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005 - Iktomi And The Fawn · Old Native American Legends

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  Speaker 1: Old Indian Legends by essay Zitkala section five. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: Section five. Iktomi and the Fawn. In one of his
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  Speaker 1: wanderings through the wooded lands, Iktomai saw a rare bird
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  Speaker 1: sitting high in a tree top. Its long fanlike tail
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  Speaker 1: feathers had caught all the beautiful colors of the rainbow,
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  Speaker 1: handsome in the glistening summer sun set. The bird of
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  Speaker 1: rainbow plumage. Iktomi hurried hither, with his eyes fast on
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  Speaker 1: the bird. He stood beneath them tree, looking long and
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  Speaker 1: wistfully at the peacock's bright feathers. At length. He heaved
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  Speaker 1: a sigh and began, Oh, I wish I had such
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  Speaker 1: pretty feathers. How I wish I were not I. If
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  Speaker 1: only I were a handsome feathered creature, How happy I
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  Speaker 1: would be. I'd be so glad to sit upon a
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  Speaker 1: very high tree and bask in the summer sun, like
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  Speaker 1: you said, He suddenly pointing his bony finger up toward
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  Speaker 1: the peacock, who was eyeing the stranger below, turning his
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  Speaker 1: head from side to side. I beg of you make
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  Speaker 1: me into a bird with green and purple feathers like yours,
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  Speaker 1: implored dic Toomai, tired now of playing the brave in
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  Speaker 1: beaded buckskins. The peacock then spoke to Iktomai, I have
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  Speaker 1: a magic power. My touch will change you in a
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  Speaker 1: moment into the most beautiful peacock if you can keep
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  Speaker 1: one condition. Yes, yes, shouted Iktomi, jumping up and down,
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  Speaker 1: patting his lips with his palm, which caused his voice
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  Speaker 1: to vibrate in a peculiar fashion. Yes, yes, I could
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  Speaker 1: keep ten conditions, if only you would change me into
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  Speaker 1: a bird with long, bright tail feathers. Oh I am
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  Speaker 1: so ugly, I am so tired of being myself. Change
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  Speaker 1: me do Hereupon the peacock spread out both his wings
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  Speaker 1: and scarce, moving them, he sailed slowly down upon the
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  Speaker 1: ground right beside Iktomi. He alighted very low in Iktomi's ear.
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  Speaker 1: The peacock whispered, are you willing to keep one condition?
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  Speaker 1: Though hard it be? Yes? Yes, I've told you ten
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  Speaker 1: of them, if need be, exclaimed dic Toomai, with some impatience.
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  Speaker 1: Then I pronounce you, handsome feathered bird. No longer are
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  Speaker 1: you Iktomai the mischief maker. Saying this, the peacock touched
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  Speaker 1: Iktomi with the tips of his wings. Iktomai vanished at
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  Speaker 1: the touch. There stood beneath the tree two handsome peacocks.
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  Speaker 1: While one of the pair strutted about with a head
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  Speaker 1: turned aside as if dazzled by his own bright tinted
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  Speaker 1: tail feathers. The other bird soared slowly upward. He sat
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  Speaker 1: quietly and unconscious of his gear plumage. He seemed content
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  Speaker 1: to perch there on a large limb in the warm sunshine.
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  Speaker 1: After a little while, the vain peacock, dizzy with his
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  Speaker 1: bright colors, spread out his wings and lit on the
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  Speaker 1: same branch with the elder bird. Oh, he exclaimed, how
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  Speaker 1: hard to fly. Bright tinted feathers are handsome, But I
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  Speaker 1: wish they were light enough to fly just there, the
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  Speaker 1: elder bird interrupted him. This is the one condition. Never
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  Speaker 1: try to fly like other birds. Upon the day you
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  Speaker 1: try to fly, you shall be changed into your former self.
