Eleventh Moon - The Swallow - Arapahoe When the moon of falling leaves [October] came, Betty and I were doing well in school. The English language was confusing to us, but we had finally learned enough to read the books that the nuns sent home with us. Now we were reading stories to Grandma and Grandpa. On the night of the full moon Grandpa cedared us off and laid his hat on the bed. While Grandma did the supper dishes Grandpa Iron told us a story about swallows. There once was a band of people that lived in a place south of us. They were called the swallow people because they built their homes in cliffs. This place was safe from enemies because it was difficult to climb up to and hard to get down to from above. Grandpa Iron said that swallows make their nests in the cliffs side by side, safe from predators, but each nest has its own narrow opening. So the people built their homes much like the swallow. And, like the swallow, they kept busy gathering food and water, raising their families, and enjoying the goodness of life. But once in a while a child would be born who was afraid of the high place where the swallow people lived. Their families wondered what to do. Even the medicine people couldn't find a cure. So the elders were consulted. After long council meetings it was decided that those people who were afraid of high places could live in the valley below and help with the cultivation of crops and anything else that needed tending. So as soon as the children who were afraid became old enough, they were carried down the ladders, and homes were built for them in the valley. At first the homes were made from brush, sticks, and boughs of trees, and covered with animal skins. Later stones and poles were used. The valley people developed their own culture, different from that of the cliff people. But they were still close neighbors, the same people really, and their ceremonies to give thanks to all living things were similar. Sometimes the valley people would even find the courage to climb up the ladders to participate in a ceremony in the cliffs. The valley community grew in numbers, while the cliff community stayed about the same. And some of the cliff people started to resent how well the valley people were doing. They saw that the valley people enjoyed an easier life with fields, water, and game close by and without the hard work of climbing ladders to come and go. And since the valley people had less work to do, they had more time for ceremonies, craftwork, the arts, and social activities. Eventually everyone moved into the valley, abandoning the cliff homes above. But they had forgotten the reason they'd built their homes in the cliffs in the first place. One day a large number of enemy warriors invaded the valley village and stole the people's food and even kidnapped some of the men, women, and children. They should have remained in the cliffs after all. So the remaining villagers moved back into the cliffs and lived safely again. The valley village was abandoned and the people never again forgot the swallows' medicine powers, which kept them high and safe and secure. Grandpa Iron said that we should never lose sight of our original goals even if things in life become hard. Grandma passed around our water in the white enamel dipper, and we crawled into our beds. Grandpa blew out the lamp while he sang the evening Sundance song. And the Earth stayed young. Full Moon Written by Eagle Walking Turtle, 1997 - Arapahoe ["When I was a boy I lived with my grandparents on the Northern Arapahoe Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Grandpa Iron was always happy and full of life's joy. Grandma Iron was much more serious. They both taught me, along with my brothers and sisters, that all of nature should be listened to, loved, and respected. Each time a full moon came, Grandpa Iron would tell us a story. First he'd burn cedar needles, and we would fan the sweet-smelling smoke over our heads to purify our bodies before Grandpa's story. He always took his hat from the wall and placed it on the bed before he began his telling. I suppose this goes back to the time when warriors hung their medicine bags on the tipi pole behind them before speaking. The following stories are among those that Grandpa told us about the love and respect our people have for our animal brothers and sisters - the four-leggeds, the ones that fly, the ones that slither in the grasses, and the ones that swim in the waters." -- Eagle Walking Turtle] Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/ or Come visit us. "Native Village" [email protected]