The Myth to which Little Birds Name Alludes – The Mockingbird and the Crow (Long Version) Ty Bard (Copyright 2014) Note: Some elements of this story appear in some tellings in alternate form. For instance, in many stories of Grandmother Spider it is the fire she retrieves not the sun. This is not surprising because the Sun and the Fire were equated with each other by Muskogee people. In some stories the Anhinga receives the ripples of the first waters and the band of white on it tail feathers for helping to dry the earth brought up by Mother Turtle instead of for helping to retrieve the Sun. Part One - Retrieving the Sun The Most High gave the Great Light, the Sun, as his special emissary to the middle realm. The heat and light of the Sun were to bless Earth so that she could sustain life, and he was to shine as a visible reminder to all creatures of the love and glory of the Most High. At first the Sun appeared low on the eastern horizon hovering just above the Great Sea of the first waters. The little birds on Turtle Island, when they flew up into the sky, could dimly see its light like the red glow of a distant fire on the horizon seen from a mountain peak. They wondered if this was the Great Light which the Creator had promised. They were filled with joy and happiness upon seeing the Great Light and sent up prayers of praise to the Most High. They flew back to Earth and told the Council of Animals of the appearance of the Sun far to the East above the Great Sea. At first, the other animals did not believe them, for all was still in darkness on Turtle Island and they could not see the Great Light. The large birds rarely flew then, for without the heat of the Sun to warm the air to lift them, it was very hard work for them to lift their large bodies into the sky. At last Eagle, the largest but most powerful of the winged creatures began to flap his mighty wings until he slowly rose high into the sky. From on high, he looked out to the East – and there far out at the edge of the Great Sea, he saw the distant glow of the Sun. So Eagle summoned his strength and flew high, higher, and higher yet - up into the Sky Realm of the Most High. The Creator told Eagle that the distant glow in the East was indeed the promised Sun. Hesaketemese told Eagle that the Council must chose if they truly wanted the heat and light of the Sun and if they did, they must decide how to bring it to Turtle Island. Eagle returned to Earth and called the Council of Animals together. Eagle told the Council all that the Most High had said to him. The animals argued back and forth for a long time. Many wanted things to remain as they were – because they were comfortable with the way things were. These were the animals that could see well in the darkness. Just as many thought the Sun should be brought to Turtle Island. These were the animals who could not see in the darkness or who shivered in the cold of Turtle Island not warmed by the Sun. The Council could not come to an agreement. Finally, Raccoon suggested that they bring the Sun back but let it pass through the sky from East to West above Turtle Island and then pass through the waters to return again in the East. In this way, Raccoon said we shall have light half the time and darkness half the time – and all animals will have an equal amount of time that best suits them. So the Council decided that it should be as Raccoon suggested. To remind everyone of the wisdom of Raccoons suggestion, since that time, Raccoon has worn alternating bands of light and dark fur upon his tail. The Sun was so far in the East out upon the Great Sea that only the winged creatures thought they could reach it. The first to volunteer to try was Crane. “Though I cannot fly high or fast, with my long legs, I can wade out deep and bring the Sun safe and dry over the waters,” Crane declared. The Council agreed that Crane should make the attempt. He immediately strode out into the waters. Soon the waters became too deep even for Crane and he was forced to return to dry land or drown. Since that time, Crane has always remained in the shallows; but because he was the first to be willing to attempt to bring the Sun, the Creator turned his feathers pure white to remind all of the purity of Spirit which the Crane showed at that time. It is for this reason that the people (Muskogees) use Crane feathers at Green Corn to open the access to the Sky Realm for they are a reminder of the purity and selflessness that the Most High loves. Many others tried, but could not reach the Sun because it was so far away. Eagle flew out to the Sun, but discovered that it was half in the water and that with no place to stand, he could not lift it out of the waters. The animals were sad because it seemed the Sun would be forever beyond their reach. Finally, Anhinga and Water Spider (who we now call Grandmother Spider) said that they would try. Anhinga said, “Though I cannot fly far, since the time before Mother Turtle brought up the land, I have been a strong swimmer. I