Crane, continued
She learned that without the influence of women, men would tear the world apart. For this reason, women must be greater in gentleness in order to tame men, subdue their wildness and keep harmony in the villages. The peacemaking gentleness is a gift from of the Dove Spirit for each woman. This is why clan totems and birthrights are passed through the mother and why mothers and grandmothers must give permission for their children to marry. Each baby is born under the protection of the totem of his or her mother’s family. Newly wed couples come to live in the women’s village. In this way the taming influence of women might be strong.
A white haired grandmother from a near by village stood to tell a story: “Long, long ago the men and women of a village quarreled over who was the greater. The men said, “We are greater because we protect the tribe from enemies and go fishing and hunting to supply food for the children.” The women said, “We are greater because we give birth to children, weave baskets, mats and clothing and feed the family.” The quarrelling became so intense that the people decided to split up. The women went to live on one side of the river and the men set up camp on the other. The separation lasted several moons.
“But, it wasn’t long until the men became restless and began to fight each other. The women also grew lonely and missed the men. Everyone agreed that the split was a mistake, so the men and women rejoined as one people. Then the chief’s spokesman called everyone to one place and said, ‘We are one people. Wonderful Doer made us from the same flesh and bones and fit us together perfectly. Men need women and women need men to be complete. In unison we find happiness.’” These and similar stories were told.
The highlight of the Coming of Age Ceremony was eating a portion of the Creator’s heart that beats life-blood into all things. To show her union with the way of the sky world and separation from the darkness of the earth, each woman eats a portion of a camas bulb steamed with bloodroot turning the white fiber pink like flesh.
The special camas bulbs were collected from a place known as the Alpine Shrine – a spot high above the best berry fields known only to the women. Alpine Shrine was near a hidden spring that flows ice cold from under a white granite rock down into a narrow meadow ledge on the eastern slopes of a mountainside warmed by the light of the sunrise. The tiny stream formed the headwaters of the Duwam’ha River and was marked by a model totem pole in the shape of a thunderbird, about as tall as a young girl.
“When we taste the flesh of the bulb, we plant the flower in our soul to one day bloom with glory when the World Changer Child shall be given to us,” said the presiding grandmother. “World Changer Child will come to make all things right. He will bring daybreak to banish our darkness.”
On the third night at the Sky World Camp, another white haired grandmother told the story about the Eagle-Ghost that stands guard at the door of heaven’s lodge in the highest place: The wings of Eagle-Ghost are spread as if flying and he is covered with feathers that each look like eyes. He always sings his glory song in honor of the Creator and searches to welcome those chosen guests to the Spirit Lodge with his high pitched call.
“One day Eagle-Ghost told us how our world will come to an end. Before the end of the present darkness, the people will see a canoe made of stars arrive in the harbor bringing four shamans with long hair and pale faces, their bodies covered with many tattoos and adorned with pierced jewelry and wearing hats and tunics made of thorny vines and dry branches. Each man will come singing about the suffering and horror that the people have endured since trickster Raven and his rebellious spirit-helpers overtook the earth – bringing disease, famine, war and death. The people will cry in anguish at the coming of the shamans and greatly fear their songs and curses. Behind the men will appear a black storm cloud growing like a wall threatening to crush the villages and all living things.
Then a portion of the sun will be seen through the clouds and a rainbow will arch across the great waters. The rainbow in the shape of a half moon will fall down upon the earth like a spearhead. The rainbow will find its way to the tree where hunters tied the slaughtered carcass of a white fawn of a deer, stained red with blood, prepared for the fire. The blade of the rainbow will consume the tree with colors and wash away the bloody stain of the fawn’s white coat. Then the slaughtered fawn will leap down from the tree and stand up alive. The fawn will shake his head back and forth and shout a war cry. Then the tiny figure will grow and be transformed into a mountain lion – a supernatural lion spirit but made of real flesh.
The mighty Golden Lion will stalk the pale shamans coming from their canoe up the beach and pounce upon them in revenge, wrestling each one to the ground and crushing their bones in his jaws. From out of their mouths and nostrils, the shaman will cry out shrieking blasts of wind, using all of their magical powers to harm Golden Lion.
The fighting will shake the earth so that no one can stand. A hailstorm will hit with full force, flashes of lightening and booming of thunder will fill the blackened sky. The people will see tidal waves crash, fires burn up forests, new mountains rise on the horizon, the earth tremble as canyons crack open the land, the moon bleed red, the sun turn black like an ember and all the heavens change.
The fighting will be fiercer than any fight ever known, but Golden Lion is a powerful victor. One by one, he will defeat each pale man and toss their broken bodies far into the ocean where they will plunge to the bottom of the watery depths, transformed into sharks, eels or sea monsters. Then a new light will appear in the sky to join the sun and the moon, driving away every shadow and filling the whole world with brightness and peace. On that day the Lion-Man will be made the undying chief of all tribes and animals of the earth.
This is why today hunters must pray for permission to kill the offspring of deer and sing to be spared from the wrath of the lion hiding in the forest. It is also why our men carve an effigy of the lion and place him at the top of the highest totem pole in our villages.
During their initiation Uma-kwee and the other girls who were turned into women that spring heard other stories like these for the first time and were amazed by the lessons that they learned about the powerful love of Wonderful Doer for his people. Stories of Eagle-Ghost, White Fawn, Golden Lion, Timber Dove, Singing Rocks, World Changer Child, Old Man in the Northern Lights and many more tales that inspired the listeners to devotion and made them all feel united as a single family.
