by Linda Bridey
“Are you sure it’s all right?” she asked. “I don’t want to mess anything up because I’m not family.”
Black Fox said, “You became family the moment we found you. Wakan Tanka brought us all together. You, Peanut, Annie, and the unborn child are the Four Red Winds and must participate. Go on and smoke the sacred pipe and do not be afraid.”
Her confidence bolstered, Jaylyn took a small puff, breathing in deeply and letting it out slowly, holding back a cough. Peanut took an even tinier puff, mindful of the life she carried inside her. She passed it down the line.
Mike placed the pipe on its holder and sat down by Raven before beginning a chant, which was picked up by the others. Eric leaned close to Jaylyn, chanting the words clearly in her ear. She didn’t know their meaning, but she repeated them as he’d said them. Peanut did the same and their chanting grew louder, more insistent, until their voices rang off the cavern walls.
Mike shook his rattle hard and they no longer sat in a cavern deep inside the earth. Their chanting stopped when they realized that they sat out on the open prairie under a vast array of stars as a warm wind blew around them. Their lanterns were gone, but the fire still burned in the center of their circle.
“Am I the only one seeing this?” Jonathan asked.
Black Fox said, “No. Reckless and Runner are using their gifts to take us back.”
“Back where?” Dino asked.
“Back to the beginning,” said a voice.
An old Lakota man walked into the fire light. He was impressive in his light dun-colored buckskin leggings, breechcloth, and red-and-blue beaded tunic. He wore a long bone breast plate and earrings of wolf’s teeth and red feathers. His face was lined and weathered, but his midnight eyes shone with vitality as he smiled.
“Some of you know me, but for those who do not, I am Brown Stag. I used to be the chief of our band. You may have heard my name.”
He went around the circle, grasping arms with each of them. When he came to Peanut, he caressed her face and held it in his hand while smiling at her.
“You are the one who has been blessed with the fourth red wind. Your baby is strong, like his mother. Do not let your heart be poisoned by hate for the one who hurt you. He is but an ignorant man who is to be pitied and is not worth your tears or time.” His gaze moved to Skip. “There is one who is worthy of you. Have the courage to open your eyes and heart to him, Peanut.”
He kissed the top of her head and moved to Skip, grasping arms with the wide-eyed young man. “Are you sure that there is no Lakota blood in you?”
Skip was dumbstruck at first. “Um, I don’t think so. Why?”
Brown Stag’s black eyes narrowed a little. “I think perhaps you should research your lineage further. You may be surprised by what you find. You are a good man with a pure heart, much like your father.”
“You know Pa?”
Brown Stag said, “I know of him and he is right. There is magic in him. Please give him my regard.”
“I will,” Skip said.
When he reached Black Fox, the chief stood and embraced his beloved grandfather.
Brown Stag said, “I am proud of you, Black Fox. You have become all I knew you would be and more. You have done well in setting an example for the young people and have led your tribe with wisdom and dignity.”
“Thank you, Grandfather. All I know, I learned from you,” Black Fox said. “You are the one who is most responsible for shaping me.”
Brown Stag released him. “Perhaps I gave you a start, but you have shaped yourself, Black Fox.”
With tears in his eyes, Owl stood up next.
Brown Stag took hold of his shoulders and shook him a little. “My Owl! You were such a tiny baby and now look at you! I am so proud of you and all of your children. You chose wisely in a mate, too.”
“Thank you, Grandfather. I love them all very much, as I do you. I think of you every day and wish you were still with us,” Owl said.
“Do not worry. I am, just not in the way that you would like,” Brown Stag replied. “Where is my silver-eyed grandson?”
“He could not leave Dawson because he has to give testimony against some evil men who violated a young maiden. He will be upset that he did not get to see you.”
Brown Stag nodded. “Yes, but he is doing something very important. I am proud of him for always thinking of others. He will be disappointed, but perhaps these will make him feel better.” He took off his wolf-tooth earrings and handed them to Reckless. “See that your uncle gets these.”
“Yes, Grandfather,” Reckless said, tucking them into the pouch at his waist.
Brown Stag caught his eye again. “Do not be afraid of the information that has recently been imparted to you, Grandson. There is nothing to fear and much to be gained.”
Reckless nodded and lowered his eyes again, concentrating on channeling the power around him.
Brown Stag moved to Squirrel and crouched by her. Taking her face in his hands, he said, “There’s my little Squirrel. I remember when you were called Wren and ate so many acorns. You were such a sweet child, yet strong, and you have not changed. You have raised fine braves and are a fine woman.” He kissed her forehead and stood up again.
Striking Snake greeted Brown Stag with great deference. “It is so good to see my mentor again. You always stood by me and I will never forget that.”
Brown Stag grasped arms with him, holding the grip. “You were always faithful to me and did anything I asked of you, even when those things were difficult. You never let me down. It is I who am grateful to you.”
Mike stood to greet him. “It is an honor to meet you, esteemed Grandfather.”