will swim out to the Sun, dive beneath it and lift it above the water.” Water Spider said, “I am not afraid of the water for I can run upon its surface without sinking. I will weave a basket on my back to keep it out of the waters.” At first, all the animals laughed, for how could tiny Spider lift the mighty Sun. She replied she was far stronger than her wee size and that she knew a song that would draw the Sun to her. After much debate, the Council finally agreed to allow Spider and Anhinga to make the attempt. Thus Spider and Anhinga set out. Anhinga dove into the waters and swam out to the Sun. Spider ran out upon the waters, her eight legs skipping so nimbly over the waves that scarce a drop of water dampened her body. They reached the Sun. Spider quickly wove a basket upon her back. Anhinga took a deep breath and dove beneath the water. He swam beneath the Sun, balanced it upon his neck and back, gave a great kick with his feet. Slowly Anhinga lifted the Sun completely above the waters of the Great Sea and rolled him into the waiting basket on Spiders back. Spider sang her song and the Sun rested lightly in her basket and agreed to come with her. Spider and Anhinga began the long journey back to Turtle Island. When Spider would grow weary, she would rest upon Anhinga and the weight of Spider and the Sun would push him down till only his head and neck were above the waters. As a reminder of the journey, since that time, Anhinga now always swims with only his head and neck above the waters. At last they reached the shores of Turtle Island, but Anhinga was so wet he could not lift the Sun from Spiders back into the sky. Ever since then, to recall the bringing of the Sun to Turtle Island, Anhinga dries his feathers in the light of the Sun after swimming before he flies. Today, the people present an Anhinga feather to beloved Elders as a token of appreciation for long, dedicated service and sacrifice because of the persistence and sacrifice that Anhinga demonstrated in helping Spider to retrieve the Sun. The immense heat of the Sun began to scorch Earth and his bright light began to blind all the animals. Buzzard came to the rescue. He was the largest of the birds except for Eagle and was a very strong flyer. Now at that time, Buzzard was very handsome and cloaked in bright silver white plumage. He lifted the Sun upon his head and flew high, higher, and still higher into the Sky World until the Sun looked like a small burning disc high above Turtle Island. When Buzzard returned, the heat of the Sun had burned away his head covering and to this day Buzzard has remained bald and his crown red from the blistering heat of the Sun he once carried upon his head. Likewise his silver white plumage was singed black so that only a hint of white remains on the underside of his feathers. For Buzzards sacrifice, the other animals decided that he would never have to hunt again but that he would instead be able to eat the carrion remains of all the other animals – and so it has been ever since. So now Sun, the Great Light, the gift of Hesaketemese to Earth was in his appointed place according to the vision of the Most High. Now Hesaketemese, determined was the time to bestow rewards upon all his helpers for their work. He confirmed the Councils decrees for Buzzard and Raccoon and placed the ripples of the first waters on Anhinga’s tail feathers so that all would remember that Anhinga lifted the Sun from the first waters. He placed a bright light into the sky as a sign and remembrance – this is the brightest star (Venus) in the night sky and it returns to the same spot in the night sky every eight years as a herald of the Sun rising on the summer solstice. The appearance on the eighth year is to remind the people of the eight legs of Grandmother Spider and her great work bringing the Sun over the waters of the Great Sea. A circle is drawn around the four logs of the sacred fire, the little brother of the Sun, which is kindled anew at every Green Corn - the circle is to remind everyone of the basket in which Spider brought the Sun over the waters. A second circle is drawn outside of this to represent the Spiders back. Thus when the people dance around the sacred fire they do not step on the outer circle for that is Grandmother Spider’s back and when a fire keeper places wood on the sacred fire he always pauses before stepping between the two circles to ask Grandmother Spiders permission to feed the fire on her basket. Hesaketemese did not forget Eagle. For making the long flight to the upper reaches of the Sky World to consult the Most High, Eagle was made the chief of the winged creatures and of the Council and was appointed as the special messenger of the Creator to carry the words of the Creator to the Council. (Later on hawk would be appointed to carry the prayers of the living and the spirits of the deceased to the Creator – but special messages from the Creator are still the honor of Eagle.) There was one other group of helpers yet to receive