Long and long ago, when the People were animals, the World was
often cold. And so it was the Animal People met in council to
decide what to do.
"There are times," said Eagle, "when I fly into
the Land of the Sky People, and notice they have fire."
"If we had fire," said Raven, "we would always
be warm."
"The Sky People will not give us their fire," commented
Bear.
"Then we must take some of their fire to have for our families,
and those who will come after us," concluded Raven.
The Animal People continued to discuss this and agreed to obtain
fire from the Sky People. They realized no one person would be
able to go to Sky Land and take the fire by him or herself.
"I can fly to Sky Land," said Eagle, "but many
of you are too heavy for me to carry."
"Some of us are fast runners," said Deer," and
can carry the fire, but how can we get to Sky Land?"
"If there were only a bridge we could walk into the sky,"
said Wolf.
"I wish we could walk on rainbows," said Spider.
"Then let us build a bridge of arrows," said Raven.
"We will shoot the arrows into the sky, one after another,
end to end, and then climb up to where the fire is kept."
The Animal People decided to hold a contest to discover who was
so powerful an archer that he or she could shoot the sky, and
so accurate that he or she could fit the arrows together.
One by one, the largest and strongest of the Animal People failed.
None was powerful enough to shoot the arrows high enough. Then
little Wren came forward with a bow made of an elk's rib.
"What makes you think you can succeed when the rest of us
are not strong enough?"
"All I can do is try," said Wren. And he pulled his
small bow back, letting the arrow sail away almost out of sight,
until it struck the sky.
"Sometimes people forget the most powerful are sometimes
the smallest," said Spider.
They all congratulated Wren, and handed him all their arrows.
One by one, the arrows were loosened--one
by one they were jointed together, arching down until the bridge
of arrows was within reach.
One by one, the fourlegged people began to climb, while
the bird people flew ahead.
"I must go among the first," said the Bear, "since
I am one of the best hunters."
Eagle looked at the thinness of the bridge and the thickness of
Bear, and thought quickly. "My dear cousin," said Eagle,
"it is you who must stay down here and guard the bridge as
a way home."
And so it was, Bear saw the others leave him.
One by one, the Animal People entered the Land of the Sky People,
following the signs and scent of smoke to one of the houses that
held fire. They positioned themselves as they had planned. Woodpecker
knocked on the rooftop of the Sky People's home.
A Sky person came out to see who had knocked, and Woodpecker hurried
to the other side, remaining hidden. Seeing no one, the Sky Person
went back inside the house.
Beaver lay down in front of the door, and waited. Again, Woodpecker
knocked, and then hid. Again, a Sky person came out, and was surprised
to find Beaver, bringing him inside the home.
"Have any of you seen such a strange looking creature?"
he asked.
"No," said the grandmother," I will skin it,"
she said. "Such beautiful fur."
Beaver continued to play dead, and bit even more tightly the skin
inside the corner of his mouth. Beaver had the power to take off
his skin and not die, as long as he kept even a tiny bit of it
on. As Eagle and Woodpecker watched through the smoke hole, the
grandmother began to expertly skin Beaver.
Again, Beaver bit tightly onto the skin inside his mouth, and
Woodpecker knocked, more loudly than before. Woodpecker allowed
the Sky People to see him. The Sky People, who had never seen
a Woodpecker before, were excited, and called to the grandmother
to join them. Reluctantly, she put down her knife and joined her
family outside. Beaver rolled over in his skin, and he was as
good as new.
Meanwhile, Woodpecker would allow the Sky People to almost catch
him, and then fly a little way, luring them away from their home.
Beaver grabbed some of the fire and ran out the door, passing
to Wolf. The fire was hot, and Wolf could barely hold it as he
ran towards the bridge of arrows. The smoke of the fire was blown
across his back, leaving a darkened area you still see today.
One by one, the Animal People passed the fire to one another,
and the fire marked each one. The young deer was spotted from
the white ashes. Eagle held the fire in his claws, away from him,
but his white tail feathers charred on their tips, and turned
dark. Robin held the fire too close to her breast and it scorched
her red. Raven held the fire in from of him, and the smoke blew
over him, staining him the black he is today.
