Latest / Native American Stories by Zitkala-Sa / The Widespread Enigma of Blue-Star Woman

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The Widespread Enigma of Blue-Star Woman · Native American Stories by Zitkala-Sa

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Speaker 1: Section nine of American Indian Stories. This is a LibriVox recording.
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Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. American
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Speaker 1: Indian Stories by zitkala Za. The widespread enigma concerning Blue
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Speaker 1: Star Woman. It was summer on the western plains, fields
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Speaker 1: of golden sunflowers facing eastward greeted the rising sun. Blue
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Speaker 1: Star Woman, with wind shorn braids of white hair over
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Speaker 1: each ear, sat in the shade of her log hut
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Speaker 1: before an open fire, lonely but unmolested. She dwelt here
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Speaker 1: like the grand squirrel that took its abode nearby, both
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Speaker 1: through the easy tolerance of the land owner. The Indian
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Speaker 1: woman held a skillet over the burning embers. A large
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Speaker 1: round cake with long slashes in its center, was baking
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Speaker 1: and crowding the capacity of the frying pan. In deep abstraction,
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Speaker 1: Blue Star Woman prepared her morning meal. Who am I?
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Speaker 1: Had become the obsessing riddle of her life. She was
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Speaker 1: no longer a young woman, being in her fifty third year.
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Speaker 1: In the eyes of the white man's law, it was
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Speaker 1: required of her to give proof of her membership in
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Speaker 1: the Sioux tribe. The unwritten law of heart prompted her
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Speaker 1: naturally to say, I am a being. I am Blue
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Speaker 1: Star Woman. A piece of earth is my birthright. It
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Speaker 1: was taught for reasons now forgot that an Indian should
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Speaker 1: never pronounce his or her name in answer to any inquiry.
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Speaker 1: It was probably a means of protection in the days
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Speaker 1: of black magic. Be this as it may, Blue Star
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Speaker 1: Woman lived in times when this teaching was disregarded. It
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Speaker 1: gained her nothing, however, to pronounce her name to the
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Speaker 1: government official, to whom she applied for her share of
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Speaker 1: tribal land. His persistent question always, who were your parents?
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Speaker 1: Blue Star Woman was left an orphan at a tender age.
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Speaker 1: She did not remember them. They were long gone to
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Speaker 1: the spirit land, and she could not understand why they
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Speaker 1: should be recalled to earth. On her account. It was
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Speaker 1: another one of the old old teachings of her race
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Speaker 1: that the names of the dead should not be idly spoken.
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Speaker 1: It had become a sacrilege to mention carelessly the name
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Speaker 1: of any departed one, especially in matters of disputes over
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Speaker 1: worldly possessions. The unfortunate circumstances of her early childhood, together
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Speaker 1: with the lack of written records of a roving people
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Speaker 1: placed a formidable barrier between her and her heritage. The
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Speaker 1: fact was, events of far greater importance to the tribe
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Speaker 1: than her reincarnation had passed unrecorded in books. The verbal
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Speaker 1: reports of the old time men and women of the
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Speaker 1: tribe were varied, some were actually contradictory. Blue Star Woman
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Speaker 1: was unable to find even a twig of her family tree.
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Speaker 1: She sharpened one end of a long stick, and with
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Speaker 1: it speared the fried bread. When it was browned. Heedless
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Speaker 1: of the hot bread stinging in a high trouble as
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Speaker 1: it was lifted from the fire, she added it to
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Speaker 1: the six others which had preceded it. It had been
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Speaker 1: many a moon since she had had a meal of
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Speaker 1: fried bread, for she was too poor to buy at
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Speaker 1: any one time all the necessary ingredients, particularly the fat
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Speaker 1: in which to fry it. During the bread making, the
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Speaker 1: smoke blackened coffee pot boiled over. The aroma of freshly
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Speaker 1: made coffee smote her nostrils and roused her from the
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Speaker 1: tantalizing memories the day before. Friendly spirits, the unseen ones,
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Speaker 1: had guided her aimless footsteps to her Indian neighbor's house.
