Lightening Snake Mask
Long, long ago when the world was new and the demon chief Setko lead spirit helpers on the path of war, the first people began to die. Everyone has died since then.
But, that is not the way Wonderful Doer intended. He wanted people to live forever. Before the spirits rebelled, the Transformer came down to walk with first man and first woman and teach them how to live. He taught them how to speak so that they could name things in the new world and to share their thoughts and feelings with each other and the Creator. He showed them what herbs, roots and plants were good to eat and helped them make a village in a meadow surrounded by flowering trees.
In the center of the village he caused a small spring to bubble up and provided a constant flow of pure, cold water that quenched every thirst and was good for washing. The Transformer came every evening to visit with the people and to tell them how much Wonderful Doer in the Heavenly Lodge loved them.
One evening as the Transformer walked among the meadow village, he called first man and first woman and said, “Here is the bulb of the Camas Flower. It is sweet and good to eat. I want you to subsist on this life giving bulb.” Then he showed them how to dig and identify the flower.
But, he warned them, “Listen to me and be careful not to dig, touch or eat the bulb of the Death Camas flower because when you do, it will hurt your body and spirit. Do not be distracted by its beautiful flower or tempted to smell its sweet fragrance. To disobey me will open your eyes to evil and cause the glory light in your soul to grow dark. If you dig, touch or eat the Death Camas you and your descendants will die.”
The man and the woman listened to the Transformer and lived at peace with the natural world. Animals drew near, obeyed and played with them. Birds of the trees sang songs and ate from their hands and the forest and meadow provided much food. The Camas Flower bulb sustained them with nourishment and insured lasting heath.
But, after Setko and his war party flew down upon the earth, the sound of his drumming began to be heard in the gurgling creeks and distant wind. He planted darkness into the hearts of first woman and first man. That is when death came to the earth. Setko’s desire was that the people would turn to him for power instead of Wonderful Doer. He sent Lightening Snake down from the rolling storm clouds to trick the people.
One day when first man was out of sight, Lightening Snake -- filled with the power of Setko and shinning white and blue – moved close to the woman and spoke to her.
“The Transformer is trying to keep you his slave, but if you and the man sing songs to Raven, we will give you great powers. You will be able to tap the glory light that is hidden in your heart and force others to sing your song. No animal will be able to hurt you or your children once you give yourself to us. Look at the beautiful flower of the Death Camus and smell how sweet it is – purer white and sweeter than the Camus Flower. Just look and smell and then dig and taste of the Death Camus flower bulb and you will see what the Transformer is denying you. He didn’t mean to deny you this empowering food of the spirits. Taste the flower and you also will share our ways.”
First woman decided to dig and taste the bulb. She liked it and convinced first man to try it as well and he also liked how it tasted very much. When they had eaten they felt strangely close to Raven and when they shut their eyes, they could see what Raven saw flying across the heavens. So the man and the woman made up a song in his honor.
Raven, Raven black bird of the sky
Power to herald the day and welcome the night
Call from our souls the inner light
Banish gloom from our sight
Fill us with the power of your powers
Let your black wings soar
Accompanied by rattles and drums, first man and first woman sang the song over and over. The more that they sang, the dimmer the glory light shown upon them and a deep spiritual twilight settled upon the earth and remains to this day.
The Transformer came to visit that evening and knew what they had done. “The eyes of Wonderful Doer see into your inner heart. He knows you through and through. He heard your song to Raven and knows that you tasted the Death Camas. Your disobedience has transformed you into mortal beings. Because of what you have done, you will face decay and fear all of your days. You must leave the meadow village and make your way the best you can in a hostile world dominated by wild animals, threatening natural forces, disease and the influence of malevolent spirits who seek to enslave your souls.
“You will be terrified by nightmares at night and in the day will be afraid of bad omens seen in the flight of birds or call of animals. Instead of taking your place as caretakers of the earth, you will chase after your food and become the prey of bears and lions. When you travel by canoe, you will be in danger of becoming captives of ghosts that dwell in the ocean and when you walk to summer hunting grounds you will be taken as slaves by more powerful tribes who war against you. You will be apt to go hungry in winter and become thirsty in summer and from now on will constantly face hardships of every kind.”