On earth, Bear had begun to worry that the others had been gone
so long. "They probably need me," he thought. "They
need a strong warrior." Bear patted his large stomach, and
worried that the rest of them might be as hungry as he was.
And so Bear packed a bundle of food, putting more and more food
into it, until it was as large as he was. Balancing the bundle,
Bear began to climb the bridge of arrows, but he had only gone
a little way until the bridge was broken apart, and the arrows
fell down.
Bear looked at what he had done, first feeling terribly guilty.
But then he told himself, "If they had let me come when I
had wanted to, this would never have happened. This is really
their fault." And so Bear picked up his bundle, and disappeared
into the forest, where he is today, avoiding the other animals,
so he doesn't feel guilty.
By now, the Sky People had discovered their fire had been stolen,
and were chasing the animal people.
Bat and Spider were keeping watch over the bridge of arrows, and
proud of their responsibility. Bat was a very vain and handsome
young man who enjoyed having others admire him. He pulled his
blanket more tightly around him, as he heard the bridge collapse
and fall back to the earth.
In the distance, Bat and Spider could see the others running towards
them, passing the smoky fire between them, with the Sky People
close behind them. Without hesitation, Spider began to weave a
basket to lower the ones who couldn't fly back down.
She had them climb to the basket, and lowered them down with the
fire. A Sky person grabbed at Bat, who jumped away, falling down.
He spread his blanket out to slow himself down, catching the wind
like he had wings. But he was awkward, and hit the ground with
his face. This is why when you see a bat today, his face is all
pushed in flat.
Brave Spider let the other down safely, but had to leap away from
the grabbing hands of the Sky People so quickly, she did not have
time to secure a web line for herself, and so fell back down.
She landed so hard, she broke her legs, which is why when you
see a spider today, her legs are bent at such a sharp angle.
Proudly, the animal people held up their new fire to show the
others, when the angry Sky People sent rain. The fire was put
out, and the Animal People were very sad.
"Now what shall we do," asked Frog?
"Wait," said Beaver, and he showed them a tiny bit of
the fire still smoldering beneath one of his claws.
"But where can we put the fire so the Sky People will never
be able to take fire away again?" asked Eagle.
And so, it was decided Raven would hide fire in wood. Raven placed
the fire into the different trees, where we find it, even today.
Time Is Right For "Coyote" to Howl Again
(Copyrighted material unavailable; to order: http://www.starbulletin.com)
Teaching Quotes from our Elders . . . . . .
We Indians live in a world of symbols and images where the spiritual
and commonplace are one.
Erdoes, 1972:109
We are the stars that sing,
We sing with our light;
We are the birds of fire,
We fly over the sky;
Our light is a voice;
We make a road
For the spirit to pass over.
Algonquian "Song of the Stars"
in: Gibbon, 1972:238
. . . if you are good to old people, these in turn will pray to
the Supreme Being for your health, long life, and success. Children
were instructed explicitly to be good to the aged, to feed them,
to clothe and to help them in difficulties, as well as to seek
out those so blessed and ask for their prayers.
Cooper, 1957:195
White Painted Woman said, "From here on we will have the
girl's puberty rite. When the girls first menstruate, you shall
have a feast. There shall be songs for these girls. During this
feast the masked dancers shall dance in front. After that there
shall be round dancing and facetoface dancing."
Opter, 1965:89
First cleanse (purify) ourselves ritually with smoke or water,
and then let "WakanTanka" make us into clean bores
to work in and through the sake of others. You have seen junk
and mineral deposits. People are like that, except that the deposits
are the things that we put in "WakanTanka's" way
when we ask him to help us.
Fools Crow
Fools Crow Wisdom & Power
Thomas E. Mails
Council Oak Books
Tulsa: 1991
True Civilization
The man who sat on the ground in his tipi, thinking of life and
its meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures and knowing
unity with all things, was drawing into his being the true heart
of civilization.
Chief Luther Standing Bear
Chief Dan George
Of all the teachings we receive this one is the most important:
Nothing belongs to you of what there is, of what you take you
must share.
