Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 4 July 2004 Vol 3 Issue: #25 ISBN: pending Osiyo, Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, [Continued from Vol 3 #24, 27 June 2004] Happy Birthday America! Out in northwest Wyoming there rises some 1267 feet above the Belle Fourche River Valley the core remains of an extinct volcano. Devil's Tower is steeped in North American cultural tradition. One legend portrays a giant bear clawing the grooves into the mountainside while chasing some young maidens who were playing some distance from their camp. The girls ran back toward their village, however, the bear cut them off. Jumping upon a rock, they began to pray for the Spirit of the Rock to protect them. The Spirit, hearing their plea and feeling sympathetic, caused the rock to rise, lifting them into the air. As the bear scratched and clawed at the sides of the rock, the rock rose ever higher to keep them out of reach of the bear. The bear jumped at the sides of the rock and clawed the rock, breaking its claws. The bear continued to claw and jump and the rock continued to rise until the girls were pushed upinto the sky, where to this very day, the girls are in a group of seven small stars called the Pleiades. The claw marks of the bear ae also visible to this day. The bear is quite symbolic in the Black Hills, and around a camp fire listening to these stories it might not be so hard to "believe". Speaking of imagining, it is quite easy to watch heavy black clouds swirling in the sky and thinking that it is a herd of stampeding "buffalo". The Spirit Riders emerge from the Thunder Bird [Golden Eagle] chasing them. While we were at Crazy Horse Memorial, our granddaughter looked at a bear talisman and remarked that it looked to her like the world. This rather surprised "Grandmother", who was the person tending the booth. And, she asked our granddaughter what she envisioned in a blue amulet. Her reply, after a thoughtful moment, was "water". The instant recognition of spirit flashed in "Grandmother's" eyes and the slightest hint of a smile appeared. I thought, how tremendous ... the affinity ... for I saw the charm as a tear. A third symbol was tried, however, the magic of the moment had passed and the five year old thought it was a game in which she was being tested. At another booth a lady was threading very delicate beads in the construction of necklaces. In the conversation exchanged between the two, the artisan counted aloud the beads, softly so as to maintain her concentration. When she had finished the necklace, she remarked that she had "just enough", as there were no more beads left on her board. Our granddaughter, in a five year olds' understanding of facts, said that there were still three beads left on the board. She was so kindly thanked for her "eagle" eyes. There are few much advertised roadside stops that gain either my interest or respect. However, the Repitle Gardens outside Rapid City certainly gained both, my interest and respect. First, within their displays of ancient bones I recognized the work of the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc. of Hill City. Second, though there were other reasons also, our grandson was enthralled and a boy, who doesn't admit to liking reading, was reading all the display information. On the upper level of the dome there were lizards and snakes, especially a most wonderful collection of venomous ones and large pythons. One of the most fascinating things about each enclosure/display was uniquely contained beautiful rocks and minerals. They also uniquely displayed sculptures in the enclosures. In a tropical dome were gorgeous orchids and other tropical flowers, as well as cacti. Birds [finches] were allowed free flight, lizards scurried here and there, very colorful parrots were perched on tree branches, and a couple of boas hung over your head in a tree. In addition to what has been mentioned above, our grandson enjoyed the displays of alligators, crocodiles and other amphibians. The grandchildren enjoyed handling some turtles and pythons. Speaking of bones and things ... there is yet another place in the Black Hills area which offers excitement for young "diggers". That is the Hot Springs area which is not noted for just its warm water. In an area that was fed by springs and had steep banks, called a spring fed sink- hole, animals from the Ice Ages were attracted by thirst and trapped by the steep banks. Nearly forty species of Ice Age animals, including Mammoths, apparently perished in the sinkhole. One hundred and six tusks have been found; making it fifty three young bulls who were caught in this sinkhole. Paleontology = the study of the life of past geological periods as known from fossil remains; the study of "bones" Geology = the study of the history of the earth and its life, especially as recorded in rocks archeology = the study of material remains of past human life and activities; the remains of the culture of a people anthropology = the study of human being in relation to distribution, origin, classification, and relationship of races, physical character, environmental and social relations, and culture; in theology it is the dealing with the origin, nature, and destiny of human beings. Our trip to South Dakota was successful for an eight year old paleontologist wannabe; a six year old geologist wannabe; a thirty some with archeological experience; and a seventy something anthropological student. We were also accompanied by my wife and son-in-law, the tourists. e-la-di-e-das-di ha-wi nv-wa-do-hi-ya nv-wa-to-hi-ya-da. (May you walk in peace and harmony) Wado, Bill -=- PostScript: = = = = http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html