Across The River

by Jeanie P Johnson

  In visions the Creator had seen things of opposite natures, and so was created light and darkness, male and female, hot and cold, above and below, good and evil. Where the Creator created, giving forth goodness and light, Matantu, a Spirit of destruction, evil and darkness came into being. Where the Creator made edible plants, Matantu made poisonous plants. Where the Creator made the delicious blackberries, Matanto put thorns on them. Matantu also made tormenting insects such as flies, mosquitoes and poisonous snakes.

  Many such laws were woven into the creation by Kishelamakank, the Creator, for the well-being, harmony and balance of all things and all creatures. These laws gave place and motion to the sun, moon, Earth and stars, and governed the powers of wind, water, fire and rock, and the circle of life, birth growth and death. All things existed and worked through these laws.

  The Creator’s vision was now brought into being.

  Now, upon the newly formed Earth, the Creator put a Spirit Being, Kichichax’kal, the Great Toad, who was given the duty of ruling over the waters of the Earth. He was given the authority, and the power, to cause rain to fall at his will, and was also known as Bikanaki’hat, the Water Keeper.

  One day, Maxa’xak, and evil Manito (Spirit) appeared, who came to bother and quarrel with the Great Toad. This evil Spirit had the form of a vicious and ugly horned serpent. Maxa’xak, the horned serpent, fought with Kichichax’kal, the Great Toad, because he wanted to be the one to rule over the waters of the earth. One day they fought such a terrible battle that it caused a great disturbance over the whole new Earth. The Great Toad tried to swallow the evil snake, but the monster snake gored the Great Toad so severely that he died. And the four winds, mawkish’na, the mighty seas, and all the waters of the Earth, lashed out in everlasting fury at the evil serpent, but to no avail.

  Now, Kishelamakank, the Creator of all things, saw the struggle, the turmoil, the steadily growing unrest, and he sent the Thunder Spirit to battle the horned serpent, Masa’xak. Grandfather Thunder came swiftly, announcing his arrival by the sound of his bone rattles, and shooting his lightning arrows, forcing the evil serpent to flee. The rain fell, the waters rose and gushed forth everywhere, washing away the corruption and evil that had covered the blood-stained Earth. The rising waters caused wide-spread destruction upon the Earth, which became one great sea. Many plants and animals died, and all of humankind perished due to the destruction wrought by the evil serpent.

  Now, Maxa’xak and her children stay put in the water depth, fearing the Thunderers who pursued them when they dare to venture forth, shooting their lightning arrows at the evil snakes.

  At this time, there was another Spirit Being also on the Earth, the Wise and Gifted Being called Nanapush, the Strong Pure One, the Grandfather of Beings and men. When he saw the rapidly rising water, he sought refuge on the highest mountain, hoping that there he would be safe. But the rain fell and fell and the waters continued to rise, until at last there was left only a small patch of ground on top of this mountain. And upon the top of this mountain, there was growing a small cedar tree. The rain continued, coming down in torrents for many days. It was now apparent that all of the seven islands, and the mountains, would soon be entirely covered with water. So the great and wise Nanapush picked up the animals and birds that had gathered on the mountain-top, and he tucked them carefully and safely inside his shirt. Then he went to the cedar tree, and spoke to it before he started to climb it. As he climbed he broke off branches and put them under his belt. Soon he reached the top of the tree, but the waters continued to rise and rise, now almost to his feet. So the great Nanapush began to sing and beat upon his bow-string which served as a drum. As he sang, the sacred cedar tree, began to grow, and it kept on growing as the waters continued to rise. After a long time, Nanapush, the Strong Pure One, the Grandfather of the Beings and Men, grew tired of singing his song of peace to the raging elements, so he threw upon the waters the branches which he had plucked as he climbed. At once they took the from of a strong raft. On this raft he carefully placed all of the creatures he had saved, and they floated upon the water on the cedar raft. Soon he saw the mountain peaks disappear under the steadily rising water; only Nanapush and the creatures he had saved remained alive.

