth of sunlight,

with singing birds and aromatic blooms,

as she walked on the sun-warmed sand of the beach, 

cooled by incoming breezes of the sea,

holding the hand of the one whom she loved - 

It is he that she shall miss to the end;

now lost, gone, never to return,

or so she had been told 

by all who searched for him.

If she, could not have him then no other would.

That, she had determined was their fate.

Now she wanders frigid landscapes where snowflakes swirl

and gather round as the lonely wind moans,

at times howling like a vengeful banshee,

pulling at the gown of the ghostly figure

sitting on a rock atop a mountain's crags.

As she mourns the loss of her beloved

her howls of sorrow mingle with those of the wind.

The path that leads back is covered 

and lost in the perpetually-falling snow.

Condemned she was, to sit in solitude,

blending in with her surroundings,

becoming crag and flake and ice.

Piles of snow, drifts higher and higher,

deeper, and deeper, and more frozen 

with each passing second of her tears.

Forever in this frozen land

she and her secrets will always keep.

She stirs and looks at the whiteness all 'round;

The bright and sparkling virginal snow.

Above is the weak yet golden sun,

making blue and purple shadows

lengthening in the fading afternoon light.

Its lines invade a perfect face 

and memories once again are astir

as she thinks of her lost beloved,

in the moors in the valley below.

It was then within her heart she felt

the need to go back to whence she came,

to see for herself her loved one's last stand.

She that the only answer to take

was the one she found with her own two eyes,

to see for herself if it was indeed true

that her lover had perished in the storm, 

a prisoner of the misty moors.

She stood up with resolve, and as she did,

A whirlwind arose with no cause apparent.

On a clear afternoon, in the day's fading light,

a blizzard blew in with snow all around!

And into her room the winds came with great force

and tossed her about like she was merely a child. 

When the gales left her keep and

the whirlwinds dissipated,

there stood a figure with her head bent down,

as though in prayer or meditation.

Alvers was shaken but collected her wits.

She raised her head toward the setting sun

revealing her finely sculpted face, 

with pale blue eyes and brows of white,

framed by pure white hair that upon her bosom fell.

It was then she noticed she had been given a gift;

A gift to help her in her quest for truth.

She had the confidence of one convinced of right,

and the daring of one still in their youth.

She felt her back and the great wings it bore

and assumed that she had the power to fly!

The air rushed past her face as she beat those wings

to be certain she was not dreaming the fool.

Then outside she went, into the snowy courtyard.

She spread out her great white wings and

In two of their beats she was in the air!

Down the mountain side she flew,

down to the valley below to search

the dreadful moors for her loved one lost.

She found him there, lying by the river,

more dead than alive, or so it would seem.

She came to him and held him and cradled his head;

A golden glow of light erupted around them,

the glow as warm as a summer day's sun.

Slowly he came to, and embraced her warmly.

And there they stayed, for a frozen moment,

each making sure that the other was real,

and checking to see in which world they were. 

But no matter the world, their hearts were full,

Lovers united by the sheer force of love - 

And a magnificent pair of fairy's wings.

Composed by Cindy©

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week. 

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

The Thunder-bird A Tillamook Legend

Hi dear friends and followers. Today we visit the Tillamook People

I had thought that Colorado or Missouri had the greatest number of pre-Columbian Native Peoples within its modern borders but Oregon has proven me wrong. I could not leave this state without sharing at least one more legend, this one being from the Tillamook People, their Legend of the Thunder Bird.

The Tillamook lived along the Pacific coast. Their major source of food was the plentiful run of salmon that took place from April through October as well as local berries, nuts, and roots. They were skillful basket weavers.

Today's legend is their encounter with the Thunder Bird. This creature is different from any other such being that we have met so far. It is the cause of the thunderstorms and so much more, as you will soon see.

The Thunder-bird A Tillamook Legend

From Franz Boas, 1898, Traditions of the Tillamook Indians, Journal of American Folklore, V. 11, pp. 23-38.

