by Franks Busch
As always he shared his catch with the Turtle lodge, which usually earned him a smile or a thank you from Water Lily Woman. The rest of his catch went to the Bear lodge, for Singing Doe, White Willow Woman, and Walking Moon Woman to smoke or dry for the winter.
“We are going to get sick of fish this winter,” laughed Singing Doe with pride. “If you are going to keep catching them, you should see if anyone will trade for hides.”
Flying Rabbit Boy kept his mother’s suggestion in mind, and when the Trader’s caravan came late that summer, he was ready for them. He had worked hard to catch and smoke a large store of fish and bartered for many things the Bear clan needed. Although he was not able to trade for buffalo robes, he did manage to acquire deer and elk hides, which his mother would make into fine shirts, dresses, and moccasins.
Little Grey Bear Boy was happy to see his cousin doing so well, especially since his own ability to acquire goods for the family was diminished now that he no longer spent time picking and mixing medicines with Painted Turtle Man. Most of his lessons under Red Sky Man focused on bringing out the Grey-Eye magic rather than learning how to live in harmony with all of creation. The medicine carrier had Little Grey Bear Boy try to use his magic to force ants out their hill, stop small birds mid-flight—even kill flies with his mind.
Red Sky Man took Little Grey Bear Boy out of the village one day a fair distance along the lakeshore.
“You are a difficult pupil,” he said. “I will have to use stronger methods in order for you to progress.”
Little Grey Bear Boy already considered Red Sky Man’s methods aggressive, not to mention ineffective, but he kept this thought to himself.
“Ekosi! This will do,” said Red Sky Man stopping and rubbing his hands together when they arrived at a secluded sand beach with a rocky outcropping jutting out from a small peninsula. “You will learn how to use the Grey-Eye magic to control the waters.”
“Control? What do you mean?”
“If you spent as much time listening as you did asking foolish questions, you would already know the answers.”
“Sorry, Uncle,” muttered Little Grey Bear Boy, though he was not so sure if he was.
“I will try to teach you how to move the waters to your will.”
“To what purpose will I move the waters?”
“Just do as I say and stop with the foolish questions!” Red Sky Man snapped. He took out his buffalo horn rattle and began the ancient water chant. Little Grey Bear Boy tried hard to listen and pick up the words. Like the fire song, the words were in the ancient language, and Red Sky Man said them quickly, as though the boy could understand fluently.
Little Grey Bear Boy wanted to ask him to slow down or to sound out the words so he could remember, but he knew only too well his teacher’s disdain for questions. He began to chant the ancient water chant as best he could.
“Motch, motch, MOTCH!” shouted Red Sky Man. “You are saying the words wrong. Listen.” He then began chanting louder and faster, making it even more difficult for Little Grey Bear Boy to understand. The boy responded to this teaching by muttering the chant louder and faster, but still wrong. The waters remained still, much to Red Sky Man’s dismay.
“We will have to try a different method,” fumed Red Sky Man.
“Maybe we should head back to the village,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “I think it is going to rain.” He pointed up into the sky, which had clouded over.
“Nonsense,” countered Red Sky Man. “I would know if it was going to rain.”
“Tapwe, Uncle,” mumbled Little Grey Bear Boy.
“This is what you must do. Take off your shirt and leggings and wade out into the water.”
“What for?” The question escaped his lips before he thought to hold it back.
“Just do what you are told!” screamed Red Sky Man as the clouds rumbled.
Little Grey Bear Boy put down his satchel, took off his shirt, moccasins, and leggings and waded out into the water. It was surprisingly warm.
“Now,” commanded Red Sky Man, “put your head under the water and use the chant in your mind. Do not come up for air. Just push the water away from your body. Perhaps when you start to lose your breath, you will discover your Grey-Eye magic.”
“I am not sure this is wise.”
“So now you think I’m stupid?” the medicine carrier growled.
“That is not what I meant, Uncle,” said Little Grey Bear Boy, lowering his eyes. “I will give it a try…” Obediently, he dunked his head. He concentrated hard on the chant in his mind, but the wording continued to elude him. He held his breath for as long as he could but the water did not move. He finally popped his head up out of the water, gasping for air.
“Get your head back under,” said Red Sky Man coldly.
“Tapwe, Uncle,” the boy gasped.
Little Grey Bear Boy again dunked his head under the water and concentrated on the chant. He thought to move the water, but still did not know to what purpose. As he began to run out of air he started to feel nervous of what Red Sky Man would say. Eventually, his body needed more air and he was forced to pop up out of the water again.
Red Sky Man looked at the boy, his mouth set against him in disappointment. “Now what? My last pupil learned this skill on the first try.”
“I am sorry, Uncle, I am trying. If you could just say the chant slower, I know I could get it right…”
“If you just concentrated on the chant, you would have the words.”
“I am concentrating!” said Little Grey Bear Boy, louder than he meant to. “I will try again—my best.”