  After some time, Nanapush decided a new Earth should be made, a task he could well perform through the powers granted to him by the Creator. So he held a Council with the little creatures and they went to work to help him form a new island. Their first duty would be to get some soil from the submerged Earth. The first one to offer his help was Mitewile’un, the Loon. He dived and stayed down a very long time. When he came floating back up to the surface he was dead. So the great Nanapush breathed upon the unfortunate Loon, and its life was restored. Now Kuna’moxk, the otter, dived down, but he failed in the attempt and also came up dead; he too was restored to life by Nanapush. Then Tamakwa, the Beaver, tried, but he in turn failed and had to be revived. Then Nanapush turned to Tamask’was, the Muskrat, and told him that he must try very hard to reach the old Earth. The little Muskrat stayed down twice as long as any of the rest, and he came to the surface completely exhausted, but still alive. And in his mouth and paws he carried some of the precious mud from the old world below the waters. The great Nanapush was pleased, and he carefully revived the little Muskrat and blessed him, promising that his kind would never die out.

  Now Nanapush made a great ceremony, a thanksgiving ceremony, the first thanksgiving ceremony ever to take place. Then, Nanapush called for the helper who would receive and carry the new Earth. Taxkwax, the Turtle, responded and was at once chosen to perform this important duty. Nanapush placed the mud brought back by Tamask’was, the Muskrat, upon the back of the Turtle, and blew his life-giving breath into it. Immediately it began to grow; it grew and grew until it became the great island where all of us lived. Because Turtle carried the new Earth on his back, this is why the land upon which we live was called Taxkwax Mena’te, Turtle Island, and Amnkitaxkwikan’ank, the Place of the Great Turtle’s Back.

  For his help, Taxkwax, the Turtle, became the messenger of thoughts and feelings between different beings. A symbol of thought given and received, representing communication between all things.

  After some time had passed, Nanapush sent Tame, the Wolf, to see how large the new Earth had grown. The first time Wolf went on his journey, he was gone for one day. The second time he went he was gone for five days; the next, ten days; then, one moon; next, one year, then five years, then again for twelve years. The next time he went, he never returned, but became lost on the great wide Earth and died of old age. That is why today, at every full moon, the wolves sit in the forest howling, in remembrance of the great misfortune suffered by their ancestor long ago.

  When Tame, the Wolf, failed to return, Nanapush, the Strong Pure One, the Grandfather of Beings and Men, decided that the new Earth was now large enough, so he commanded it to stop growing.

  As the waters subsided, the animal beings brought grasses, flowers, trees and food-gearing plants to Nanapush. Into each he breathed life and restored them on their island home.

  Then the Earth was dry, and good to look upon. Indeed, it was very beautiful, and there grew a pale and lovely tree from the Mother Earth, and the root of this new tree sent forth a sprout beside it. After a time there grew upon it a man, the first on the new Earth. This man was there alone, and may have remained there alone forever, but the shimmering tree bent over its top to kiss the Mother Earth. Where the tree had touched the Earth, there appeared another sprout, and there grew the first woman of the new Earth.

  The wise ones tell us that from those two beings, that man and woman, came our Lenape’wak, Lenape people, owning our origin and faithfulness to the Shimmering tree and the good Mother Earth.

  Now on the new Earth, first man and first woman were nourished by food and drink brought by the animals, our elder brothers. The birds brought songs and dance, the butterflies and bees amusement. All the animals being served in some way except Maka�
��na, the Dog. Being less gifted than other animals, he had nothing to offer, but felt he must give something. So, the Dog pledged his love, and lay down beside where first man and first woman were sleeping. From that day the dog has remained by the side of humankind.

  The first winter was a difficult one for those first Lenape. The weather was very bad and the animals found food hard to find for them. So, Maxkwe, the Bear, fearing their death, offered of himself that they might live. With Bear’s flesh they survived, and thereafter the other animals gave of themselves, their lives, to feed human beings. In gratitude and honor of the sacrifice of Bear, our ancestors held special ceremonies of thanksgiving for the gift of life from Bear and the other animals. We survive and have life because of the deaths of our elder brothers.