Once upon a time there was a man who lived at Slab Creek. One day he went up the creek to spear salmon. When he started out the sun was shining, but soon dark clouds came up and it began to thunder and to rain. Then it cleared up again, but soon a new shower came on and he was unable to secure a single fish. He became angry and said, "What is that great thing that always darkens the water and prevents me from seeing the fish?" He went on and came to a tall spruce tree in which a large hole had been burned by lightning. He looked into it and discovered a little boy. When he looked closer he saw the boy coming out. As soon as he had stepped out of the hole he began to grow, and soon reached a height taller than the spruce tree; his skin was covered with feathers. Then he said, "Now you see how tall I am. Don't look at me; I am the one whom you have scolded."

Then the speaker, who was no other than the Thunderer, took the man's salmon spear and blanket. He leaned the spear against the tree and hung the blanket on to it. He took the man under his armpits and flew with him towards the sky. When they reached a considerable height the man almost fell from under the Thunderer's armpits, and the latter descended again and allowed him to regain his strength. He thought: "Where shall I put him in order to prevent his falling down?" He said, "When we reach a great height, close your eyes, so that the strong wind which prevails up there will do you no harm." Then he flew up again and ascended in large circles. Each flapping of his wings was a peal of thunder, and when the noise ceased the man knew that they had arrived at the Thunderer's home and he opened his eyes. On the followingday the Thunderer told him to go and catch salmon. The man went to the beach but did not see any salmon, while many whales were swimming about. Then he went back to the house and said, "I do not see any salmon, but many whales are swimming about."

"Those are the fish I was speaking of," replied the Thunderer. "They are our food. Catch a few!" The man replied, "They are too large, and I cannot catch them."

They went out and the man saw that the people were catching whales in the same way as he was accustomed to catch salmon. The Thunderer told him to stand aside, as he himself was preparing to catch whales. He caught the largest one and carried it up to a large cave which was near by, and when he had deposited it there the whale flapped its tail and jumped about, violently shaking the mountain, so that it was impossible to stand upon it.

One day the man went up the river and saw many fish swimming it it. He thought, "I am tired of whale meat and wish I could have some fish." He went back to the house and spoke to the Thunderer, "Grandfather, I have found many fish, and I want to catch them." He made a fish spear, which he showed to the Thunderer. The latter looked at it, but found it so small that he was hardly able to feel it. It slipped under his fingernail and he was unable to find it again. The man said, "How large are your nails! They are just like the crack of a log," and the old grandfather laughed.

The man made a new spear and went fishing salmon. Before he went the old man said, "Don't catch more than you are able to eat. You may take four of five.""I cannot even eat one." Then the grandfather laughed and said, "If I should eat one hundred I should not have enough."

The man went out, caught one salmon, and brought it home. He was going to split it, but was unable to find knife small enough for cutting the fish.

Then the Thunderer split a rock, as he thought, into very small pieces, but the smallest of these was so large that the man was unable to lift it. Then the Thunderer broke it into still smaller pieces and said, "I fear I have spoiled it, for it has become dust so fine that I cannot take hold of it." The man went out, but even then the smallest piece was so large that he was unable to lift it. After the Thunderer had broken it again and the man had selected the smallest piece, he said, "It is still too large, but I think I must try to make use of it. Then the Thunderer told him how to cut the fish. He followed his commands and cut the fish, as the people of the Thunderer were accustomed to do.

He roasted it and ate it, but was unable to eat all. Then his grandfather laughed and said, "Put it aside and go to sleep. When you awake you will be able to eat more." When the man awoke and wanted to continue to eat the fish it was gone. It had returned to the river from which he had taken it. He took his spear and went down the river to catch another salmon. There he saw one half of a fish swimming about. It was the one he had been eating. He caught it, roasted it, and finished eating it. The next day he caught another fish, and when he had eaten half of it and went to sleep he tied the rest to a pole in order to prevent its returning to the river. But when he awoke he found it had returned to the river. He had burned one side of the head of this salmon, and the next day on going to the river he saw the same salmon swimming about. It had taken some grass into its mouth and covered one side of its face, as it was ashamed to show how badly it was burned. The Thunderer said, "Don't burn the salmon when you roast them, for they do not like it. They might take revenge upon you."