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Speaker 1: No sooner had she entered than she saw on the
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Speaker 1: table some grocery bundles. Ah e quay fortunate one, she exclaimed,
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Speaker 1: as she took the straight black chair offered her. At once.
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Speaker 1: The Indian hostess untied the bundles and measured out a
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Speaker 1: cupful of green coffee beans and a pound of lard.
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Speaker 1: She gave them to Blue Star Woman, saying, I want
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Speaker 1: to share my good fortune. Take these home with you.
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Speaker 1: Thus it was that Blue Star Woman had come into
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Speaker 1: unexpected possession of the materials, which now contributed richly to
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Speaker 1: her breakfast. The generosity of her friend had often saved
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Speaker 1: her from starvation. Generosity is said to be a fault
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Speaker 1: of Indian people, but neither the pilgrim Fathers nor Blue
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Speaker 1: Star Woman ever held it seriously against them. Blue Star
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Speaker 1: Woman was even grateful for this gift of food. She
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Speaker 1: was fond of coffee, that black drink brought hither by
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Speaker 1: those daring voyagers of long ago. The coffee habit was
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Speaker 1: one of the signs of her progress in the white
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Speaker 1: man's civilization. Also, had she emerged from the teepee into
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Speaker 1: a log hut, another achievement she had learned to read
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Speaker 1: the primer and to write her name. Little Blue Star
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Speaker 1: attended school an hindered by a fond mother's fears that
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Speaker 1: a foreign teacher might not spare the rod with her darling.
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Speaker 1: Blue Star Woman was her individual name. For untold ages,
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Speaker 1: the Indian race had not used family names, a new
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Speaker 1: born child was given a brand new name. Blue Star
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Speaker 1: Woman was proud to write her name, for which she
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Speaker 1: would not be required to substitute another's upon her marriage,
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Speaker 1: as is the custom of civilized peoples. Times are changed now,
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Speaker 1: she muttered under her breath, my individual name seems to
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Speaker 1: mean nothing. Looking out into space, she saw the nodding
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Speaker 1: sun flowers, and they acquiesced with her. Their drying leaves
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Speaker 1: reminded her of the near approach of autumn. Then soon,
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Speaker 1: very soon, the ice would freeze along the banks of
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Speaker 1: the Muddy River. The day of the first ice was
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Speaker 1: her birthday. She would be fifty four winters old. How
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Speaker 1: futile had been all these winters to secure her a
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Speaker 1: share in tribal lands. A weary smile flickered across her
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Speaker 1: face as she sat there on the ground, like a
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Speaker 1: bronze figure of patience and long suffering. The bread making
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Speaker 1: was finished, the skillet was set aside to cool. She
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Speaker 1: poured the appetizing coffee into her tin cup. With fried
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Speaker 1: bread and black coffee, she regaled herself again, her mind
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Speaker 1: reverted to her riddle. The missionary preacher said he could
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Speaker 1: not explain the white man's law to me. He who
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Speaker 1: reads daily from the Holy Bible, which he tells me
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Speaker 1: is God's book, cannot understand mere man's laws. This also
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Speaker 1: puzzles me, thought she to herself. Once a wise leader
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Speaker 1: of our people, addressing a president of this country, said
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Speaker 1: I am a man, you are another. The Great Spirit
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Speaker 1: is our witness. This is simple and easy to understand.
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Speaker 1: But the times are changed. The white man's laws are strange.
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Speaker 1: Blue Star woman broke off a piece of fried bread
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Speaker 1: between a thumb and forefinger. She ate it hungrily and
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Speaker 1: sipped from her cup of fragrant cops. I do not
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Speaker 1: understand a white man's law. It's like walking in the dark.