First man and first woman knew that what they had done was offensive to the Creator and were overwhelmed by sorrow. First man said, “I know that we deserve to die. Now that we must depart from the meadow and go into the wilderness to hunt for our food, I will pray for Wonderful Doer to provide deer to kill so that our children and we will not starve. May every deer that I pierce with arrows or kill with a spear remind me of the punishment that I deserve. When I drain blood from the carcass and gut it for quartering, may the Transformer see my own blood drained and body cut to pieces. Then when we feast upon the meat of the hunt, we will invite the Great Spirit to join the meal to make up for our offense. We know that listening to the lies of Lightening Snake and singing to Raven brought hardship and death upon us. Now in the wilderness may our songs be for Wonderful Doer alone.”
First man and first woman left the village prepared for them and were forced to live in a village of their own making in the wilderness at the foothills of the mountains. They could never return to their former home again. But, the Transformer did not abandon them and came to teach them how to live in the harsh world. He lead them to a hillside where there was plenty of roots to eat and a stream flowing from the snow capped peaks that provided fresh water. He showed them how to hunt animals for food and to use their skins for clothing and shelter. He showed them how to make flint and obsidian tools and how to make fire by spinning spindles of wood together so that they could keep warm and cook their food.
First man and first woman began to have many children by now and learned how to care for their family in this dangerous new world. Then the Transformer met them for the last time and said:
“I cannot visit you as often as before. The spiritual twilight is getting darker. But, I still desire to help you and will not abandon my creation to the gathering spirits. Out of my pity, I will cause you to seek my face. In the morning when the sun rises or in the night as moon and stars look down, lift your songs up to Wonderful Doer and I will hear and send the glory light of Great Spirit to help you. He will help you to know how to pray until we come to rescue the world.
“Wonderful Doer has a plan to make things right again. One day Great Spirit will come to a daughter of first woman in the form of a white bird to set things right. White Bird’s song will signal that World Changer Child will be born who will defeat the spirits and transform the world back as it was intended. Lightening Snake will bite at the child’s hands and feet, but White Bird will enable him to crush Raven and all his warriors once and for all.”
From that day on all people suffer from the poison of death. Slowly they grow old each day and eventually they shut their eyes for the last time. If they don’t die from old age, people die of sickness or are killed in accidents or in battle and sometimes are murdered. No one escapes. The dead become decaying corpses and their white bones return to the earth from which they were made. Their dry bones settle into the rich earth and their souls depart to wander the afterlife.
That is why the sweet scented, blue flowers of Death Camus bloom in graveyards everywhere.
Next chapter
But, that is not the way Wonderful Doer intended. He wanted people to live forever. Before the spirits rebelled, the Transformer came down to walk with first man and first woman and teach them how to live. He taught them how to speak so that they could name things in the new world and to share their thoughts and feelings with each other and the Creator. He showed them what herbs, roots and plants were good to eat and helped them make a village in a meadow surrounded by flowering trees.
In the center of the village he caused a small spring to bubble up and provided a constant flow of pure, cold water that quenched every thirst and was good for washing. The Transformer came every evening to visit with the people and to tell them how much Wonderful Doer in the Heavenly Lodge loved them.
One evening as the Transformer walked among the meadow village, he called first man and first woman and said, “Here is the bulb of the Camas Flower. It is sweet and good to eat. I want you to subsist on this life giving bulb.” Then he showed them how to dig and identify the flower.
But, he warned them, “Listen to me and be careful not to dig, touch or eat the bulb of the Death Camas flower because when you do, it will hurt your body and spirit. Do not be distracted by its beautiful flower or tempted to smell its sweet fragrance. To disobey me will open your eyes to evil and cause the glory light in your soul to grow dark. If you dig, touch or eat the Death Camas you and your descendants will die.”
The man and the woman listened to the Transformer and lived at peace with the natural world. Animals drew near, obeyed and played with them. Birds of the trees sang songs and ate from their hands and the forest and meadow provided much food. The Camas Flower bulb sustained them with nourishment and insured lasting heath.
But, after Setko and his war party flew down upon the earth, the sound of his drumming began to be heard in the gurgling creeks and distant wind. He planted darkness into the hearts of first woman and first man. That is when death came to the earth. Setko’s desire was that the people would turn to him for power instead of Wonderful Doer. He sent Lightening Snake down from the rolling storm clouds to trick the people.
One day when first man was out of sight, Lightening Snake -- filled with the power of Setko and shinning white and blue – moved close to the woman and spoke to her.
