"Hi everyone and welcome back to class, " said Grandmother Willow as I was still finding my seat. I don't know if she is actually my Grandmother but everyone in the tribe calls her that it seems like. I snuck into my seat beside Nakoma. She starts joking with me that someday I will marry Kocoum and that will settle me down, because he is always so serious.
"Today we are going to learn the story of how our world was made," Grandmother Willow was beginig today's lesson. "Long ago the Earth was an island floating in the sea suspended by four ropes at each of the cardinal point. Do we remeber what the point are from last weeks lesson?"
Kocoum and Nakoma hands shot straight up along with a few others, me I was already starting to gaze out the window thinking of my next adventure I would be on. "Pocahontas. Pocahontas my child, can you tell us the four cardinal points?" Grandmother Willow asked, she always seems to know when I get distracted. "North, East, South, and West Grandmother." I said as I kept staring out the window.
"Very good. Now," Grandmother Willow contiued the story, "long before the island came about everything was covered in water. All the animals above in Galun'lati was curious on what was below. That is when the Beaver's Grandchild, the water beetle, offered to go see and learn what was below in the water. He swam and swam around but found no firm place to rest. He decided to swim underwater and brought back with him some soft mud. This mud began to grow and spread in every direction until it became an island."
"What about the cords?" asked Nakoma, she was always asking questions about the stories Grandmother Willow told us.
"No one knows who fastened them from the island to the sky," responded Grandmother Willow. "The animals in Galun'lati were anxious to go to the island and explore. First various birds were sent down to see if the island was dry, they did not have much luck. One of the last birds to be sent was the Great Buzzard, and was told to make ready for the other animals to follow. He circled the island multiple times to get a good look at everything, he began to grow tired. When he reached our homeland he began to flap his wings violently. With every flap his wings hit the Earth, creating vallies and mountains."
"Is that why we have so many mountains Grandmother?" asked Kocoum. I was still daydreaming out the window wanting to return to the river again, I thought I could hear a waterfall last time I was there.
"Yes, exactly Kocoum." Grandmother Willow responded before she checked her watch. "Oh I need to hurry my story along if we want to make lunch. The animals got the sun on a track to cross the island everyday from East to West. They had trouble at first with the sun being to hot on the island, each day they rose it a little higher until it was seven handsbreadths high just under the sky and Galun'lati. Where the sun rest its highest place is called Gulkwa'gine Di'ganlun'latiyum because it is the seventh hight. The animals and plants were instructed by our Creator to stay awake for seven days and seven nights. Each night one by one more and more of the plants and animals started to fall asleep. Until there was the Owl, the Panther and a few other animals still awake. That is why they are able to see and hunt in the dark. Of the plants the evergreens of: cedar, pine, spruce, holly and the laurel are green year round because they too stayed awake. These trees are also good for medicine, but my favorite tree is the..." The bell rang for lunch.
I am always the first one out of the room when the bell rings, I just want to be outside. Grandmother Willow stops and asked me, "Is everything okay my child?"
"I have been having weird dreams lately, but always the same one." I responded
"Come sit and tell me about them." She graciously walks over to some stumps outside because she knows I am most comfortable here than in class.
"There is a spinning arrow and strange clouds," I continue to tell her about the dreams I have been having.
Story Source:
Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900) How the World Was Made here
Image: buzzard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_buzzard , compass: Photo by Bryan Minear on Unsplash
"Today we are going to learn the story of how our world was made," Grandmother Willow was beginig today's lesson. "Long ago the Earth was an island floating in the sea suspended by four ropes at each of the cardinal point. Do we remeber what the point are from last weeks lesson?"
Kocoum and Nakoma hands shot straight up along with a few others, me I was already starting to gaze out the window thinking of my next adventure I would be on. "Pocahontas. Pocahontas my child, can you tell us the four cardinal points?" Grandmother Willow asked, she always seems to know when I get distracted. "North, East, South, and West Grandmother." I said as I kept staring out the window.