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  Speaker 1: Oh what a shame that bright feathers cannot fly into
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  Speaker 1: the sky, cried the peacock. Already he grew restless. He
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  Speaker 1: longed to soar through space. He yearned to fly above
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  Speaker 1: the trees, high upward to the sun. Oh there I
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  Speaker 1: see a flock of birds flying thither. Oh oh, said he,
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  Speaker 1: flapping his wings. I must try my wings. I am
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  Speaker 1: tired of bright tail feathers. I want to try my wings. No, no,
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  Speaker 1: clucked the elder bird. The flock of chattering birds flew
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  Speaker 1: by with whirring wings. Oop oop called some to their mates.
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  Speaker 1: Possessed by an irresistible impulse, the Iktomy peacock called out
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  Speaker 1: he I want to come. Wait for me, And with
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  Speaker 1: that he gave a lunge into the air. The flock
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  Speaker 1: of flying feathers wheeled about and lowered over the tree.
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  Speaker 1: Whence came the peacock's cry. Only one rare bird sat
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  Speaker 1: on the tree, and beneath on the ground stood a
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  Speaker 1: brave in brown buckskins. I am my old self again,
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  Speaker 1: groaned Iktomai in a sad voice. Make me over, pretty bird,
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  Speaker 1: try me this once again, he pleaded in vain old
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  Speaker 1: Iktomi wants to fly. Ah, we cannot wait for him,
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  Speaker 1: sang the birds as they flew away, muttering unhappy vows.
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  Speaker 1: To himself. Iktomi had not gone far when he chanced
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  Speaker 1: upon a bunch of long, slender arrows. One by one,
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  Speaker 1: they rose in the air and shot a straight line
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  Speaker 1: over the prairie. Others shot up into the blue sky
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  Speaker 1: and were soon lost in sight. Only one was left.
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  Speaker 1: He was making ready for his flight when Iktomi rushed
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  Speaker 1: upon him and wailed, I want to be an arrow.
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  Speaker 1: Make me into an arrow. I want to pierce the
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  Speaker 1: blue blue overhead. I want to strike yonder summer sun
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  Speaker 1: in its center. Make me into an arrow. Can you
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  Speaker 1: keep one condition? One condition? Though hard it be? The
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  Speaker 1: arrow turned to ask, Yes, Yes, shouted Iktomi, delighted hereupon
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  Speaker 1: the slender arrow tapped him gently with his sharp flint beak.
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  Speaker 1: There was no Iktomi, but two arrows stood ready to fly. Now,
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  Speaker 1: young arrow, this is the one condition. Your flight must
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  Speaker 1: always be in a straight line. Never turn a currv,
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  Speaker 1: nor jump about like a young fawn, said the arrow magician.
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  Speaker 1: He spoke slowly and sternly. At once he set about
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  Speaker 1: to teach the new arrow how to shoot in a
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  Speaker 1: long straight line. This is the way to pierce the
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  Speaker 1: blue overhead, said he, and off he spun high into
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  Speaker 1: the sky. While he was gone, a herd of deer
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  Speaker 1: came trotting by behind them. Played the young fawns together.
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  Speaker 1: They frolicked about like kittens. They bounced on all fours
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  Speaker 1: like balls. Then they pitched forward, kicking their heels in
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  Speaker 1: the air. The Iktomi arrow watched them so happily on
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  Speaker 1: the ground. Looking quickly up into the sky, he said
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  Speaker 1: in his the magician is out of sight. I'll just
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  Speaker 1: romp and frolic with these fawns until he returns. Fawns, friends,
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  Speaker 1: do not fear me. I want to jump and leap
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  Speaker 1: with you. I long to be happy as you are,
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  Speaker 1: said he. The young fawns stopped with stiff legs and
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  Speaker 1: stared at the speaking arrow with large brown, wondering eyes. See,
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  Speaker 1: I can jump as well as you. Went on, Iktomi,
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  Speaker 1: He gave one tiny leap like a fawn. All of
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  Speaker 1: a sudden, the fawns snorted with extended nostrils at what
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  Speaker 1: they beheld. There among them stood Iktomi in brown buckskins,
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  Speaker 1: and the strange talking arrow was gone. Oh I am myself,
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  Speaker 1: my old self, cried Iktomi, pinching himself and plucking imaginary
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  Speaker 1: pieces out of his jacket. Hin hin hin I wanted
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  Speaker 1: to fly. The real arrow now returned to the earth.