Brown Stag placed a leathery brown hand on Mike’s chest over his heart. “The white boy with a Lakota heart. White Horse always knew power when he felt it and it did not matter to him that you were white. When he first came to the afterlife, he told me about you. I now see what he meant. Like Silver Ghost, you have been chosen by Wakan Tanka to be a bridge. To show others that their religion and ours are not so different. You are blessed because of your faith in Wakan Tanka.”
Mike felt light flood his body for a few moments. When it faded, Brown Stag patted his chest and moved on. He spoke as he kept walking around the circle.
“You have been brought back to the beginning, when no white man’s foot had yet touched the soil of Paha Sapa. There were no people coming to gawk at it or trying to find out how deep it went. These white men are finding out what we Lakota have known for many years; there is no end. People are not meant to find the birthplace of the Buffalo People.
“Do not misunderstand me. I do not blame them for wanting to see such a beautiful place, but most do not understand the sacredness of this land. The bison came forth from Wa-shun Wakan, given to us so that we would not starve. Wakan Tanka gave the bison to us so that we could make shelter and clothing from their hides, knives and tools from the bones, and use the tendons and sinews for all sorts of things. There is no part of the bison that we did not use! We wasted nothing!
“Very few people of any other culture besides ours truly understand why we are angry about being forced out of Paha Sapa. They do not understand why the bison is so important to us. It is because they ensured our survival for all eternity. I do not think other cultures would like it if we took away their cattle and other livestock. How would they live? Where would their meat and milk come from? Where would the hides come from for them to make boots and other garments? How would they feed their children?” Brown Stag spread his arms wide. “Look around, my children! What do you see?”
His eyes sweeping over the starlit prairie, Black Fox said, “The world as it should be: undisturbed and beautiful. Wild and free, such as our hearts used to be. The air fresh and clean and not full of smoke or the stench of waste. Where the sounds of birds and wolf howls are heard instead of the whistles of trains or the motors of automobiles.”
“Yes!” Brown Stag said. “For this was how Wakan Tanka gave
the Earth to us and meant for it to stay. And this is what we used to see, what used to fill our vision when we lived in Paha Sapa.”
A great thundering filled their ears and vibrated the ground underneath of them. It was a sound Black Fox knew well and he jumped to his feet again, looking towards where it originated from. His siblings and sons joined him, grinning as a huge herd of bison bore down on them. An undulating brown sea flowed towards the circle of people, the huge animals snorting and grunting as they ran.
They split, going around the group, and although the ground rumbled and shook, no one was hurt as the bison went harmlessly by. As the last of the herd passed them, they saw a mammoth white bison slow and stop. Leisurely, the bull walked around the circle, pausing to blow its warm breath on each of them.
It stopped completely when it reached Annie, lowering its head so that she could pat its wooly jaw. Annie squealed a little and blew bubbles at it. Raising its head, the bison breathed gently on her and then trotted away after its herd.
Brown Stag said, “The White Buffalo has blessed you all with a piece of his spirit. You are now a part of his family. He will give you strength, courage, and wisdom in times of trouble. So do not fear; you will never be alone.”
The sun began rising, casting brilliant gold light over the tall, waving grasses of the plain before them. The inky sky lightened to a crystalline blue, wispy white clouds floating lazily along on the breeze. The Ponderosa Pines that covered the mountains gave the impression that they were black in color.
“That which you see in the distance is what we call Paha Sapa, what the whites call ‘the Black Hills.’ But there is much more to them than that.”
Suddenly their campfire now sat in a small meadow, surrounded by the trees.
“But up close, they do not look black. Nor do the meadows, the white cliffs, or streams. This view of these lands is what we call Khé Sapa. It is a hard thing to accurately say in English. It is something you must feel to understand completely.” He let out a deep sigh.
“I asked Runner to leave home and come here because I knew that you would eventually search for him. I helped him call to you, to urge you to come on this journey. To come the way we traveled for thousands of years, not on some iron horse with no heart, no soul! No, I wanted you to come on our friend, Horse.” He cut an amused glance at Skip. “Or in your case, Mule.”
Skip grinned at him. “You’d like Dash.”
Brown Stag chuckled. “I am sure I would. As Runner has told you, even more change is coming to this land, the place where we all began, the heart of this continent. There are those with good hearts who will try to keep it as it is now, but it will never be the same. For the Lakota and for all Indians, times are not going to get easier. I have seen this and I needed to warn you.
“You must keep our stories alive for the coming generations and you must never give up fighting for our people. One day, I hope that all people will live in peace and we must do our part to help bring that about. When I say fight, I do not mean with bows and arrows or guns and cannons. We must fight with our minds and hearts.
“You young people here do not truly know just how much things have changed because you did not live in a time before reservations and assimilation. I hate those words! Land is not meant to be reserved for this person or that! And it goes against the human heart to be forced to live as someone else does!”
The old chief stopped by Jonathan and saw tears falling from his eyes. He tipped Jonathan’s face up to meet his gaze.
“Why do you weep, Grandson?”
“Because I will never know what it is like to hunt bison or to fight alongside my family to defend our tribe,” Jonathan replied. “I will never know what it is like to live as you did or to find love with a Lakota maiden. There are so many things that my ancestors did that I will never experience and my heart is sick over it.”