“So far, your ‘best’ has not been good enough,” snorted Red Sky Man.
Little Grey Bear Boy could feel his anger rising. It had always been easy to respect his elders as he had been taught—they had always been patient and kind with him. He took a deep breath and plunged his head back under the water. He did his best to think the water chant in his mind and focus all of his energy on moving the water. He thought he could feel some movement of the water but the familiar vibration of the Grey-Eye magic did not come. Nothing was happening for a time and he began to run out of air. He would have to muster some self-control to put up with Red Sky Man’s anger.
He began to rise out of the water but something stopped him. Calloused hands and a heavy weight on his shoulders prevented him from breaking the surface. Red Sky Man was holding him down. Little Grey Bear Boy began to struggle, reaching full-blown panic when the last of the air in his lungs was released into the water.
An anger swelled inside him in a way he had never known before. He felt burning behind his eyes as the water around him began to vibrate. Then the water blasted away from his body in all directions. The force of the magic caused all of the birds in the trees and on the lake to fly off, chirping and squawking their surprise.
Little Grey Bear Boy stood up from the damp sand and shook Red Sky Man’s hands off of his shoulders.
“There,” smiled Red Sky Man. “All it took was a little encouragement.”
“You tried to drown me!” choked Little Grey Bear Boy.
“Do not act like a baby. You did not drown.”
“I would have!”
“But you didn’t. This was a success. You should be grateful.”
“A student should be able to trust his teacher…”
“Trust is not required for learning,” said Red Sky Man. “Only obedience is required.”
“I think I have had enough of your ‘lessons’ Red Sky Man,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “I am going home.” He began to gather his clothes and his satchel and walk to the village.
“Don’t be such a baby!” laughed Red Sky Man. “It worked, didn’t it?”
Little Grey Bear Boy was furious and decided it would be better not to speak. As he walked away he could still hear Red Sky Man laughing at him.
He glanced back to see an unusual sight: Red Sky Man walking out across the wet sand as the waters crashed down behind him.
51
niyānanomitanaw piyakosāp
Little Grey Bear Boy decided to take a longer way back to the village so he could clear his head and cool his anger.
Grandfather Sun was beginning to leave for the night, yet he did not want to go back to the Bear lodge and disrupt the harmony of his family. He found a large rock to sit upon and chase away his anger. He looked inside his satchel but could not find any sage. A good smudging would have been helpful. The first stars of the night sky began to appear on the horizon.
He thought about what had happened on the lakeshore, but was unsure about how to proceed. On the one hand he wanted to respect his elders and the decision of the Circle of Clan Mothers, but on the other hand he felt the Circle had made an error in entrusting his education to Red Sky Man. He did not want to make any decision without a pure heart.
As he was contemplating his problem, he felt a light tap on his left shoulder. He looked to his left but saw nothing that could have touched him. Then, feeling a warm nudge against the right side of his body, he looked over to see Water Lily Woman’s bright grey eyes.
“Tansi!” she said playfully, sitting next to him on the rock.
“Oh, hello…” he said turning away, but it was too late—she had seen the look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing,” he said, trying to look content.
“It must be something.”
“I had a rough day, but I do not want to burden you with my troubles.”
“It would be no burden,” she pressed. “Maybe you just need someone to talk to.”
“Maybe you are right…What brings you out here?”
“I came to see my father.”
“Your father?” he asked looking around.
“Up there,” she said pointing at Father Sky.
“I do not understand.”
“I am waiting for the spirits to dance,” she explained.
“Oh!” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “How do you know the spirits are going to dance tonight?”
“I have a sense of these things,” she said. “I always know when my father is coming.”
“How did he pass? That is, if you don’t mind talking about it…”
“I don’t mind,” she answered. “I was very young when it happened. It was winter and he had killed a deer. He was a good hunter and provider for my mother and me.”
“He sounds like he was a good man.”
“He was.” She was in a sort of dream state as she spoke, half remembering, half imagining. “His hands must have become numb from the cold because he cut himself while skinning the deer.”
“Was it that bad?”
“Not at first. It healed over but then it began to swell and turn colour. He took a high fever and then he left us.” She looked at her feet and tapped them one after the other against the rock.
“I am sorry,” said Little Grey Bear Boy.
“Don’t be,” she said perking up and meeting his gaze. “That is what brought me to Nisichawayasihk.”
“Tapwe?”
“Tapwe,” she answered. “If we had known more of the secrets of the plant world, we might have been able to save him. When we learned there was a medicine carrier who knew those secrets and the Grey-Eye magic, we came as soon as we were able.”
“Oh,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “That was wise. And how have your teachings been progressing?”
“Very well! I have learned so many new roots and plants and how to use them. Painted Turtle Man is a very good teacher.”
“Tapwe,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “I miss spending time with him…”
“I am sorry I separated you from your moosum…”
“It wasn’t your fault, I don’t blame you.”
Water Lily Woman looked into his eyes to be sure he meant what he said.