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Speaker 1: In this darkness, I am growing fearful of everything. Oblivious
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Speaker 1: to the world. She had not heard the footfall of
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Speaker 1: two Indian men who now stood before her. Their short
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Speaker 1: cropped hair looked blue black in contrast to the faded
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Speaker 1: civilian clothes they wore. Their white man's shoes were rusty
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Speaker 1: and unpolished. To the unconventional eyes of the old Indian woman,
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Speaker 1: their celluloid collars appeared like shining marks of civilization. Blue
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Speaker 1: Star Woman looked up from the lap of mother Earth
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Speaker 1: without rising. He knew, he knew. She ejaculated in undisguised surprise. Pray,
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Speaker 1: who are these would be white men? She inquired in
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Speaker 1: one voice, and by an assumed relationship, the two Indian
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Speaker 1: men addressed her aunt, I shake hands with you again,
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Speaker 1: Blue Star Woman remarked, Oh, indeed, these near white men
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Speaker 1: speak my native tongue and shake hands according to our custom.
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Speaker 1: Did she guess the truth? She would have known. They
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Speaker 1: were simply deluded mortals, deceiving others and themselves, most of
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Speaker 1: all boisterously laughing and making conversation. They each in turn
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Speaker 1: gripped her withered hand like a sudden flurry of wind,
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Speaker 1: tossing loose ends of things. They broke into her quiet
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Speaker 1: morning hour and threw her groping thoughts into greater chaos.
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Speaker 1: Asking their real errand with long drawn faces, they feigned
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Speaker 1: a concern for her welfare. Only we come to ask
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Speaker 1: you how you are living. We heard you were slowly
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Speaker 1: starving to death. We heard you are one of those
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Speaker 1: Indians who have been cheated out of their share in
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Speaker 1: tribal lands by the government officials. Blue Star women became
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Speaker 1: intensely interested. You see, we are educated in the white
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Speaker 1: man's ways, they said, with protruding chests. One unconsciously thrust
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Speaker 1: his thumbs into the armholes of his ill fist and
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Speaker 1: strutted about in his pride. We can help you get
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Speaker 1: your land. We want to help our aunt. All old
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Speaker 1: people like you ought to be helped before the younger ones.
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Speaker 1: The old will die soon and they may never get
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Speaker 1: the benefit of their land unless someone like us helps
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Speaker 1: them to get their rights without further delay. Blue Start
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Speaker 1: Woman listened attentively, motioning to the mats she spread upon
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Speaker 1: the ground, She said, be seated, my nephews. She accepted
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Speaker 1: the relationship assumed for the occasion. I will give you
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Speaker 1: some breakfast. Quickly, she set before them a generous helping
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Speaker 1: of fried bread and cups of coffee. Resuming her own meal,
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Speaker 1: she continued, you are wonderfully kind. It is true, my nephews,
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Speaker 1: that I have grown all trying to secure my share
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Speaker 1: of land. It may not be long till I shall
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Speaker 1: pass under the sod. The two men responded with how
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Speaker 1: how which meant go on with your story? Where blue
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Speaker 1: star women had not yet detected any particular sharpness about
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Speaker 1: their ears, but by an impulse she looked up into
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Speaker 1: their faces and scrutinized them. They were busily engaged in eating.
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Speaker 1: Their eyes were fast upon the food on the mat
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Speaker 1: in front of their crossed shins. Inwardly, she made a
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Speaker 1: passing observation, how like ravenous wolves her nephews devoured their food.
