Beaver and the River - Potawatomi by This story was told to me by my father, so I am retelling the story to you Many Moons ago, the Beaver was as big as a Warrior! At this time all the animals could talk to everyone and had connection to the Great Spirit! The Beaver was very lonely and he lived by the River, that ran very peaceful in this area and everyone man and animal loved being beside this gentle giant of a River. This Beaver watched the Warriors and Maidens come by and he often heard the drums and wanted to join them in their celebrations. There celebrations seem to happen during the change of seasons. Sometimes they happened in between seasons for weddings, births and even deaths. He always wanted to join, but never did because this was for the Tribe only. And he never asked nor did any of the other animals or creatures of the forest. He only watched and listen from a distance. He watched the Warriors and Maidens of the tribe, but he almost everyday saw a maiden by the river and she admired the beauty of the river. And he was awed by her and her love for nature. She always smiled at him and continued her work. The beaver decide the next time he saw her, he would come closer enough to talk to her. So, the next day and the days to come he came closer and closer to her. Finally one day he was sitting beside her and spoke to her. They soon fell in love with each other. They both loved the river and all the animals and nature, which they both respected. As time went on they grew more in fond of each other. They couldn't stand being apart living apart from each other. One day the maiden's father came to her and told her that she was coming of age to marry and wanted her to find a warrior to wed. But she didn't like want to marry any warrior of her tribe, because they were either married already or vain and thoughtless of nature. This saddened the beaver, because she was looking for a mate and he a beaver and would not make a suitable mate for the beautiful maiden. The beaver, talk to the Great Creator for a answer. How could he be married to this maiden he loved. The Great Spirit thought for a moment and told beaver what he must do. First he must make a canoe for his wife to be. Second, the Great Creator will turn the beaver into a man. Third, that he could never return to the river, not even for a swim or he would return back into a beaver. After he agreed to what he needed to do so that he could be with his Beautiful maiden, he suddenly turned into a handsome Warrior. The beaver thanked the Great Spirit for allowing him to change form from a beaver to a man. After he changed into a strong man. He walked to the village where his maiden was living, he found her. She looked into his eyes and saw something about this man that she thought she recognized. The man/warrior talked to her and they took long walks together along the river. And soon they became inseparable, because they had fallen in true love for each other. Soon he told her about what the creator had done for him, so that they may get married. He then gifted her with the canoe he made her. And that he could no longer go for a swim in his river. She could go and enjoy the river in her canoe. He knew he couldn't join her or else he be turned back into a beaver. This saddened him greatly! Because he loved the river and wanted to be with her every second of the day! The two were married very soon and lived very happily for many months. One sunny morning the maiden decide to take her canoe on the river. Her husband the beaver/warrior watched her for that is all he could do is watch her. He thought how beautiful she looked in the canoe and how he longed to be with her. As he watch her start to go around the bend in the river, she saw him and turned to smile and wave at her husband. When she did this she leaned to far and the canoe she was in flipped over. He became so upset that he forgot what the Great Creator had told him, and jumped into the river. Only thinking about her drowning and trying to save his beloved wife. All of a sudden he turned back into a Beaver, just like the great spirit had warned him that if he entered the river this would happen to him. He swam in the direction of his wife. But he didn't find her, only the canoe. After his continually looking for her he came across another beaver. He looked into her eyes and knew that his wife was now a Beaver as well. They swam down stream to where he once lived. And lived there many happy years. Now the Tribe called this river the Tippy Canoe River in honor of this couple. Submitted by redbud Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/