Touch a child--they are
my people.
The sunlight does not leave its marks on the grass. So we, too,
pass silently.
Many shores I have sailed to in my canoe,
Often against strong winds.
Choose the tree well my brother,
If it is to carry you to distant shores.
If the very old will remember, the very young will listen.
Already signs of new life are arising among my people after our
sad winter has passed. We have discarded our broken arrows and
our empty quivers, for we know what served us in the past can
never serve us again.
My Heart Soars
by Chief Dan George
Buffalo: Hancock House Publishers 1974
They made us many promises, more than I can remember --
They promised to take our land, and they took it!
Red Cloud
Lakota
They will teach us to quarrel about god . . . We do not want to
do that. We may quarrel with men sometimes about things on earth,
but we never quarrel about the Great Spirit. We do not want to
learn that.
Chief Joseph
New Perce
Let him be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are
not powerless.
Dead, did I say; there is no death, only a change of worlds.
Chief Seattle (Sealth)
Duwamish
Treatment is discovery. Aftercare is recovery.
Empowerment belongs to Ego. To rekindle another's spirit is the
eternal flame of truth.
Beyond the wholesome discipline of life, be gentle with yourself
Desiderata
If you can't hold them in your arms, hold them in your heart.
It is always at its lowest ebb that the tide begins to turn.
Remember women, Everything Fred Estair did, Ginger Rogers did
backwards and in high heels.
Honored is a woman with child . . more honored is a woman without
child for they will teach from the heart.
I am the Weaver. I am the woven one. I am the Dreamer. I am the
Dream.
Trying to make other people change is like trying to sweep the
ocean back with a broom.
When I'm willing to see things differently, things are different.
It's better to lose one eye, than lose your shame.
We are but a strand in the web of life. What we do good or bad
effects the whole web.
It only hurts when you forget to laugh.
If you think you will have little impact because of your size
. . try going to be with a mosquito.
Father of four overcomes many barriers to graduate
By Pamela Stillman* Today Staff
RAPID CITY--Alvin
Iron Cloud Jr., a 19-year old father of four, has proven that
hard work pays off by graduating from Douglas High School.
He has overcome many obstacles to be the first person on his father's
side of the family to graduate from high school in 13 years.
"My father always told
me, 'You reap what
you sow.' I think that's
pretty true," Alvin
said reflecting on the past few years of his life.
SPECIAL
FEATURE
Alvin is a model student, with a 3.7 grade point average, is student
body president, played varsity basketball all four high school
years, works at L&L Insulation up to 25 hours a week, and
lives independently with his girlfriend and children.
"I felt like dropping
out a lot, especially after my second child. It's
been a constant pressure ever since starting high school,"
Alvin said.
"I really didn't
plan to have a family so soon, but looking back, it really made
me grow up. If I did not have the family I do now, I don't
think I would be graduating from high school."
The student also credits his parents, Alvin Iron Cloud, Sr. and
Rochelle Spring Water, and his grandparents for helping out his
young family, so that he could stay in school without having to
work full-time.
School has not always been important to Alvin. He said before
entering high school he had been in a lot of fights.
Moving quite a bit, because his father is an artist, Alvin said
he was challenged by school children, for being "different."
"Because I was the first
Indian student at some schools, people did not always know and
understand what my culture was about. When I was younger I'd
fight them," he said.
"But, the older I got,
the more patient I got. Now I think people have to be around you
to see who you are."
It was when Alvin got suspended from school, that his father stepped
in and encouraged him to do something positive with his feelings
of frustration--play
basketball.
Also steering Alvin to become a stronger person, was the guidance
of Native American religion his father taught him. He began traditional
dancing at age 4, for which he has earned numerous trophies.
"My dad has been my
biggest role model,"
he said. "I like the
way he conducts himself. Because he did not graduate, I do not
look down on him."
Today, Alvin grass dances, Sundances, and participates in sweats.
"The religion has kept
me intact," the student
said. "I do not drink
and smoke. I have never been drunk in my life. My religion and
family kept me strong."