  Nanapush taught our Lenape’wak how to make everything we would need to live, the making of clothing, homes, canoes; he taught us the principles of leadership, that we should not strive for power and control over others; he taught us how to make weapons and how to defend ourselves; taught us our way of life and wisdom, how we should live our lives, in a way that is good, and taught us the greatest of all virtues, generosity and kindness; he taught us how to hunt and fish, how to grow crops and harvest them, how to cook and keep food thorough the winter. Nanapush gave our Lenape’wak sacred medicine bundles which were to give us spiritual power to help us in time of need, he gave us the ceremonies we were to observe, taught healing and our spiritual ways, and the importance of dream and vision.

  Then when Nanapush was sure of their survival, he called our Lenape’wak to him and told them he was leaving. He told them always to remember the things and ways of life he had taught them, for then they would always live in peace and harmony with all land and life. The old Ones say that his Spirit is with us still, and that if there comes a time when this world should end, he will come again to help guide us into a new Earth.

  Nanapush was directed by a dream to retire into the wide expanse of the barren lands to the North, where he was to make for himself a home. So, he changed himself into a rabbit, and left, never being seen again by our people. Since that time, our Lenape’wak have never used rabbit for food, as it is a symbol of the regeneration and continuing of life.

  When Nanapush arrived in the far northern Land he found the peaceful silence and quiet contentment which he so much desired. Then he built for himself a very large Wigwam, a house, made of ice and snow. Now, every winter, he sleeps, like Maxkwe, the Bear, but before going to his bed of bearskins, he always smokes his pipe. So, the next time you see the pretty colored leaves on the trees in autumn and thick fog in the mornings, you will know that Nanapush the Great Being, Grandfather of Beings and Men, is smoking his pipe and preparing to take his long winter nap.

  The story was long, and I tried to compare it to the stories I had learned from the Bible about the beginning of the earth, and the great flood, but according to these people, the earth had a second beginning. I thought about what the people were supposed to learn about kindness and caring and living in peace. In their village, they were very peaceful, but I had seen the ravage they had acted upon my family and friends and wondered if Nanapush did not care about the peace throughout the world, but only cared about the Lenape people? Even though they taught peace in their stories, the same as we did in our bible stories, it seemed like even the Lenape could not always follow the directions of their ancestors. It seemed like there would always be wars, while some people became part of a tribe or community, there would always be prisoners and slaves. Even the English had black slaves they used to do all the work, so what made us any different than the Indians, I thought? We were all caught up in the same good and evil as the others.

  I thought about the purpose of man and woman, making each other whole. There was a time when I felt Wolf and I had become like that, having the need of each other, but now I doubted Wolf would ever serve any purpose in my life. My purpose in his life seemed to be merely producing children. The thought did not fulfill me! I thought about the power to dream, but I doubted that any of my dreams would ever be realized. I had lost everything, and even my captor did not seem to find me worthy of his love or kindness. To me the story told was merely words to entertain their people and try to make sense out of their history.

  The next morning, after our morning bath, Wolf surprised me. He had not taken me that morning like he usually did because he had gotten up before me. Now, he laid me down on the bank across the river and instead of lying over me to satisfy himself, he began caressing my body the way he had on our journey there. I wondered what it meant? Had the story we heard the night before touched him and made him ashamed of the way he had been treating me, or was it some other motivation, I wondered?

  He patiently went out of his way to bring pleasure to me, surprising me by using his mouth on my body, like he had at the stream, even though he did not kiss my lips or show any emotion beyond accomplishing his intent. He did not seem to be satisfied to pull deep desire from my body merely once. His accomplishments overwhelmed me as my body responded to his touch in the way it had a few months earlier, causing me to catch my breath more than a few times and believe that Wolf actually cared about me.