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Speaker 1: Coyotes in winter could not have been more starved. Without comment,
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Speaker 1: she offered them the remaining fried cakes, and between them
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Speaker 1: they took it all. She offered the second helping of coffee,
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Speaker 1: which they accepted without hesitancy. Filling their cups, she placed
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Speaker 1: her empty coffee pot on the dead ashes. To them,
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Speaker 1: she rehearsed her many hardships. It had become a habit
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Speaker 1: now to tell her long story of disappointments, with all
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Speaker 1: its petty details. It was only another instance of good
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Speaker 1: intentions gone awry. It was a paradox upon a land
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Speaker 1: of prophecy, that its path to future glory be stained
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Speaker 1: with the blood of its aborigines. Incongruous as it is,
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Speaker 1: the two nephews, with their white associates, were glad of
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Speaker 1: a condition so profitable to them. Their solicitation for Blue
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Speaker 1: Star Woman was not at all altruistic. They thrived in
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Speaker 1: their grafting business. They and their occupation were the by
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Speaker 1: product of an unwieldy bureaucracy over the nation's wards. Dear aunt,
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Speaker 1: you failed to establish the facts of your identity, they
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Speaker 1: told her. Hereupon Blue Star Woman's countenance fell. It was
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Speaker 1: ever the same old words. It was the old song
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Speaker 1: of the government official. She loathed to hear. The next
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Speaker 1: remark restored her courage. If any one can discover evidence,
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Speaker 1: it's us, I tell you, Aunt, We'll fix it all
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Speaker 1: up for you. It was a great relief to the
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Speaker 1: old Indian woman to be thus unburdened of her riddle
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Speaker 1: with the prospect of possessing land. There is one thing
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Speaker 1: you will have to do. That is to pay us
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Speaker 1: half of your land and money when you get them.
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Speaker 1: Here was a pause, and Blue Star Woman answered slowly yes,
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Speaker 1: in an uncertain frame of mind. The shrewd schemer's note
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Speaker 1: a her behavior. Wouldn't you rather have a half of
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Speaker 1: a crust of bread than none at all, they asked.
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Speaker 1: She was duly impressed with the force of their argument.
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Speaker 1: In her heart, she agreed, a little something to eat
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Speaker 1: is better than nothing. The two men talked in regular relays.
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Speaker 1: The flow of smooth words was continuous and so much
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Speaker 1: like purring, that all the woman's suspicions were put soundly
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Speaker 1: to sleep. Look here, aunt, you know very well that
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Speaker 1: prairie fire is met with the back fire. Blue star Woman,
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Speaker 1: recalling her experiences in fire fighting, quickly responded, yes, oh, yes,
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Speaker 1: in just the same way we fight crooks with crooks.
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Speaker 1: We have clever white lawyers working with us. They are
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Speaker 1: the back fire. Then, as if remembering some particular incident,
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Speaker 1: they both laughed aloud and said, yes, and sometimes they
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Speaker 1: use us as the backfire. We trade fifty fifty. Blue
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Speaker 1: Star Woman sat with her chin in the palm of
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Speaker 1: one hand, with elbow resting in the other. She rocked
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Speaker 1: herself slightly forward and backward. At length, she answered, yes,
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Speaker 1: I will pay you half of my share in tribal
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Speaker 1: land and money when I get them. In by gone days,
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Speaker 1: Brave young men of the Order of the White Horse
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Speaker 1: Riders sought out the age, the poor, the widows and
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Speaker 1: orphans to aid them. But they did their good work
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Speaker 1: without pay. The white horse riders are gone, the times
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Speaker 1: are changed. I am a poor old Indian woman. I
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Speaker 1: need warm clothing before winter begins to blow its icicles
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Speaker 1: through us. I need firewood. I need food. As you've said,
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Speaker 1: a little help is better than none. Hereupon the two
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Speaker 1: pretenders scored another's success. They rose to their feet. They'd
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Speaker 1: eaten up all the fried bread and drained the coffee pot.
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Speaker 1: They shook hands with blue star women and departed. In
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Speaker 1: the quiet that followed their departure, she sat munching her
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Speaker 1: small piece of bread, which, by a lucky chance, she
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Speaker 1: had taken on her plate before the hungry wolves had come.