As Duwam'ha women, they were proud to be fellow worshipers of the Dove Spirit and partakers of the sacred root of the mountain, able to drink water from the base of Sky Ladder Waterfall, and share in the same unison that makes the Council of Three shine as one light in the highest place.
Next chapter
A white haired grandmother from a near by village stood to tell a story: “Long, long ago the men and women of a village quarreled over who was the greater. The men said, “We are greater because we protect the tribe from enemies and go fishing and hunting to supply food for the children.” The women said, “We are greater because we give birth to children, weave baskets, mats and clothing and feed the family.” The quarrelling became so intense that the people decided to split up. The women went to live on one side of the river and the men set up camp on the other. The separation lasted several moons.
“But, it wasn’t long until the men became restless and began to fight each other. The women also grew lonely and missed the men. Everyone agreed that the split was a mistake, so the men and women rejoined as one people. Then the chief’s spokesman called everyone to one place and said, ‘We are one people. Wonderful Doer made us from the same flesh and bones and fit us together perfectly. Men need women and women need men to be complete. In unison we find happiness.’” These and similar stories were told.
The highlight of the Coming of Age Ceremony was eating a portion of the Creator’s heart that beats life-blood into all things. To show her union with the way of the sky world and separation from the darkness of the earth, each woman eats a portion of a camas bulb steamed with bloodroot turning the white fiber pink like flesh.
The special camas bulbs were collected from a place known as the Alpine Shrine – a spot high above the best berry fields known only to the women. Alpine Shrine was near a hidden spring that flows ice cold from under a white granite rock down into a narrow meadow ledge on the eastern slopes of a mountainside warmed by the light of the sunrise. The tiny stream formed the headwaters of the Duwam’ha River and was marked by a model totem pole in the shape of a thunderbird, about as tall as a young girl.
“When we taste the flesh of the bulb, we plant the flower in our soul to one day bloom with glory when the World Changer Child shall be given to us,” said the presiding grandmother. “World Changer Child will come to make all things right. He will bring daybreak to banish our darkness.”
On the third night at the Sky World Camp, another white haired grandmother told the story about the Eagle-Ghost that stands guard at the door of heaven’s lodge in the highest place: The wings of Eagle-Ghost are spread as if flying and he is covered with feathers that each look like eyes. He always sings his glory song in honor of the Creator and searches to welcome those chosen guests to the Spirit Lodge with his high pitched call.
“One day Eagle-Ghost told us how our world will come to an end. Before the end of the present darkness, the people will see a canoe made of stars arrive in the harbor bringing four shamans with long hair and pale faces, their bodies covered with many tattoos and adorned with pierced jewelry and wearing hats and tunics made of thorny vines and dry branches. Each man will come singing about the suffering and horror that the people have endured since trickster Raven and his rebellious spirit-helpers overtook the earth – bringing disease, famine, war and death. The people will cry in anguish at the coming of the shamans and greatly fear their songs and curses. Behind the men will appear a black storm cloud growing like a wall threatening to crush the villages and all living things.
Then a portion of the sun will be seen through the clouds and a rainbow will arch across the great waters. The rainbow in the shape of a half moon will fall down upon the earth like a spearhead. The rainbow will find its way to the tree where hunters tied the slaughtered carcass of a white fawn of a deer, stained red with blood, prepared for the fire. The blade of the rainbow will consume the tree with colors and wash away the bloody stain of the fawn’s white coat. Then the slaughtered fawn will leap down from the tree and stand up alive. The fawn will shake his head back and forth and shout a war cry. Then the tiny figure will grow and be transformed into a mountain lion – a supernatural lion spirit but made of real flesh.
The mighty Golden Lion will stalk the pale shamans coming from their canoe up the beach and pounce upon them in revenge, wrestling each one to the ground and crushing their bones in his jaws. From out of their mouths and nostrils, the shaman will cry out shrieking blasts of wind, using all of their magical powers to harm Golden Lion.
The fighting will shake the earth so that no one can stand. A hailstorm will hit with full force, flashes of lightening and booming of thunder will fill the blackened sky. The people will see tidal waves crash, fires burn up forests, new mountains rise on the horizon, the earth tremble as canyons crack open the land, the moon bleed red, the sun turn black like an ember and all the heavens change.
The fighting will be fiercer than any fight ever known, but Golden Lion is a powerful victor. One by one, he will defeat each pale man and toss their broken bodies far into the ocean where they will plunge to the bottom of the watery depths, transformed into sharks, eels or sea monsters. Then a new light will appear in the sky to join the sun and the moon, driving away every shadow and filling the whole world with brightness and peace. On that day the Lion-Man will be made the undying chief of all tribes and animals of the earth.
This is why today hunters must pray for permission to kill the offspring of deer and sing to be spared from the wrath of the lion hiding in the forest. It is also why our men carve an effigy of the lion and place him at the top of the highest totem pole in our villages.
During their initiation Uma-kwee and the other girls who were turned into women that spring heard other stories like these for the first time and were amazed by the lessons that they learned about the powerful love of Wonderful Doer for his people. Stories of Eagle-Ghost, White Fawn, Golden Lion, Timber Dove, Singing Rocks, World Changer Child, Old Man in the Northern Lights and many more tales that inspired the listeners to devotion and made them all feel united as a single family.
As Duwam'ha women, they were proud to be fellow worshipers of the Dove Spirit and partakers of the sacred root of the mountain, able to drink water from the base of Sky Ladder Waterfall, and share in the same unison that makes the Council of Three shine as one light in the highest place.
Next chapter
