In the old days the beasts, birds, fishes, insects, and plants
could all talk, and they and the people lived together in peace and
friendship. But as time went on the people increased so rapidly that
their settlements spread over the whole earth, and the poor animals
found themselves beginning to be cramped for room. This was bad enough,
but to make it worse Man invented bows, knives, blowguns, spears,
and hooks, and began to slaughter the larger animals, birds, and
fishes for their flesh or their skins, while the smaller creatures,
such as the frogs and worms, were crushed and trodden upon without
thought, out of pure carelessness or contempt. So the animals resolved
to consult upon measures for their common safety.
The Bears were the first to meet in council in their townhouse under
Kuwâ'hi mountain, the "Mulberry place," and the old White Bear chief
presided. After each in turn had complained of the way in which Man
killed their friends, ate their flesh, and used their skins for his
own purposes, it was decided to begin war at once against him. Some
one asked what weapons Man used to destroy them. "Bows and arrows,
of course," cried all the Bears in chorus. "And what are they made
of?" was the next question. "The bow of wood, and the string of our
entrails," replied one of the Bears. It was then proposed that they
make a bow and some arrows and see if they could not use the same
weapons against Man himself. So one Bear got a nice piece of locust
wood and another sacrificed himself for the good of the rest in order
to furnish a piece of his entrails for the string. But when everything
was ready and the first Bear stepped up to make the trial, it was
found that in letting the arrow fly after drawing back the bow, his
long claws caught the string and spoiled the shot. This was annoying,
but some one suggested that they might trim his claws, which was
accordingly done, and on a second trial it was found that the arrow
went straight to the mark. But here the chief, the old White Bear,
objected, saying it was necessary that they should have long claws in
order to be able to climb trees. "One of us has already died to furnish
the bow-string, and if we now cut off our claws we must all starve
together. It is better to trust to the teeth and claws that nature
gave us, for it is plain that man's weapons were not intended for us."
No one could think of any better plan, so the old chief dismissed
the council and the Bears dispersed to the woods and thickets without
having concerted any way to prevent the increase of the human race. Had
the result of the council been otherwise, we should now be at war
with the Bears, but as it is, the hunter does not even ask the Bear's
pardon when he kills one.
The Deer next held a council under their chief, the Little Deer,
and after some talk decided to send rheumatism to every hunter who
should kill one of them unless he took care to ask their pardon
for the offense. They sent notice of their decision to the nearest
settlement of Indians and told them at the same time what to do when
necessity forced them to kill one of the Deer tribe. Now, whenever the
hunter shoots a Deer, the Little Deer, who is swift as the wind and
can not be wounded, runs quickly up to the spot and, bending over the
blood-stains, asks the spirit of the Deer if it has heard the prayer
of the hunter for pardon. If the reply be "Yes," all is well, and the
Little Deer goes on his way; but if the reply be "No," he follows on
the trail of the hunter, guided by the drops of blood on the ground,
until he arrives at his cabin in the settlement, when the Little Deer
enters invisibly and strikes the hunter with rheumatism, so that he
becomes at once a helpless cripple. No hunter who has regard for his
health ever fails to ask pardon of the Deer for killing it, although
some hunters who have not learned the prayer may try to turn aside
the Little Deer from his pursuit by building a fire behind them in
the trail.
Next came the Fishes and Reptiles, who had their own complaints
against Man. They held their council together and determined to make
their victims dream of snakes twining about them in slimy folds and
blowing foul breath in their faces, or to make them dream of eating
raw or decaying fish, so that they would lose appetite, sicken,
and die. This is why people dream about snakes and fish.
Finally the Birds, Insects, and smaller animals came together for
the same purpose, and the Grubworm was chief of the council. It was
decided that each in turn should give an opinion, and then they would
vote on the question as to whether or not Man was guilty. Seven votes
should be enough to condemn him. One after another denounced Man's
cruelty and injustice toward the other animals and voted in favor
of his death. The Frog spoke first, saying: "We must do something
to check the increase of the race, or people will become so numerous
that we shall be crowded from off the earth. See how they have kicked
me about because I'm ugly, as they say, until my back is covered
with sores;" and here he showed the spots on his skin. Next came
the Bird--no one remembers now which one it was--who condemned Man
"because he burns my feet off," meaning the way in which the hunter
barbecues birds by impaling them on a stick set over the fire, so
that their feathers and tender feet are singed off. Others followed
in the same strain. The Ground-squirrel alone ventured to say a good
word for Man, who seldom hurt him because he was so small, but this
made the others so angry that they fell upon the Ground-squirrel and
tore him with their claws, and the stripes are on his back to this day.
They began then to devise and name so many new diseases, one after
another, that had not their invention at last failed them, no one
of the human race would have been able to survive. The Grubworm grew
constantly more pleased as the name of each disease was called off,
until at last they reached the end of the list, when some one proposed
to make menstruation sometimes fatal to women. On this he rose up in
his place and cried: "Wadâñ'! [Thanks!] I'm glad some more of them
will die, for they are getting so thick that they tread on me." The
thought fairly made him shake with joy, so that he fell over backward
and could not get on his feet again, but had to wriggle off on his
back, as the Grubworm has done ever since.
When the Plants, who were friendly to Man, heard what had been done by
the animals, they determined to defeat the latters' evil designs. Each
Tree, Shrub, and Herb, down even to the Grasses and Mosses, agreed
to furnish a cure for some one of the diseases named, and each said:
"I shall appear to help Man when he calls upon me in his need." Thus
came medicine; and the plants, every one of which has its use if we
only knew it, furnish the remedy to counteract the evil wrought by
the revengeful animals. Even weeds were made for some good purpose,
which we must find out for ourselves. When the doctor does not know
what medicine to use for a sick man the spirit of the plant tells him.