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Speaker 1: Very slowly, she ate the fragment of fried bread, as
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Speaker 1: if to increase it by diligent mastication. A self condemning
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Speaker 1: sense of guilt disturbed her. In her dire need, she
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Speaker 1: had become involved with tricksters. Her nephews laughingly told her
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Speaker 1: used crooks, and crooks used us in the skirmish over
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Speaker 1: Indian lands. The friendly shade of the house shrank away
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Speaker 1: from her and hid itself under the narrow eaves of
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Speaker 1: the dirt covered roof. She shrugged her shoulders. The sun
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Speaker 1: high in the sky had witnessed the affair and now
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Speaker 1: glared down upon her white head. Gathering upon her arm
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Speaker 1: the mats and cooking utensils, she hobbled into her log hut.
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Speaker 1: Unto the brooding wilderness silence. On the Sioux Indian reservation,
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Speaker 1: the Superintendent summoned together the leading Indian men of the tribe.
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Speaker 1: He read a letter which he had received from headquarters
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Speaker 1: in Washington, d c. It announced the enrollment of Blue
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Speaker 1: Star Women on their tribal roll of members and the
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Speaker 1: approval of allotting land to her. It came as a
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Speaker 1: great shock to the tribesmen. Without their knowledge and consent,
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Speaker 1: their property was given to a strange woman. They protested
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Speaker 1: in vain. The Superintendent said, I received this letter from Washington.
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Speaker 1: I have read it to you for your information. I
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Speaker 1: have fulfilled my duty. I can do no more with
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Speaker 1: these fateful words. He dismissed the assembly. Heavy hearted, Chief
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Speaker 1: high Flier returned to his dwelling. Smoking his long stemmed pipe,
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Speaker 1: he pondered over the case of Blue Star Woman. The
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Speaker 1: Indian's guardian had got into a way of usurping autocratic
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Speaker 1: power in disposing of the ward's property. It was growing intolerable.
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Speaker 1: No doubt this Indian woman is entitled to allotment. But
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Speaker 1: where certainly not here, he thought to himself. Laying down
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Speaker 1: his pipe, he called his little granddaughter from her play.
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Speaker 1: You are my interpreter. In scribe, he said, bring your
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Speaker 1: paper and pencil. A letter was written in the child's
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Speaker 1: sprawling hand and signed by the old chieftain. It read,
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Speaker 1: my friend, I make letter to you. My heart is sad.
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Speaker 1: Washington gave my tribe's land to a woman called Blue Star.
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Speaker 1: We do not know her. We were not asked to
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Speaker 1: give land. But our land is taken from us to
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Speaker 1: give to another Indian. This is not right. Lots of
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Speaker 1: little children of my tribe have no land. Why this
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Speaker 1: strange woman get our land which belongs to our children.
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Speaker 1: Go to Washington and ask if our treaties. Tell him
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Speaker 1: to give our property away without asking us. Tell him
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Speaker 1: I thought we made good treaties on paper, But now
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Speaker 1: our children cry for food. We are too poor. We
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Speaker 1: cannot give even to our own little children. Washington is
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Speaker 1: very rich. Washington now owns our country. If he wants
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Speaker 1: to help this poor Indian woman, Blue Star. Let him
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Speaker 1: give her some of his land and his money. This
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Speaker 1: is all I will say until you answer me. I
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Speaker 1: shake hands with you in my heart. The great Spirit
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Speaker 1: hears my words. They are true, your friend, Chief high
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Speaker 1: flier X his mark. The letter was addressed to a
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Speaker 1: prominent American woman. A stamp was carefully placed on the envelope.
