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RE: Great announcement for Native Americans
2/7/2010 11:47:21 PM
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Hi Alain, Thought I would give you a little of the Native American Lore. Enjoy Blessings and hugs, Myrna The Origins of the Buffalo Dance Native American Lore
When the buffalo first came to be upon the land, they were not friendly to the people.When the hunters tried to coax them over the cliffs for the good of the villages, they werereluctant to offer themselves up. They did not relish being turned into blankets and driedflesh for winter rations. They did not want their hooves and horn to become tools andutinsels nor did they welcome their sinew being used for sewing. "No, no," they said. Wewon't fall into your traps. And we will not fall for your tricks." So when the hunters guidedthem towards the abyss, they would always turn aside at the very last moment. With thislack of cooperation, it seemed the villagers would be hungry and cold and ragged allwinter long. Now one of the hunters' had a daughter who was very proud of her father's skill with thebow. During the fullness of summer, he always brought her the best of hides to dress, andshe in turn would work the deerskins into the softest, whitest of garments for him to wear.Her own dresses were like the down of a snow goose, and the moccasins she made forthe children and the grandmothers in the village were the most welcome of gifts. But now with the hint of snow on the wind, and deer becoming more scarce in the willowbreaks, she could see this reluctance on the part of the buffalo families could become areal problem. Hunter's Daughter decided she would do something about it. She went to the base of the cliff and looked up. She began to sing in a low, soft voice,"Oh, buffalo family, come down and visit me. If you come down and feed my relatives in awedding feast, I will join your family as the bride of your strongest warrior." She stopped and listened. She thought she heard the slight rumbling sound of thunder inthe distance. Again she sang, "Oh, buffalo family, come down and visit me. Feed my family in awedding feast so that I may be a bride." The thunder was much louder now. Suddenly the buffalo family began falling from the skyat her feet. One very large bull landed on top of the others, and walked across the backs of hisrelatives to stand before Hunter's Daughter. "I am here to claim you as my bride," said Large Buffalo. "Oh, but now I am afraid to go with you," said Hunter's Daughter. "Ah, but you must," said Large Buffalo, "For my people have come to provide yourpeople with a wedding feast. As you can see, they have offered themselves up." "Yes, but I must run and tell my relatives the good news," said Hunter's Daughter. "No,"said Large Buffalo. No word need be sent. You are not getting away so easily." And with that said, Large Buffalo lifted her between his horns and carried her off to hisvillage in the rolling grass hills. The next morning the whole village was out looking for Hunter's Daughter. When theyfound the mound of buffalo below the cliff, the father, who was in fact a fine tracker aswell as a skilled hunter, looked at his daughter's footprints in the dust. "She's gone off with a buffalo, he said. I shall follow them and bring her back." So Hunter walked out upon the plains, with only his bow and arrows as companions. Hewalked and walked a great distance until he was so tired that he had to sit down to restbeside a buffalo wallow. Along came Magpie and sat down beside him. Hunter spoke to Magpie in a respectful tone, "O knowledgeable bird, has my daughterbeen stolen from me by a buffalo? Have you seen them? Can you tell me where they havegone?" Magpie replied with understanding, "Yes, I have seen them pass this way. They are restingjust over this hill." "Well," said Hunter, would you kindly take my daughter a message for me? Will you tellher I am here just over the hill?" So Magpie flew to where Large Buffalo lay asleep amidst his relatives in the dry prairiegrass. He hopped over to where Hunter's Daughter was quilling moccasins, as she satdutifully beside her sleeping husband. "Your father is waiting for you on the other side ofthe hill," whispered Magpie to the maiden. "Oh, this is very dangerous," she told him. These buffalo are not friendly to us and theymight try to hurt my father if he should come this way. Please tell him to wait for me and Iwill try to slip away to see him." Just then her husband, Large Buffalo, awoke and took off his horn. "Go bring me a drinkfrom the wallow just over this hill," said her husband. So she took the horn in her hand and walked very casually over the hill. Her father motioned silently for her to come with him, as he bent into a low crouch in thegrass. "No," she whispered. The buffalo are angry with our people who have killed theirpeople. They will run after us and trample us into the dirt. I will go back and see what Ican do to soothe their feelings." And so Hunter's daughter took the horn of water back to her husband who gave a loudsnort when he took a drink. The snort turned into a bellow and all of the buffalo got up inalarm. They all put their tails in the air and danced a buffalo dance over the hill, tramplingthe poor man to pieces who was still waiting for his daughter near the buffalo wallow. His daughter sat down on the edge of the wallow and broke into tears. "Why are you crying?" said her buffalo husband. "You have killed my father and I am a prisoner, besides," she sobbed. "Well, what of my people?" her husband replied. We have given our children, our parentsand some of our wives up to your relatives in exchange for your presence among us. Adeal is a deal." But after some consideration of her feelings, Large Buffalo knelt down beside her and saidto her, "If you can bring your father back to life again, we will let him take you back hometo your people." So Hunter's Daughter started to sing a little song. "Magpie, Magpie help me find somepiece of my father which I can mend back whole again." Magpie appeared and sat down in front of her with his head cocked to the side. "Magpie, Magpie, please see what you can find," she sang softly to the wind which bentthe grasses slightly apart. Magpie cocked his head to the side and looked carefully withinthe layered folds of the grasses as the wind sighed again. Quickly he picked out a piece ofher father that had been hidden there, a little bit of bone. "That will be enough to do the trick," said Hunter's Daughter, as she put the bone on theground and covered it with her blanket. And then she started to sing a reviving song that had the power to bring injured peopleback to the land of the living. Quietly she sang the song that her grandmother had taughther. After a few melodious passages, there was a lump under the blanket. She andMagpie looked under the blanket and could see a man, but the man was not breathing. Helay cold as stone. So Hunter's Daughter continued to sing, a little softer, and a little softer,so as not to startle her father as he began to move. When he stood up, alive and strong,the buffalo people were amazed. They said to Hunter's Daughter, "Will you sing this songfor us after every hunt? We will teach your people the buffalo dance, so that wheneveryou dance before the hunt, you will be assured a good result. Then you will sing this songfor us, and we will all come back to live again."
Traditional Blackfoot story of How the Buffalo Dance was given to the people. |