“The Transformer is trying to keep you his slave, but if you and the man sing songs to Raven, we will give you great powers. You will be able to tap the glory light that is hidden in your heart and force others to sing your song. No animal will be able to hurt you or your children once you give yourself to us. Look at the beautiful flower of the Death Camus and smell how sweet it is – purer white and sweeter than the Camus Flower. Just look and smell and then dig and taste of the Death Camus flower bulb and you will see what the Transformer is denying you. He didn’t mean to deny you this empowering food of the spirits. Taste the flower and you also will share our ways.”
First woman decided to dig and taste the bulb. She liked it and convinced first man to try it as well and he also liked how it tasted very much. When they had eaten they felt strangely close to Raven and when they shut their eyes, they could see what Raven saw flying across the heavens. So the man and the woman made up a song in his honor.
Raven, Raven black bird of the sky
Power to herald the day and welcome the night
Call from our souls the inner light
Banish gloom from our sight
Fill us with the power of your powers
Let your black wings soar
Accompanied by rattles and drums, first man and first woman sang the song over and over. The more that they sang, the dimmer the glory light shown upon them and a deep spiritual twilight settled upon the earth and remains to this day.
The Transformer came to visit that evening and knew what they had done. “The eyes of Wonderful Doer see into your inner heart. He knows you through and through. He heard your song to Raven and knows that you tasted the Death Camas. Your disobedience has transformed you into mortal beings. Because of what you have done, you will face decay and fear all of your days. You must leave the meadow village and make your way the best you can in a hostile world dominated by wild animals, threatening natural forces, disease and the influence of malevolent spirits who seek to enslave your souls.
“You will be terrified by nightmares at night and in the day will be afraid of bad omens seen in the flight of birds or call of animals. Instead of taking your place as caretakers of the earth, you will chase after your food and become the prey of bears and lions. When you travel by canoe, you will be in danger of becoming captives of ghosts that dwell in the ocean and when you walk to summer hunting grounds you will be taken as slaves by more powerful tribes who war against you. You will be apt to go hungry in winter and become thirsty in summer and from now on will constantly face hardships of every kind.”
First man and first woman knew that what they had done was offensive to the Creator and were overwhelmed by sorrow. First man said, “I know that we deserve to die. Now that we must depart from the meadow and go into the wilderness to hunt for our food, I will pray for Wonderful Doer to provide deer to kill so that our children and we will not starve. May every deer that I pierce with arrows or kill with a spear remind me of the punishment that I deserve. When I drain blood from the carcass and gut it for quartering, may the Transformer see my own blood drained and body cut to pieces. Then when we feast upon the meat of the hunt, we will invite the Great Spirit to join the meal to make up for our offense. We know that listening to the lies of Lightening Snake and singing to Raven brought hardship and death upon us. Now in the wilderness may our songs be for Wonderful Doer alone.”
First man and first woman left the village prepared for them and were forced to live in a village of their own making in the wilderness at the foothills of the mountains. They could never return to their former home again. But, the Transformer did not abandon them and came to teach them how to live in the harsh world. He lead them to a hillside where there was plenty of roots to eat and a stream flowing from the snow capped peaks that provided fresh water. He showed them how to hunt animals for food and to use their skins for clothing and shelter. He showed them how to make flint and obsidian tools and how to make fire by spinning spindles of wood together so that they could keep warm and cook their food.
First man and first woman began to have many children by now and learned how to care for their family in this dangerous new world. Then the Transformer met them for the last time and said:
“I cannot visit you as often as before. The spiritual twilight is getting darker. But, I still desire to help you and will not abandon my creation to the gathering spirits. Out of my pity, I will cause you to seek my face. In the morning when the sun rises or in the night as moon and stars look down, lift your songs up to Wonderful Doer and I will hear and send the glory light of Great Spirit to help you. He will help you to know how to pray until we come to rescue the world.
“Wonderful Doer has a plan to make things right again. One day Great Spirit will come to a daughter of first woman in the form of a white bird to set things right. White Bird’s song will signal that World Changer Child will be born who will defeat the spirits and transform the world back as it was intended. Lightening Snake will bite at the child’s hands and feet, but White Bird will enable him to crush Raven and all his warriors once and for all.”
From that day on all people suffer from the poison of death. Slowly they grow old each day and eventually they shut their eyes for the last time. If they don’t die from old age, people die of sickness or are killed in accidents or in battle and sometimes are murdered. No one escapes. The dead become decaying corpses and their white bones return to the earth from which they were made. Their dry bones settle into the rich earth and their souls depart to wander the afterlife.
That is why the sweet scented, blue flowers of Death Camus bloom in graveyards everywhere.
Next chapter
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