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Speaker 1: Early the next morning, before the dew was off the grass,
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Speaker 1: the chieftain's riding pony was caught from the pasture and
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Speaker 1: brought to his log house. It was saddled and bridled
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Speaker 1: by a younger man, his son, with whom he made
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Speaker 1: his home. The old chieftain came out, carrying in one
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Speaker 1: hand his long stemmed pipe and tobacco pouch. His blanket
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Speaker 1: was loosely girdled about his waist tightly holding the saddle horn,
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Speaker 1: placed a moccasin foot carefully into the stirrup, and pulled
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Speaker 1: himself up awkwardly into the saddle, muttering to himself, alas
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Speaker 1: I can no more leap into my saddle, I now
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Speaker 1: must crawl about in my helplessness. He was past eighty
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Speaker 1: years of age and no longer agile. He sat upon
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Speaker 1: his ten mile trip to the only post office for
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Speaker 1: hundreds of miles around. In his shirt pocket, he carried
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Speaker 1: the latter destined in due season to reach the heart
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Speaker 1: of American people. His bony grown old in service, jogged
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Speaker 1: along the dusty road. Memories of other days thronged the wayside,
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Speaker 1: and for the lonely rider transformed all the country. Those
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Speaker 1: days were gone when the Indian youths were taught to
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Speaker 1: be truthful, to be merciful to the poor. Those days
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Speaker 1: were gone when moral cleanliness was a chief virtue, when
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Speaker 1: public feasts were given in honor of the virtuous girls
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Speaker 1: and young men of the tribe. Untold mischief is now
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Speaker 1: possible through these broken ancient laws. The younger generation were
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Speaker 1: not being properly trained in the high virtues. A slowly
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Speaker 1: starving race was growing mad, and the pitifully weak sold
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Speaker 1: their lance for a pot of porridge. Hey hey, hey, hey, hey,
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Speaker 1: he lamented small voice woman. My own relative is being
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Speaker 1: represented as the mother of this strange blue star. The
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Speaker 1: papers were made by two young Indian men who've learned
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Speaker 1: the white man's ways. Why must I be forced to
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Speaker 1: accept the mischief of children? My memory is clear, my
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Speaker 1: reputation for veracity is well known, small voice. Women lived
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Speaker 1: in my house until her death. She had only one child,
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Speaker 1: and it was a boy. He held his hand over
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Speaker 1: his thumping heart, and was reminded of the letter in
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Speaker 1: his pocket. This letter, what will happen when it reaches
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Speaker 1: my good friend, he asked himself. The chieftain rubbed his
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Speaker 1: dim eyes and groaned. If only my good friend knew
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Speaker 1: the folly of turning my letter into the hands of bureaucrats.
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Speaker 1: In face of repeated defeat, I am daring once more
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Speaker 1: to send this one letter, an inner voice said in
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Speaker 1: his ear. And this one letter will share the same
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Speaker 1: fate of the other letters. Startled by the unexpected voice,
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Speaker 1: he jerked upon the bridle reins and brought the drowsy
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Speaker 1: pony to a sudden halt. There was no one near.
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Speaker 1: He found himself a mile from the post office, for
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Speaker 1: the cluster of government buildings where lived the superintendent were
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Speaker 1: now in plain sight. His thin frame shook with emotion.
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Speaker 1: He could not go there with this letter. He dismounted
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Speaker 1: from his bony. His quavering voice chanted a bravery song
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Speaker 1: as he gathered dry grasses and the dead stalks of
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Speaker 1: last year's sun flowers. He built a fire, and, crying
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Speaker 1: aloud for his sorrow was greater than he could bear,
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Speaker 1: he cast the letter into the flames. The fire consumed it.
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Speaker 1: He sent his message on the wings of fire, and
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Speaker 1: he believed she would get it. He yet trusted that
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Speaker 1: help would come to his people before it was too late.
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Speaker 1: The pony tossed his head in a readiness to go.
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Speaker 1: He knew he was on the return trip, and he
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Speaker 1: was glad to travel. The wind, which blew so gently
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Speaker 1: at dawn, was now increased into a gale. As the
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Speaker 1: sun approached the zenith, the chieftain, on his way home,
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Speaker 1: sensed a coming storm. He looked upward to the sky
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Speaker 1: and around in every direction. Behind him. In the distance,
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Speaker 1: he saw a cloud of dust. He saw several horsemen
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Speaker 1: whipping their ponies and riding at great speed. Occasionally he
21:31
Speaker 1: heard their shouts, as if calling after some one. He
21:35
Speaker 1: slackened his pony's pace and frequently looked over his shoulder
21:38
Speaker 1: to see who the riders were advancing in hot haste
21:41
Speaker 1: upon him. He was growing curious. In a short time,
21:45
Speaker 1: the riders surrounded him. On their coats shone brass buttons,
21:49
Speaker 1: and on their hats were gold cords and tassels. They
21:52
Speaker 1: were Indian police. Wahun, he exclaimed, finding himself the object
21:58
Speaker 1: of their chase. She was their foolish ilk who had
22:01
Speaker 1: murdered the great leader. Sitting bull pray, what is the joke?
