Latest / Old Native American Legends / 006 - The Badger And The Bear

Transcript

006 - The Badger And The Bear · Old Native American Legends

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Old Indian Legends by Zitkala Shah, section six. This is
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Old Indian Legends, section six. The Badger and the Bear.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: On the edge of a forest, there lived a large
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: family of badgers in the ground. Their dwelling was made.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Its walls and roof were covered with rocks and straw.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Old father Badger was a great hunter. He knew well
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: how to track the deer and the buffalo. Every day
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: he came home carrying on his back some wild game.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: This kept mother Badger very busy and the baby badger's
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: very chubby, while the well fed children played about digging
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: little MakeBelieve dwellings. Their mother hung thin sliced meats upon
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: long willow racks. As fast as the meats were dried
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: and seasoned by the sun and wind, she packed them
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: carefully away in a large, thick bag. This bag was
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: like a huge, stiff envelope, but far more beautiful to see,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: for it was painted all over with many bright colors.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: These firmly tied bags of dried meat were laid upon
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: the rocks in the walls of the dwelling. In this way,
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: they were both useful and decorative. One day, father Badger
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: did not go off for a hunt. He stayed at
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: home making new arrows. His children sat about him on
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: the ground floor. Their small black eyes danced with delight
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: as they watched the gay colors painted upon the arrows.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: All of a sudden there was heard a heavy footfall
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: near the entranceway. The oval shaped door frame was pushed aside.
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: In stepped a large black foot with great big claws.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: Then the other clumsy foot came next. All the while
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: the baby Badger stared hard at the unexpected comer. After
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: the second foot, in peeped the head of a big
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: black bear. His black nose was dry and parched. Silently,
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: he entered the dwelling and sat down on the ground
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: by the doorway. His black eyes never left the painted
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: bags on the rocky walls. He guessed what was in them.
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: He was a very hungry bear, seeing the racks of
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: meat hanging in the yard. He had come to visit
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: the Badger family, though he was a stranger, and his
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: strong paws and jaws frightened the small badgers. The father said,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: how friend, your lips and nose look feverish and hungry.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Will you eat with us? Yes, my friend, said the bear,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: I am starved. I saw your racks of red fresh meat,
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: and knowing your hardest kind, I came hither. Give me
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: meat to eat, my friend. Hereupon, the mother badger took
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: long strides across the room, and as she had to
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: pass in front of the strange visitor, she said, ah, han,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: allow me to pass, which was an apology. How how
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: replied the bear, drawing himself closer to the wall and
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: crossing his shins together. Mother badger chose the most tender
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: red meat, and soon, over a bed of coals, she
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: broiled the venison. That day, the bear had all he
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: could eat. At nightfall, he rose and smacking his lips together,
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: that is the noisy way of saying the food was
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: very good. He left the badger dwelling. The baby badgers
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: peeping through the doorflap after the shaggy bear saw him
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: disappear into the woods near by. Day after day, the
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: crackling of twigs in the forest told of heavy footsteps.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: Out would come the same black bear. He never lifted
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: the door flap, but thrusting it aside, entered slowly in.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Always in the same place by the entrance way, he
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: sat down with crossed shins. His daily visits were so
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: regular that mother Badger placed a fur rug in his place.
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: She did not wish a guest in her dwelling to
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: sit upon the bare, hard ground. At last one time,
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: when the bear returned, his nose was bright and black,
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: his coat was glossy. He had grown fat upon the
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: Badger's hospitality. As he entered the dwelling, a pair of
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: wicked gleams shot out of his shaggy head. Surprised by
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: the strange behavior of the guest, who remained standing upon
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: the rug, leaning his round back against the wall, father
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: Badger queried, how my friend what. The bear took one
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: stride forward and shook his paw in the Badger's face.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: He said, I am strong, very strong. Yes, yes, so
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: you are, replied the badger. From the farther end of
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: the room. Mother Badger muttered over her beadwork. Yes, you
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: grew strong from our well filled bowls. The bear smiled,
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: showing a row of large sharp teeth. I have no dwelling,
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: I have no bags of dried meat. I have no arrows.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: All these I have found here on this spot, said he,
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: stamping his heavy foot. I want them see I am strong,
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: repeated he, lifting both his terrible paws quietly. The father
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: badger spoke, I fed you. I called you friend, though
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: you came here a stranger and a beggar, for the
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: sake of my little ones. Leave us in peace. Mother badger,
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: in her excited way, had pierced hard through the buckskin
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: and stuck her fingers repeatedly with her sharp aw, until
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: she had laid aside her work. Now, while her husband
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: was talking to the bear, she motioned with her hands
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: to the children on tiptoe. They hastened to her side.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: For reply came a low growl. It grew louder and
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: more fierce. Wow. He roared and by force hurled the
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: badgers out, first the father badger, then the mother. The
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: little badgers he tossed by pears. He threw them hard
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: upon the ground. Standing in the entrance way, and showing
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: his ugly teeth, he snarled, be gone. The father and
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: mother badger, having gained their feet, picked up their kicking
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: little babes, and wailing aloud, drew the air into their
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: flattened lungs, till they could stand alone upon their feet.
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: No sooner had the baby badgers caught their breath than
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: they howled and shrieked with pain and fright. Ah would
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: a dismal cry was theirs, as the whole badger family
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: went forth wailing from out their own dwelling. A little
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: distance away from their stolen house, the father badger built
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: a small round hut. He made it of bent willows
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: and covered it with dry grass and twigs. This was
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: shelter for the night, but alas it was empty of
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: food and arrows. All day, father Badger prowled through the forest,
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: but without his air arrows he could not get food
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: for his children. Upon his return, the cry of the