“I think it is important that others learn the secrets of the plant world,” he assured her. “In fact, you came at a good time.”
“Oh?”
“Tapwe. Painted Turtle Man had lost his medicine lodge as well as his proper place among the Nehiyawak. He was basically replaced by Red Sky Man as the village medicine carrier.”
“How could that have happened? He is knowledgeable and an excellent teacher.”
“I am not really sure, come to think of it,” frowned Little Grey Bear Boy. “When Red Sky Man came to Nisichawayasihk, the Nehiyawak began to think he was better than Painted Turtle Man.”
“Why would they do that?” she asked, “Why not have two medicine carriers?”
“I don’t know,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “It seems the Nehiyawak always want to measure everyone against someone else.”
“I know what you mean,” laughed Water Lily Woman. “My sisters in the Turtle lodge are always talking about how well you use the Grey-Eye magic. They are always begging me to use it to help them with something.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Tapwe! It’s true!”
“I don’t know how to use the Grey-Eye magic. I don’t know how I did the things I have done and I would not be able to do them again if someone asked me to.”
“Are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
“Motch,” said Little Grey Bear Boy. “I was jealous of how you were able to help Flying Rabbit Boy with his arrow.”
“I didn’t do anything to that arrow,” she said. “Look!”
They looked up into the sky and saw the silvery green aurora beginning to flicker in the sky. The spirits of their ancestors were starting to dance.
“Do you want to meet my father?” asked Water Lily Woman.
“I would be honoured,” he answered.
Water Lily Woman produced a small hand drum made of deer hide and got to her feet. She cleared her throat and began to beat the drum. Little Grey Bear Boy could feel the familiar vibration of the Grey-Eye magic as she sang. Her voice seemed to travel—it emanated from all directions. As the aurora flickered, a dancer emerged, a young man of about twenty-five summers. He danced with a thin hoop, which he would roll out in front of himself and spin it to return. He passed his body through the hoop in all directions as though it was as much a part of him as his arms and legs. Soon, more hoops appeared and he incorporated them into his dance, using them and his body to form different shapes and animals.
She finished her song but the hoop dancer continued. Water Lily Woman sat back down on the rock next to Little Grey Bear Boy.
“That is my father,” she said through teary eyes.
“I am honoured to meet him,” he whispered.
She leaned against him and he felt her warm breath on his neck and chest.
“Is there no one to dance for you?” she asked.
“Motch,” he said softly, “I have not really known many who have passed on.”
“Then you are lucky,” she said as she placed her hand in his.
They watched the spirits dance together and Little Grey Bear Boy felt a flutter in his chest and warmth in his cheeks. His past troubles seemed very far behind him.
Eventually, the spirits stopped dancing and the aurora disbursed across the horizon. They sat together for a time, neither of them wishing to speak or move.
“We should return to the village…” he whispered.
“Tapwe…” she answered.
They stood up together and Little Grey Bear Boy started to pull away. Water Lily Woman squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes, pleading him not to let go. He smiled at her and nodded gently. They began to walk back to the village, hand in hand, and Little Grey Bear Boy felt as though he were floating on a cloud. He looked down at his feet and realized he was, in fact, drifting just above the gro
und in much the same way Soaring Star Woman had so many years ago.
As they neared the village, Water Lily Woman stopped and they landed gently upon the earth.
“I am glad we were able to spend this time together,” she said looking up into his eyes. “But I talked to my Turtle sisters about what you said. They explained what the Nehiyawak think about what would happen if two Grey-Eyes fell in love…”
“I see.”
“I want you to know I do not believe this taboo,” she added quickly. “But I am concerned about what the others would do if they knew I liked you…”
“You like me?”
She gave no answer—only smiled at Little Grey Bear Boy. She had spoken what was in her heart before she had even realized it fully for herself. Water Lily Woman stepped closer to Little Grey Bear Boy until he could feel her body pressed up against his. His heart was pounding as their noses touched and he could feel her soft breath on his face. Their lips met. For a moment, everything around him evaporated and the only thing in his world was the woman in front of him. As their lips finally parted, the world around him re-materialized. The trees and moss had suddenly grown lusher and greener.
“Good night, Little Grey Bear Boy of the Bear clan,” she said with a smile.
“Good night, Water Lily Woman…”
As she walked away, she turned back briefly and smiled. She entered the village and went quickly to the Turtle lodge. Little Grey Bear Boy was like a tree, rooted to the spot, still not sure that what had just happened was real. A mosquito landed on his neck and he let it taste his blood. At least now he knew he wasn’t dreaming…
52
niyānanomitanaw nīsosāp
Little Grey Bear Boy entered the Bear lodge and stood in the doorway. Most of the family did not even look up from their evening meal.
“Where have you been?” asked White Willow Woman casually.
“I will no longer take instruction from Red Sky Man!” he said. This got their attention and they all turned.
“Has something happened?” asked Painted Turtle Man.