  Once I was totally seduced by Wolf, he proceeded to join with me, his movements slow and seductive, causing me to merge with him in his efforts, knowing I would be rewarded as well. Why had he waited all this time to show me any measure of kindness or tenderness? Maybe he was thinking if he was gentle it would make me more susceptible to having children? I would never understand him, which was the very reason I was determined to escape him. However, I wanted him to trust me, so he wouldn’t suspect me of deceiving him by eventually escaping his gentle touch, however long it lasted.

  I whispered in his own language of how wonderful he was making me feel. It must have pleased him because he went out of his way to make sure I received my own pleasure before he allowed himself to finish. It was the first time I had ever experienced pleasure when he was within me, and I marveled at how it drew me to him. I feared he was trying to bond me to him. Or maybe it was his only gift to me before he handed me over to his friend Running Dog, I amended. For that very reason, I hardened my heart and ignored Wolf’s change of treatment toward me. It was way too late to make up for all my days of despising him.

  The look in Wolf’s eyes confused me when he was finished. Usually, he just got up, dragged me back across the river and put his breech-cloth on, then went to attend to his daily routine. Now, he lay on his side, propping his head with his hand, and gazed down at me, as though trying to memorize everything about me. This not only puzzled me, but it frightened me. It was like he was contemplating giving me to Running Dog, and was going to miss his daily coupling with me.

  At length, he pulled himself to his feet, and we returned to the other side of the river where he put his breech-cloth back on, only he did not replace my collar. He merely walked ahead of me, expecting me to follow. Then I knew he was going to give me away. It was like he was not claiming ownership of me any longer.

  I glanced across the way, where Running Dog was watching us. I wondered if Wolf had told Running Dog of his plans to give me to him if I could not get a baby? Wolf had been right. Running Dog was not pleasant to look at. He had small, beady eyes, and puffy cheeks, that looked like they were trying to squeeze his eyes shut. His skin was pockmarked, and I assumed he had survived the Smallpox, which left his features blotched. His body looked a little malformed, and his head seemed too large for his body. He was clumsy when he walked because he had a club foot that turned in. I felt sorry for him but not sorry enough to become his new woman.

  I lowered my head as I passed him, following Wolf to his mother’s lodge. When we reached her wigwam, Wolf told me I was to go with his sister to collect berries and herbs. Maybe that was why he hadn’t replaced my collar, I hoped, but I wasn’t sure. I had always worn it, even when I was helping his family do chores. It was the mark that he owned me.

  I knew my ti
me was limited. Either I could tell Wolf I was going to have his baby, or I could make my escape while I still had a chance. However, even if I told him about my condition, he was planning on marrying someone else. I would still end up as his whore to treat as he pleased, while he expected me to honor him with children. I decided on the latter. Wolf had given me no reason to want to remain with him.

  Le-le-wa’-you, which meant Bird’s Cry, was gathering up baskets, preparing to go out. We were going to stay the whole day, so she also brought skins of water, and food to eat while we were out, to supplement the berries we could munch on as well. She had rolled up two blankets to sit on, during the short period we would rest. If we got too far away, we may end up having to stay the night, which I hoped would be the case if I couldn’t slip away sooner. The blankets would come in handy then. The berry bushes on the lower level of the wooded hills had already given their bounty, which meant we would have to travel higher up on a hillside about a mile away from the village.

  We each had a large basket that we would tie to our backs, once they were full. Until we filled them with berries, Le-le-wa’-you tossed the two water pouches and two blankets inside of one, putting it on my back for me to carry. Then she added corn cakes, dried meat, and apples to the basket for our lunch. While she was not looking, I snatched two long pieces of cloth, which could be used for breech-cloths or a sling to carry things in, and stuffed them in the basket as well. When we were in the thick woods, I planned to get separated from Le-le-wa’-you and make my way to the other side of the river, follow it down to the stream Wolf, Jamie, and I had followed, and then make my way back to Philadelphia, hopefully, in time to allow me to prepare for the winter. I would leave Wolf and his greedy plans to use me or give me to Running Dog, behind me. However, I needed something to wear and I intended to fashion something out of the two long pieces of cloth I had taken.