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: little ones for meat, the sad quiet of the mother
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: with bowed head hurt him like a poisoned arrow wound.
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: I'll beg meat for you, said he in an unsteady voice.
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: Covering his head and entire body in a long, loose robe,
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: he halted beside the big black bear. The bear was
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: slicing red meat to hang upon the rack. He did
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: not pause for a look at the comer. As the
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: badger stood there unrecognized. He saw that the bear had
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: brought with him his whole family. Little cubs played under
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: the high hanging new meats. They laughed and pointed with
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: their wee noses upward at the thin sliced meat upon
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: the pole. Have you no heart, black bear, My children
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: are starving. Give me a small piece of meat for them,
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: begged the badger. Woo, growled the angry bear, and pounced
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: upon the badger. Be Gone, said he, and with his
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: big hind foot he sent father badger sprawling on the ground.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: All the little ruffian bears hooted and shouted ha ha
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: to see the badger fall upon his face. There was one, however,
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: who did not even smile. He was the youngest cub.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: His fur coat was not as black and glossy as
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: those his elders wore. The hair was dry and dingy.
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: It looked more like kinkie wool. He was the ugly cub,
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: poor little baby bear. He had always been laughed at
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: by his older brothers. He could not help being himself.
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: He could not change the differences between himself and his brothers. Thus, again,
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: though the rest laughed aloud at the badger's fall, he
• 12:28
  Speaker 1: did not see the joke. His face was long and earnest.
• 12:34
  Speaker 1: In his heart he was sad to see the badger's
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: crying and starving. In his breast spread a burning desire
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: to share his food with them. I shall not ask
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: my father for meat to give away. He would say no,
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Then my brothers would laugh at me, said the ugly
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: baby bear to himself. In an instant, as if his
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: good intention had passed from him, he was singing happily
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: and skipping around his father at work, singing in his
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: small high voice, and dragging his feet in long strides
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: after him, as if a prankish spirit oozed out from
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: his heels. He strayed off through the tall grass. He
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: was ambling toward the small round hut, when directly in
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: front of the entrance way, he made a quick side
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: kick with his left hind leg. Lo there fell into
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: the badger's hut a piece of fresh meat. It was
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: tough meat full of sinews, yet it was the only
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: piece he could take without his father's notice. Thus having
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: given meat to the hungry badgers, the ugly baby bear
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: ran quickly away to his father again. On the following day,
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: the father badger came back once more, he stood watching
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: the big bear cutting thin slices of meat. Give He
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: began when the bear, turning upon him with a growl,
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: thrust him cruelly aside. The badger fell on his hands.
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: He fell where the grass was wet with the blood
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: of the newly carved buffalo. His keen, starving eyes caught
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: sight of a little red clot lying bright upon the green.
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: Looking fearfully toward the bear, and seeing his head was
• 14:54
  Speaker 1: turned away, he snatched up the small thick blood underneath
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: his girdled blanket. He hid it in his hands. On
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: his return to his family, he said within himself, I'll
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: pray the Great Spirit to bless it. Thus he built
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: a small round lodge, sprinkling water upon the heated heap
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: of sacred stones. Within he made ready to purge his body.
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: The buffalo blood, too, must be purified before I ask
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: a blessing upon it, thought the badger. He carried it
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: into the sacred vapor lodge. After placing it near the
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: sacred stones, he sat down beside it. After a long silence,
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: he muttered, Great Spirit, bless this little buffalo blood. Then
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: he arose and with a dignity, stepped out of the
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: lodge close behind him. Someone followed. The badger turned to
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: look over his shoulder, and to his great joy, he
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: beheld a Dakota brave in handsome buckskins. In his hand,
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: he carried a magic arrow across his back dangled a
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: long fringed quiver. In answer to the badger's prayer, the
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: avenger had sprung from out of the red globules. My son,
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: exclaimed the badger with extended right hand. How father, replied
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: the brave, I am your avenger. Immediately, the badger told
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: the story of his hungry little ones, and the stingy
• 16:55
  Speaker 1: bear listening closely the young man and stood looking steadily
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: upon the ground. At length, the father badger moved away,
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: where queried the avenger. My son, we have no food.
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: I'm going again to beg for meat, answered the badger.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: Then I go with you, replied the young brave. This
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: made the old badger happy. He was proud of his son.
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: He was delighted to be called father by the first
• 17:35
  Speaker 1: human creature. The bear saw the badger coming in the distance.
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: He narrowed his eyes at the tall stranger walking beside him.
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: He spied the arrow at once he guessed it was
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: the avenger, of whom he had heard long long ago.
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: As they approached, the bear stood rocked with hand on
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: his thigh. He smiled upon them. How badger, my friend,
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: here is my knife, cut your favorite piece from the deer,
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: said he, holding out a long, thin blade. How, said
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: the badger eagerly. He wondered what had inspired the big
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: bear to such a generous deed. The young avenger waited
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: till the badger took the long knife in his hand.
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: Gazing full into the black bear's face, he said, I
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: come to do justice. You have returned only a knife
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: to my poor father. Now returned to him his dwelling.
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: His voice was deep and powerful. In his black eyes
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: burned a steady fire. The long, strong teeth of the
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: bear rattled against each other, and his shaggy body shook
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: with fear. Ahow, cried he as if he had been shot.
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: Running into the dwelling, he gasped, breathless and trembling. Come out,
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: all of you, this is the badger's dwelling. We must
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: flee to the forest for fear of the avenger who
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: carries the magic arrow. Out they hurried all the bears
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: and disappeared into the woods. Singing and laughing. The badgers
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: returned to their own dwelling. Then the Avenger left them.
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: I go, said he in Parting over the Earth and
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: of Section six. Recording by Robert Scott, August the third,
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: two thousand and seven.