The next day the Thunderer again went whaling, and the man asked him to be allowed to accompany him, as he wished to witness the spectacle. The Thunderer granted his request, but when he came home in the evening he found that the man was badly hurt. He had been unable to stand on his feet when the whale was shaking the mountain, and was hurt by falling trees and stones. But on the following day he asked once more to be allowed to accompany the Thunderer. He tied himself to a tree, but when the Thunderer came back in the evening to fetch him he found him again badly hurt, as he had been knocked about by the swinging trees.

Meanwhile the relatives of the man had been searching for him for over a year. They had gone up Slab Creek, where they found his spear and blanket leaning against a large spruce tree. They did not know what had become of him. They believed him to be dead, and his wife mourned for him.

One day while he was staying with the Thunderer he thought of his wives and children and longed to return. He said to himself: "Oh, my children, as you still alive? There is no one to provide for you, and I am afraid you are

The following day he took him under his armpits and put him back at the foot of the spruce tree from where he had taken him, and then flew back home. The man believed that he had been away only four days, but it had been four years. He did not go to hishouse, but stayed in the woods nearby. There his son found him. He asked the boy, "Who are you? Is your father at home?" The boy replied, believing him to be a stranger, "No, I have no father; he was lost four years ago. For a long time they looked for him, and finally they found his clothes and his salmon spear." Then the man said, "I am your father. The Thunderer took me up to the sky, and I have returned." Then he inquired after his wives, and the boy replied, "Mother is well and all my brothers have grown up and are also well. Your other wife has married again, but Mother remained true to you." Then the man sent him to call his wife. The boy ran home and said, "Mother! Father is in the woods!" His mother did not believe him and whipped him for speaking about his father. Then the boy went out crying. He said to his father, "Mother did not believe me." The man gave him a piece of whale meat and said, "Take this to your mother; I brought it from where I have been." The boy obeyed, and took the whale meat to his mother, who said, "I will go with you, but if he is not your father, I shall beat you." She accompanied her son and found her husband. He returned with her into the house, and she invited the whole tribe. The man danced and became a great shaman. For ten days he danced, and the people feasted. Then he told them where he had been and what he had seen, and said that whenever they wanted to have a whale he would get one.

After some time the Thunderer came back and took him up once more and he stayed for 10 years with him. Then he came home and lived with his people.

One day he went elk-hunting, and came to a small lake, where he found a small canoe. When crossing the lake he heard a voice calling him from out of the water, and on looking down he saw a hole in the bottom, and a human being in it which called him. He jumped overboard, went to the bottom of the lake, and stayed with the supernatural being for 10 years. Then the latter sent him out in company of the beaver to gather some skunk-cabbage. They followed a trail and came to a parting of the roads. The man did not know where they were going. Then the beaver asked him, "Do you know where we are going? This trail is Nestuka River, which we are now descending." They followed the trail to its end, where they found a large cave, from which the man emerged to the open air, while the beaver returned to the lake. At the entrance of the cave the man flung down two skunk- cabbages which he had found, and ascended the mountain. Ever since that time two stems of skunk-cabbage have been growing at the entrance of the cave.

His two sons found him on the summit of the rock. They took him home and invited the whole tribe. He danced and became the greatest shaman among his people. When a person died he was able to bring back his soul and restore him to life."

Reference map

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

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

Hi dear friends and followers. Today we explore the legends of the Paiute People.

So now we are on the west coast of the United States and so far we have looked at legends from the Okonagan and the Yakama, the first people of Washington State. Today we move due south to the state of Oregon.

Many Native peoples called Oregon their home. The map that accompanys today's selection shows more than ten separate and distinct tribes. The legend below is from the Paiute People.

Why the North Star Stands Still

Long, long ago, when the world was young, the People of the Sky were so restless and travelled so much that they made trails in the heavens. Now, if we watch the sky all through the night, we can see which way they go.