Becoming a father also changed Alvin's
life for the better, he said. He and his girlfriend, Lynette Cross
Bear, have four children: Rochell, five months old; Galen, 2;
Michael, 3; and Alvin III, 4. He also cares for Lynette's
daughter, Sabrina.
"Having children really
helped me mature mentally,"
he said. "Having to
take care of someone else changes things. I have to take care
of five other people."
This last year, Alvin's
typical day consisted of going to school from 8 a.m. to 11:40,
working from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., going to basketball practice or
working overtime if possible, going home and doing homework, and
spending time with his children.
"Sometimes it was hard
to balance it all. It got real frustrating, especially during
basketball season,"
he said. "Getting my
diploma and being a role model for my children kept me going."
The student found it kind of funny when his classmates complained
about trying to balance school and chores.
"I would kind of say,
'How would you like
to be in my position?" he said.
"Their parents support
them, and I'm supporting
my kids a living on my own."
Alvin said there is a lot of peer pressure today for young people
to drink and take drugs.
"I run into it all the
time, but I always ask, 'What
is this drug going to do to me,"
he said.
"People say drinking
is fun, but all I see is people throwing up and being sick. I
don't like how it hurts
people. I try to learn from other people's
mistakes."
The student body president also said the pressure to join gangs
is strong in Rapid City, which he has resisted as well.
"I just say, 'No.'
It's childish. I think
it's just a bunch of
kids who need something to do."
The senior has been in the local news lately, having spoken out
during the recent Rapid City spiritual march against racism, May
3. He said the march was important, because it presented issues
faced by young people.
Alvin stressed that he has seen racism in some schoolsshe has
attended, but not at Douglas High School, which he views as culturally
diverse.
"Last year I was elected
student body president. That shows a lot about the school itself,"
he said.
Last week Alvin's parents
appeared before the school board and requested that he be allowed
to receive an eagle feather during the commence- ment ceremony
on May 30. The board voted to allow the tying ceremony.
"Once I explained that
I looked at the eagle feather like my diploma, they understood.
I think they did a real good job having this. It could have gotten
ugly," the student said.
"This is definitely
a step towards more understanding of the Native American culture."
Alvin said the senior class supported his request to receive an
eagle feather, for which he is grateful.
"I even heard that the
person behind me was not going to accept their diploma, until
the feather was tied on me. When I heard that, I was kind of surprised,
but our class is really close."
Although he did not view racism at Douglas High School, Alvin
said he was sometimes treated differently when his basketball
team would travel to other schools. He said other teams would
tease him for his long hair and make "war
whoops" when he entered
their gyms.
"I didn't
let it get to me," he
said. "Instead, I used
it to play harder."
Translating that negative energy into positive energy, Alvin averaged
14 points a game with four steals and two rebounds an outing this
year. For his efforts, he was named to the Indian Country Today
Class A All-Lakota Third Team.
Last year, he was named "Mr.
Offense" on the basketball
team, and was selected as an "Athlete
of the Week" on KEVN
Television.
Of his four years playing basketball at Douglas, Alvin said he
most enjoyed playing this last year with his younger brother Everett.
"He's
real good. We play together well. They call us 'The
Brother Act.'"
Alvin is also known for his football abilities. As a freshman,
he played on the Pine Ridge Thorpes team that went to the districts.
As a sophomore, he played linebacker for the Douglas Patriots.
This year, the senior has ben recognized for his academic achievements,
which makes him extremely proud. Johnson O'Malley
presented him with a certificate of achievement this year, which
he said "was pretty
cool."
Of his many awards throughout the years, Alvin said he is most
proud of earning his diploma.
"Getting the diploma
will make the most difference in my life. That's
the one I most care about. That means a lot to me,"
he said.
This summer, Alvin will continue working for L&L
Insulation, where he was recently told he will be made a supervisor.
He plans to attend college at Colorado State University this fall,
or another four-year college, to earn a criminal justice degree.
In the future, he would like to become a tribal lawyer.
Alvin shared a message for Native American children.
"The message I give to young kids, is to keep away from drugs and alcohol. It's not cool," He said.
"The key is education. That will bring them many opportunities. Stick to education--that's the only way out."