a reward – the little birds that first saw the Great Light and praised the Creator for the gift of the Sun. Part Two – The Gift of Song Now Hesaketemese had not forgotten that it was the little birds which first saw the Great Light and offered up praises to him for the gift of the Sun. Hesaketemese called to Eagle to hear the words of the Most High and carry them back to the Council. Eagle made the long flight up, now made easier by the heat of the Sun which warmed the air to lift up the Eagle like the heat of a fire lifts the smoke to rise into the sky. Hesaketemese told Eagle to have the little birds assemble on the fourth morning for he had a gift to give them for being the first to see the Great Light of Sun and praise the Creator for gifting it to the middle realm. So Eagle flew back to Turtle Island and declared the words of the Most High and ordered all the little birds to assemble at the first light of the fourth dawn. All the little birds wondered what gift Hesaketemese had chosen to give them and were filled with anticipation. On the fourth morning, in the predawn darkness, the little birds began to assemble at the appointed place. As the first light of dawn began to break over the horizon, Hesaketemese himself appeared before them in shimmering light. He placed a large basket upon the ground and told the assembled birds that inside the basket was a gift for each of them. They could each take one. One by one the little birds reached into the basket and pulled out a beautiful arrangement of sounds. This was the first bird song. Each bird was given one unique song of their own. Some were to sing at dawn to remind everyone to give thanks for the Sun. Others were to sing at dusk to remind everyone that the coming night would always give way to a new dawn while still others would sing in the darkness to remind all of the time before the Sun when all were in darkness. So it was that the doves and whippoorwills and pigeons and owls and all the song birds received their beautiful voices. This was their reward for first seeing the Great Light and praising the Creator. Not all the little birds had assembled on time. Now at that time, Crow was one of the wisest of birds who often warned others of danger and gave them wise council. He was also the best medicine worker and his medicine was in great demand by the other animals. The night before the gathering he had been up late working medicine for those animals that were in need and had awakened late because of his exhaustion. Crow arrived late to the gathering and found the basket left behind by Hesaketemese. He could only pick the last sounds left in the basket. When he opened his mouth to sing – only a raucous “caw, caw” came out. Since that day, Crow has had a harsh voice. Crow was so proud of receiving a song that he did not hear how awful the sound of his song was. Crow was not the only bird to arrive late. Blue Jay and Mockingbird also came late to the gathering. Blue Jay was a bit pompous and proud because of his attractive blue coat. Mockingbird always wanted the approval of others and felt overlooked because of his dull gray feathers. Blue Jay was flattered by Mockingbirds admiration and agreed to try to dye Mockingbirds feathers blue so that he too could be as attractive as Bluebird. For many days they worked on finding just the right combination of berries and plants to make a dye for Mockingbird. (The old ones say the reason why there is often a bluish tint to Mockingbirds gray feathers is that the bluish tint is a remnant of the dye Blue Jay applied to Mockingbirds’ feathers.) They were so intense on this effort that they completely forgot about the gathering. When they remembered, they rushed to the meeting place only to find an empty basket. The old ones say that the experience of Blue Jay and Mockingbird should teach us not to be prideful like the Jay or seek to be something we are not like Mockingbird or we may miss out on what the Creator has to give to us. Part Three – The Theft of Song Every morning or evening or night, according to their kind, the birds would sing their new songs as decreed by Hesaketemese. Turtle Island rejoiced in this wondrous sound and the Most Highs gift of song to the birds. All the birds rejoiced except for Blue Jay and Mockingbird. They were much distressed that the other birds each had their special song and they had none. The more they heard those songs, the more jealous and envious they became. Not satisfied to accept the fate they deserved, they plotted together how they too might acquire a song. They could think of no solution. Finally, they thought they should consult Rabbit for everyone knew he was the slyest of the animals. Thus, Jay and Mockingbird sought out Rabbit in his thicket home. Being a rather selfish fellow, Rabbit was not normally given to helping others. In this case though, Rabbit decided to help because he was also rather annoyed by all the attention the birds were receiving for their songs. After all, Rabbit thought to