But one star does not travel. That is the North Star. He cannot travel. He cannot move. When he was on the earth long, long ago, he was known as Na-gah, the mountain sheep, the son of Shinoh. He was brave, daring, sure-footed, and courageous. His father was so proud of him and loved him so much that he put large earrings on the sides of his head and made him look dignified, important, and commanding.

Every day, Na-gah was climbing, climbing, climbing. He hunted for the roughest and the highest mountains, climbed them, lived among them, and was happy. Once in the very long ago, he found a very high peak. Its sides were steep and smooth, and its sharp peak reached up into the clouds. Na-gah looked up and said, "I wonder what is up there. I will climb to the very highest point."

Around and around the mountain he travelled, looking for a trail. But he could find no trail. There was nothing but sheer cliffs all the way around. This was the first mountain Na-gah had ever seen that he could not climb.

He wondered and wondered what he should do. He felt sure that his father would feel ashamed of him if he knew that there was a mountain that his son could not climb. Na-gah determined that he would find a way up to its top. His father would be proud to see him standing on the top of such a peak.

Again and again he walked around the mountain, stopping now and then to peer up the steep cliff, hoping to see a crevice on which he could find footing. Again and again, he went up as far as he could, but always had to turn around and come down. At last he found a big crack in a rock that went down, not up. Down he went into it and soon found a hole that turned upward. His heart was made glad. Up and up he climbed.

Soon it became so dark that he could not see, and the cave was full of loose rocks that slipped under his feet and rolled down. Soon he heard a big, fearsome noise coming up through the shaft at the same time the rolling rocks were dashed to pieces at the bottom. In thedarkness he slipped often and skinned his knees. His courage and determination began to fail. He had never before seen a place so dark and dangerous. He was afraid, and he was also very tired.

"I will go back and look again for a better place to climb," he said to himself. "I am not afraid out on the open cliffs, but this dark hole fills me with fear. I'm scared! I want to get out of here!"

But when Na-gah turned to go down, he found that the rolling rocks had closed the cave below him. He could not get down. He saw only one thing now that he could do: He must go on climbing until he came out somewhere.

After a long climb, he saw a little light, and he knew that he was coming out of the hole. "Now I am happy," he said aloud. "I am glad that I really came up through that dark hole."

Looking around him, he became almost breathless, for he found that he was on the top of a very high peak! There was scarcely room for him to turn around, and looking down from this height made him dizzy. He saw great cliffs below him, in every direction, and saw only a small place in which he could move. Nowhere on the outside could he get down, and the cave was closed on the inside..,

"Here I must stay until I die," he said. "But I have climbed my mountain! I have climbed my mountain atlast!

He ate a little grass and drank a little water that he found in the holes in the rocks. Then he felt better. He was higher than any mountain he could see and he could look down on the earth, far below him.

About this time, his father was out walking over the sky. He looked everywhere for his son, but could not find him. He called loudly, "Na-gah! Na-gah!" And his son answered him from the top of the highest cliffs. When Shinoh saw him there, he felt sorrowful, to himself, "My brave son can never come down. Always he must stay on the top of the highest mountain. He can travel and climb no more.

"I will not let my brave son die. I will turn him into a star, and he can stand there and shine where everyone can see him. He shall be a guide mark for all the living things on the earth or in the sky."

And so Na-gah became a star that every living thing can see. It is the only star that will always be found at the same place. Always he stands still. Directions are set by him. Travellers, looking up at him, can always find their way. He does not move around as the other stars do, and so he is called "the Fixed Star." And because he is in the true north all the time, our people call him Qui-am-i Wintook Poot-see. These words mean "the North Star."

Besides Na-gah, other mountain sheep are in the sky. They are called "Big Dipper" and "Little Dipper." They too have found the great mountain and have been challenged by it. They have seen Na- gah standing on its top, and they want to go on up to him.

Shinoh, the father of North Star, turned them into stars, and you may see them in the sky at the foot of the big mountain. Always they are travelling. They go around and around the mountain, seeking the trail that leads upward to Na-gah, who stands on the top. He is still the North Star.

Reference map

Thank you very much again, dear friends, for visiting my blog. Please share your thoughts with us, if you will. have a great Week.

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