"Very good. Now," Grandmother Willow contiued the story, "long before the island came about everything was covered in water. All the animals above in Galun'lati was curious on what was below. That is when the Beaver's Grandchild, the water beetle, offered to go see and learn what was below in the water. He swam and swam around but found no firm place to rest. He decided to swim underwater and brought back with him some soft mud. This mud began to grow and spread in every direction until it became an island."
"What about the cords?" asked Nakoma, she was always asking questions about the stories Grandmother Willow told us.
"No one knows who fastened them from the island to the sky," responded Grandmother Willow. "The animals in Galun'lati were anxious to go to the island and explore. First various birds were sent down to see if the island was dry, they did not have much luck. One of the last birds to be sent was the Great Buzzard, and was told to make ready for the other animals to follow. He circled the island multiple times to get a good look at everything, he began to grow tired. When he reached our homeland he began to flap his wings violently. With every flap his wings hit the Earth, creating vallies and mountains."
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| Buzzard |
"Is that why we have so many mountains Grandmother?" asked Kocoum. I was still daydreaming out the window wanting to return to the river again, I thought I could hear a waterfall last time I was there.
"Yes, exactly Kocoum." Grandmother Willow responded before she checked her watch. "Oh I need to hurry my story along if we want to make lunch. The animals got the sun on a track to cross the island everyday from East to West. They had trouble at first with the sun being to hot on the island, each day they rose it a little higher until it was seven handsbreadths high just under the sky and Galun'lati. Where the sun rest its highest place is called Gulkwa'gine Di'ganlun'latiyum because it is the seventh hight. The animals and plants were instructed by our Creator to stay awake for seven days and seven nights. Each night one by one more and more of the plants and animals started to fall asleep. Until there was the Owl, the Panther and a few other animals still awake. That is why they are able to see and hunt in the dark. Of the plants the evergreens of: cedar, pine, spruce, holly and the laurel are green year round because they too stayed awake. These trees are also good for medicine, but my favorite tree is the..." The bell rang for lunch.
I am always the first one out of the room when the bell rings, I just want to be outside. Grandmother Willow stops and asked me, "Is everything okay my child?"
"I have been having weird dreams lately, but always the same one." I responded
"Come sit and tell me about them." She graciously walks over to some stumps outside because she knows I am most comfortable here than in class.
"There is a spinning arrow and strange clouds," I continue to tell her about the dreams I have been having.
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| Photo by Bryan Minear on Unsplash |
Notes:
Author's Note: While reading this weeks stories, Pocahontas has been stuck in my head. Including all of the Disney songs for the movie. "Why does the wolf cry to the blue corn moon?" from Paint with all the Colors of the wind. I made my characters young, elementary age mainly focusing on Grandmother Willow telling the story about how the Earth was created. She is cut short by the lunch bell. For the story that Grandmother Willow is telling the students I stuck close to the story How the World Was Made from the Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney. Becauase these are stories that are handed down from generation to generation about their ancestors.Story Source:
Myths of the Cherokee by James Mooney (1900) How the World Was Made here
Image: buzzard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_buzzard , compass: Photo by Bryan Minear on Unsplash
I have a confession to make...
ReplyDeleteI've never seen the movie Pocahontas so unfortunately I don't really know who any of these characters are in your story. It doesn't affect my understanding of the story that much, it just took me a little bit to figure out where all the characters' names came from.
Regardless, I think you did a good job of adapting the original story into this different format.
I thought the names were familiar but I took a little bit to remember the movie! But I totally understand the use of pre-existing names. And I like the idea of the Grandmother Willow teaching Native-American elementary school. Can you imagine?
ReplyDeleteI like your premise, but I wish she would have had more time to expand on the story. Your dialogue really helps paint the picture of the adaptation, but don't let it get in the way of the story progression. That happens to me a lot.
Great job!