PROLOGUE
The Blackfeet Reservation
The Early Twentieth Century
Although the old man wore the reservation clothes representative of a new and modern people, his pipe was centuries old, had belonged to his family for hundreds of years, and had been passed down from one generation to another. His gray hair was braided in the older, traditional style, with two braids at the side of his face and one braid in back. A single eagle's feather was attached to the back of his head and stood up straight.
His hands were gnarled, were littered with brown spots and blue veins, and those hands shook as he held up his pipe toward the sky. As he sat on his trade blanket within his canvas tepee, he watched as the many children from the Blackfeet reservation stepped over the bottom fold of the tepee's entrance flap, and, finding a seat upon his fur-lined buffalo robe, sat down in a semicircle around him.
The time of the year was the Moon of Home Days (July and August), and the stars in the night sky reminded him that, on this night, the young might seek out his company and beg him to tell them the centuries-old stories of their ancestors. Although he was well aware that these tales, which recounted the escapades of their ancestors, were often thrilling to the young people, sometimes it was important—perhaps more important—to relive the legends of old, those which had been passed down through the ages from father and mother to son and daughter, so that these legends might always be preserved.
On this warm summer's night, the stars shone brightly outside, and, from the smoke hole at the top of his lodge, the old man could see the moon, aware that its full shape was slowly waning and becoming smaller each night. At present, it was shining down directly into his tepee, encircling him in a large moonbeam, as though it were alive and the circle around him was a gift from the Creator, sent here to remind him of another time, another place and a quest his people might never forget.
For this reason, he felt it right to pass along this tale of his ancestors—a story of romance, of adventure and of a way of life to be kept alive. Also, its accompanying legend must be told, since the tale involved the compassion of the Creator toward a race of people He loved dearly. Perhaps in the retelling of it, the young people of today might be reminded of the bravery and honor that was once held to be amongst the highest of Blackfoot virtues.
The old ways were dying, perhaps never to be experienced again. Yet, as an oldster, it was his duty to keep the old ways alive within the minds of the youth.
Yes, different values than those of their ancestors were sought by the youth of this day, for the lure of the incoming civilization, along with its technology and its promise of ease, seemed to fit more prominently into their lives. But, now and again, these youths gathered around oldsters like him to hear the stories of the valor of their forefathers as well as the old, old legends from an age long past, a time almost lost in this modern civilization.
In a low, shaky voice, he began by welcoming the young people to his lodge and said, "Nitsikobtaahsíkikáó'toohsi,I am glad you have arrived."
No one spoke back to him, for the Blackfoot language was disappearing amongst these young people, along with its legends and the stories of old. It seemed none of the children had understood what he'd said. However, there was one young lady—perhaps a child of seven—who smiled back at him and said in Blackfeet,"Soka'pii."
This greatly pleased him, and he answered her, saying, "You speak our language well, child. It gladdens my heart to hear the words of your forebears come from your lips. May your parents and others within our circle continue to encourage you along this path."
She smiled at him, and he returned the gesture before beginning his story. With his right hand sweeping outward to indicate the group in general, he began, "This is the legend of the Creator's love for a people who were on the brink of extinction. But, I go before myself. Let me begin at the beginning."
Settling himself into a more comfortable position, he said, "This is the saga of a people we know asÓmahk ótapi'sin, the Big People. It has been told to me, as I now tell it to you, that the Creator, or Sun as we once addressed the Creator, was greatly troubled because there lived a people in his land who were dying. These were the Big People, who stood perhaps seven to nine feet tall. Their bodies were covered with hair, which was the reason they were a dying race, for the land of Sun is fiery and hot.
"Behold, there was a reason why the Creator loved these people so dearly. Listen, and I will tell you what happened. It began in a time so long ago, we can barely conceive of the passage of so many years. Now, it happened at this time that a she-wolf and a woman from the tribe of the Big People saved the life of the Creator's daughter,Ap-ai-kai-kon,Little Skunk. Ap-ai-kai-kon was so young she didn't understand the ways of the land of the Sun in which she lived, and this became a problem.
"One day Ap-ai-kai-kon could not bear the heat of the day, and so she traveled to a distant land where lived wolves who possessed the magical power of creating the water used to cool the land. There, she met a she-wolf.
"Ap-ai-kai-kon begged the wolf to make a watering hole for her. There, she might drink and cool herself.
"Now, because Ap-ai-kai-kon was the daughter of Sun, the wolf did as His daughter asked and caused the skies to rain down upon a certain valley, but only upon that valley because the Sun must always be blazing and hot. In her enthusiasm, the she-wolf had not taken into account how deeply the valley cut into the surrounding land. Soon, the watering hole became a lake.
"But, Ap-ai-kai-kon rejoiced, for the water looked refreshing. In very little time, she had waded into the water and had set out toward the middle of the lake. Suddenly, she dropped into a hole. She couldn't swim, for she possessed no knowledge of water and its dangers.
"The she-wolf, seeing Ap-ai-kai-kon's distress, swam toward her and dove down, down, down, all the way to the bottom of the lake. There she found Ap-ai-kai-kon and brought her up to the surface of the water, but, being too fatigued from her exertion, the she-wolf was unable to swim back to the distant shore. She, too, began to struggle.
"Now, it happened that a young girl namedNatáyo,Lynx, from the tribe of the Big People, had watched these two, keeping herself hidden and at a safe distance from them. But, seeing the danger to Ap-ai-kai-kon and the she-wolf, the kindhearted girl left the safety of concealment and waded through the water toward them. It is well known the strength of the Big People, and, because Lynx was a big girl, she grabbed hold of both the wolf and Ap-ai-kai-kon, bringing them into her arms. And, wading back to shore, she set the two of them delicately onto the lake's grassy beach.
"She didn't wait for their praise, if there were to be any forthcoming. Instead, she ran away and disappeared back into the safety of the woods.