Brown Stag ran a hand over his hair and smiled kindly, much the way Black Fox did. “That is all true, but that is why you must cling to our legends and as many of our ways as possible for as long as you can. And in your dreams, open your wings and let your spirit fly as the eagle soars. In that way, you may be able to see your ancestors for a time.
“As for a Lakota maiden, any woman you choose will be your Lakota girl if she accepts you and your heritage. Your father found that to be true with his second wife. Your mother is not Lakota by blood, but when she gave her heart to him, she accepted all of him. So do not be troubled about that. You will find your mate—perhaps when you least expect it.”
He sent Peanut a meaningful smile. “Such as when you are rescued after being pushed off a cliff.”
She jerked a little. “How did you know that?”
Brown Stag laughed and spread his arms wide. “I am a spirit and the spirits know many, many things. Some we cannot impart until the time is right. I have been guiding all of you on your journey, watching over you.
“Our time is almost up, my children. I am grateful to have had this time with you, to meet some of you and to once again see the others. Whatever happens, know that I and many other spirits are with you. Call upon us and we will help you. No matter what, never stop fighting for our people. Do not let anyone hold you back from becoming the person you are meant to be.”
Hailey’s chin rose defiantly. “I have never let anyone hold me back and I never will. Not without a fight.”
Raven glared at her for speaking out, but Brown Stag laughed.
“Ah, yes, my brave, fiery granddaughter. What is it that He Who Runs says your friend Dwyer calls you?”
She smiled. “A very brave bravette.”
The old man laughed again. “Yes, a bravette. It makes me laugh every time I hear it. There have been women in our history who have fought during battle. In other tribes, too. Your warrior’s heart was given to you for a reason, so do not worry about what others think. There is a certain young man who holds you in high esteem, who loves your warrior heart. Never be ashamed of who you are, Three Hearts.”
Hailey smiled at the use of her Lakota name.
“It is time for me to go,” Brown Stag said. “I will be in your hearts and perhaps we will meet again. Remember all I have said and know that my love goes with you.”
An eagle cried high above them and they all looked heavenward as they watched it. When their gazes lowered again, Brown Stag had gone. The eagle swooped down upon them, its cry almost deafening. With it came a great light as though the sun now met the earth. Its brilliance forced them to shut their eyes against it.
In the next instant, they were plunged into darkness and found themselves back in the chilly underground cavern. Their fire flared high for several moments and then died back down to its normal height.
No one spoke for a long time, all of them seeking to hold on to every detail of their shared vision. Tears flowed freely from their eyes because they were so overwhelmed with emotion. At length, Mike said a closing prayer, but still they were in no rush to leave the sacred place.
Black Fox said his own silent prayer and then rose slowly. Judging by how stiff his knees were, they must have been sitting there for a long time. The others also stood up, Eric helping Jaylyn and Skip assisting Peanut.
Reckless said, “I cannot stand on my own. I need help.”
Raven and Mike hauled him to his feet and supported Reckless, one on either side of him.
“I have never done anything like that before,” Reckless said. “I have never taken so many with me. I am glad Runner was helping.”
Runner was very worried about his cousin. “I’m glad I was helping, too, but I know that it was mainly your power that sustained the vision. I can’t match you yet.”
Reckless shook his head. “Do not underestimate yourself, Runner.”
Runner only nodded in response, wanting Reckless to save his strength. As the last person left the cavern, they heard a strange noise. It sounded similar to Mike’s bone rattle, yet different. Then three short hand-drum beats sounded before silence ret
urned. Holding up their lanterns, they tried to find the source of the drum and rattle noises, but they couldn’t.
Dino let out a gasp. “Uh, guys, where’d that room go? The archway was right here.”
He put his hand on the wall that was now completely solid. Black Fox also touched it, marveling that the entrance no longer existed.
With awe in his voice, he said, “It was a holy place meant only for us, for our spirit journey.”
One by one, they all touched the wall, honoring the magic that lay within it. Then Runner led them back up out of the sacred cave, and they all envisioned thousands of bison doing the same, going forth to feed all the earth.
As they came out of the mouth of the cave, each of them felt changed, almost as if they’d experienced the rebirth of their spirits. They were startled to see that the sky was just beginning to lighten.
“We’ve been in there all night?” Jaylyn remarked.
Reckless said, “Time means nothing in the spirit world and does not match the time in this one.”
She touched his shoulder. “No wonder you’re tired.”
He smiled at her kindness. “Yes.”
Mike said, “Let’s get you on your horse.”
Runner said, “There is a place where we can camp until tomorrow.”
“Good,” Black Fox said.
They were thankful to find their horses where they’d left them. Dash had come forward to greet them, nudging Skip’s chest. He praised the mule for guarding the horses so well. Then he helped Peanut mount and handed Annie up to her.
They sat on their horses, just looking around them, trying to memorize as much as they could. Dino was already writing in his notepad. He’d thrown Jonathan his horse’s reins so that he could write while they rode to their camp site.
The ride there was made mostly in silence or hushed tones as the wonder of their experience still laid heavily on them. A special bond had formed between them as happens when people share such a powerful event. None of them were the same and none would ever forget what had happened beneath the Earth’s surface that night.