22:05
Speaker 1: Why do young men surround an old man quietly riding home? Uncle,
22:10
Speaker 1: said the spokesman. We are hirelings, as you know. We
22:13
Speaker 1: are sent by the government superintendent to arrest you and
22:16
Speaker 1: take you back with us. The superintendent says, you are
22:20
Speaker 1: one of the bad Indians, singing war songs and opposing
22:23
Speaker 1: the government all the time. This morning you were seen
22:26
Speaker 1: trying to set fire to the government agency. Cond on,
22:30
Speaker 1: he replied the old chief, placing the palm of his
22:33
Speaker 1: hand over his mouth, agape in astonishment. All this is unbelievable.
22:39
Speaker 1: The policeman took hold of the pony's bridle and turned
22:42
Speaker 1: the reluctant little beast around. They led it back with them,
22:45
Speaker 1: and the old chieftain set unresisting in the saddle. High
22:49
Speaker 1: Flier was taken before the superintendent, who charged him with
22:52
Speaker 1: setting fires to destroy government buildings and found him guilty.
22:57
Speaker 1: Thus Chief high Flower was sent to jail. He had
23:00
Speaker 1: already suffered much during his life. He was the voiceless
23:04
Speaker 1: man of America, and now, in his old age he
23:06
Speaker 1: was cast into prison. The chagrin of it all, together
23:10
Speaker 1: with his utter helplessness to defend his own or his
23:13
Speaker 1: people's human rights, weighed heavily upon his spirit. The foul
23:18
Speaker 1: air of the dingy cell nauseated him, who loved the open.
23:21
Speaker 1: He sat wearily down upon the tattered mattress which lay
23:25
Speaker 1: on the rough board floor. He drew his robe closely
23:28
Speaker 1: about his tall figure, holding it partially over his face,
23:32
Speaker 1: his hands covered within the folds in profound bloom. The
23:36
Speaker 1: gray haired prisoner sat there without a stir for long hours,
23:40
Speaker 1: and knew not when the day ended and night began.
23:43
Speaker 1: He sat buried in his desperation. His eyes were closed,
23:47
Speaker 1: but he could not sleep. Bread and water in tin
23:50
Speaker 1: receptacles set upon the floor beside him, untouched, he was
23:54
Speaker 1: not hungry. Venturesome mice crept out upon the floor and
23:58
Speaker 1: scampered in the dim starlight streaming through the iron bars
24:01
Speaker 1: of the cell window. They squeaked as they dared each
24:04
Speaker 1: other to run across his moccasined feet, but the chieftain
24:08
Speaker 1: neither saw nor heard them. A terrific struggle was waged
24:12
Speaker 1: within his being. He fought as he never fought before.
24:16
Speaker 1: Tenaciously he hung upon hope for the day of salvation,
24:20
Speaker 1: that hope hoary with age. Defying all odds against him,
24:24
Speaker 1: he refused to surrender faith in good people. Underneath his blanket,
24:29
Speaker 1: wrapped so closely about him, still and luminous light. Before
24:33
Speaker 1: his stricken consciousness appeared a vision lo his good friend,
24:38
Speaker 1: the American woman to whom he had sent his messages
24:40
Speaker 1: by fire, now stood there a legion. A vast multitude
24:45
Speaker 1: of women with uplifted hands, gazed upon a huge stone image.