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  Speaker 1: He alighted very near Iktomi. From the high sky. He
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  Speaker 1: had seen the fawns playing on the green. He had
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  Speaker 1: seen Iktomi make his one leap, and the charm was broken.
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  Speaker 1: Iktomi became his former self arrow, My friend, change me
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  Speaker 1: once more, begged Iktomai. No no more, replied the arrow.
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  Speaker 1: Then away he shot through the air in the direction
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  Speaker 1: his comrades had flown. By this time, the fawns gathered
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  Speaker 1: close around Iktomi. They poked their noses at him, trying
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  Speaker 1: to know who he was. Iktomi's tears were like a
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  Speaker 1: spring shower. A new desire dried them quickly away. Stepping
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  Speaker 1: boldly to the largest fawn, he looked closely at the
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  Speaker 1: little brown spots all over the furry face. O, fawn,
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  Speaker 1: what beautiful brown spots on your face? Fawn, dear little fawn,
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  Speaker 1: Can you tell me how those brown spots were made
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  Speaker 1: on your face? Yes, said the fawn. When I was
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  Speaker 1: very very small, my mother marked them on my face
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  Speaker 1: with a red hot fire. She dug a large hole
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  Speaker 1: in the ground and made a soft bed of grass
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  Speaker 1: and twigs in it. Then she placed me gently there.
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  Speaker 1: She covered me over with dry sweet grass, and pieled
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  Speaker 1: dry cedars on top. From a neighbor's fire, she brought
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  Speaker 1: hither a red red ember. This she tucked carefully in
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  Speaker 1: at my head. This is how the brown spots were
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  Speaker 1: made on my face. Now, fawn, my friend, will you
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  Speaker 1: do the same for me? Won't you mark my face
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  Speaker 1: with brown brown spots, just like yours? Asked dic Toomai,
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  Speaker 1: always eager to be like other people. Yes, I can
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  Speaker 1: dig the ground and fill it with dry grass and sticks.
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  Speaker 1: If you will jump into the pit, I'll cover you
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  Speaker 1: with sweet smelling grass and cedar wood, answered the fawn,
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  Speaker 1: say interrupted, Iktomi, will you be sure to cover me
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  Speaker 1: with a great deal of dry grass and twigs. You
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  Speaker 1: will make sure that the spots will be as brown
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  Speaker 1: as those you wear. Oh yes, I'll pile up grass
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  Speaker 1: and willows once oftener than my mother did. Now, let
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  Speaker 1: us dig the hole, pull the grass, and gather sticks,
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  Speaker 1: cried Iktomi in glee. Thus with his own hands he
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  Speaker 1: aids in making his grave. After the hole was dug
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  Speaker 1: and cushioned with grass, Iktomi muttering something about brown spots,
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  Speaker 1: leaped down into it lengthwise. Flat on his back, he
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  Speaker 1: lay while the thawn covered him over with cedars. A
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  Speaker 1: far away voice came up through them, Brown brown spots
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  Speaker 1: to wear forever. A red ember was tucked under the
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  Speaker 1: dry grass. Off scampered the fawns after their mothers, And
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  Speaker 1: when a great distance away they looked backward, they saw
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  Speaker 1: a blue smoke rising, writhing upward till it vanished in
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  Speaker 1: the blue ether? Is that Iktomi's spirit, asked one fawn
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  Speaker 1: of another. No, I think he would jump out before
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  Speaker 1: he could burn into smoke and cinders, answered his comrade.
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  Speaker 1: End of section five. Recording by Robert Scott, July the thirtieth,
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  Speaker 1: two thousand and seven.