24:49
Speaker 1: Their upturned faces were eager and very earnest. The stone
24:53
Speaker 1: figure was that of a woman upon the brink of
24:55
Speaker 1: the great waters, facing eastward. The myriad living hands remained
24:59
Speaker 1: uplift till the stone woman began to show signs of life.
25:03
Speaker 1: Very majestically, she turned around and low she smiled upon
25:07
Speaker 1: this great galaxy of American women. She was a statue
25:11
Speaker 1: of liberty. It was she who, though representing human liberty,
25:16
Speaker 1: formerly turned her back upon the American aborigine. Her face
25:20
Speaker 1: was aglow with compassion. Her eyes swept across the outspread
25:24
Speaker 1: continent of America, the home of the Red Man. At
25:28
Speaker 1: this moment, her torch flamed brighter and whiter, till its
25:31
Speaker 1: radiance reached into the obscure and remote places of the land.
25:35
Speaker 1: Her light of liberty penetrated Indian reservations. A loud shout
25:40
Speaker 1: of joy rose up from the Indians of the earth everywhere.
25:44
Speaker 1: All too soon the picture was gone. Chief high Flier awoke.
25:48
Speaker 1: He lay prostrate on the floor where during the night
25:50
Speaker 1: he had fallen. He rose and took his seat again
25:53
Speaker 1: upon the mattress. Another day was ushered into his life.
25:57
Speaker 1: In his heart lay the secret vision of hope, born
26:00
Speaker 1: in the midnight of his sorrows. It enabled him to
26:03
Speaker 1: serve his jail sentence with a mute dignity which baffled
26:06
Speaker 1: those who saw him. Finally came the day of his release.
26:10
Speaker 1: There was rejoicing all over the land. The desolate hills
26:13
Speaker 1: that harbored wailing voices nightly now were hushed, and still
26:18
Speaker 1: only gladness filled the air. A crowd gathered around the
26:21
Speaker 1: jail to greet the chieftain. His son stood at the
26:24
Speaker 1: entrance way while the guard unlocked the prison door. Serenely quiet,
26:29
Speaker 1: the old Indian chief stepped forth. An unseen stone in
26:33
Speaker 1: his path caused him to stumble slightly, but his son
26:36
Speaker 1: grasped him by the hand and steadied his touttering steps.
26:40
Speaker 1: He led him to a heavy lumber wagon drawn by
26:42
Speaker 1: a small pony team, which he had brought to take
26:45
Speaker 1: him home. The people thronged about him. Hundreds shook hands
26:49
Speaker 1: with him and went away, singing native songs of joy
26:52
Speaker 1: for the safe return to them of their absent One
26:55
Speaker 1: among the happy people came Blue Star Woman's two nephews.
27:00
Speaker 1: Each shook the chieftain's hand. One of them held out
27:03
Speaker 1: an ink pad, saying, we are glad we were able
27:06
Speaker 1: to get you out of jail. We have great influence
27:08
Speaker 1: with the Indian Bureau in Washington, d c. When you
27:11
Speaker 1: need help, let us know here. Press your thumb in
27:15
Speaker 1: this pad. His companion took from his pocket a document
27:18
Speaker 1: prepared for the old chief's signature and held it on
27:21
Speaker 1: the wagon wheel for the thumb mark. The chieftain was
27:24
Speaker 1: taken by surprise. He looked into his son's eyes to
27:28
Speaker 1: know the meaning of these two men. It is our agreement,
27:31
Speaker 1: he explained to his old father. I pledged to pay
27:34
Speaker 1: them half of your land if they got you out
27:36
Speaker 1: of jail. The old chieftain's side, but made no comment.
27:40
Speaker 1: Words were vain. He pressed his indelible thumb mark his
27:44
Speaker 1: signature it was upon the deed, and drove home with
27:48
Speaker 1: his son. End of section nine, read by Sandra in
27:53
Speaker 1: Mohawk Territory near Montreal, twenty twenty two