himself, “This bird song is taking away from the attention I should rightfully receive as the most cunning animal of the council.” Rabbit agreed he would help Blue Jay and Mockingbird and told them to return in four days and he would tell them what to do. Rabbit left his thicket to see what he could see and devise a plan. Soon he noticed that the birds were no longer singing just at their appointed times, but were singing as constantly and incessantly as the chattering of squirrels. When he would stop them and compliment them, they would puff out their chests and sing even louder. Their songs were flying hither and thither all around and slipping from the birds beaks carelessly and without regard for where their songs went. Rabbit had seen enough and returned to his thicket to wait for Blue Jay and Mockingbird. On the fourth day, Blue Jay and Mockingbird returned to the thicket to see Rabbit. Rabbit said to them, “Do you see that pine over yonder that Woodpecker has been pecking at? There is sap oozing from the holes Woodpecker has made. Fly over there and rub some on your beaks.” Blue Jay and Mockingbird flew to the pine and rubbed their beaks in the sap. Blue Jay did not like the feel of the sap, so he only rubbed a little sap on, but Mockingbird thoroughly coated his beak with the sticky sap. They flew back to the thicket. Rabbit told them to follow behind him, being careful to stay out of sight. “When I praise a bird for his song, you will see him puff his chest out and begin to carelessly blow out his song here and there. You can then fly up and catch the sounds on your sticky beaks and the song for yourself,” said Rabbit. Blue Jay and Mockingbird were pleased with Rabbits plan and said they would do just as he said. So Rabbit left his thicket to seek out the birds with Blue Jay and Mockingbird flitting stealthily behind him. Soon Rabbit came upon the birds and began to praise each for their lovely song. The little birds puffed out their chests and began to sing. The sounds of their beautiful songs went flying here and yon. Blue Jay and Mockingbird darted about seizing all the sounds they could catch in their beaks. Some sounds they missed and those went tumbling into leaves or thickets. Blue Jay could only catch a few sounds because he only had a little sap on his beak. Mockingbird caught a lot of sounds because his beak was coated in the sticky pine sap. Soon many of the sounds of the birds’ songs were lost and others caught up by Blue Jay and Mockingbird. Too late the birds realized that their pride had undone them. They knew that instead of singing at their appointed times they had carelessly spent their songs out of pride. The birds were saddened but wiser for their loss, but Rabbit was happy because once more everyone knew he was the most cunning of all the animals. Where the birds once had full songs composed of many lovely sounds, they now had only a few sounds left. This is why bird song is a repetition of only a few sounds; most of the sounds were lost while others were snatched up by Blue Jay or Mockingbird. Since that time, the birds have learned to sing only at their assigned times and since then Blue Jay and Mockingbird do not have their own songs but pieces of the songs of other birds. The old ones say that we should learn from the fate of the birds to guard against pride or we too may lose the gifts which the Creator has given to us. The old ones also say that we must watch our words or someone will snatch up bits and pieces of them and repeat them when and where they should not just like the Jay and Mockingbird picked up the sounds of the songs carelessly flung out by the birds. Part Four – Mockingbird Tricks Crow After the birds lost most of their songs to the trickery of Rabbit and the theft of Blue Jay and Mockingbird, Crow began to sing loudly in the morning and evening when the birds welcomed the sun or sung of the Suns return after the night. He thought his sounds were as beautiful as the diminished songs of the other birds. This belief was reinforced because when he sang out his discordant “Caw, caw” the other birds would become silent. He thought the other birds stopped singing in admiration of his song. They actually stopped because his song was so harsh and discordant it clashed with all the other bird song. The birds did not know what to do. They did not want to hurt Crow because he was a wise and a good fellow and had this raucous song only because he was late to the gathering because of doctoring others the night before. Finally, they formed a plan. They approached Mockingbird for help. Now Mockingbird and Jay had been shunned after their theft of song but the birds said all would be forgiven if Mockingbird would help them quiet the singing of Crow and promise not to steal anymore songs than he already had. Mockingbird agreed. (Of course to be on the safe side, the birds are still very careful not to carelessly sing around Mockingbird lest he forget his promise and revert to his old ways.) The birds knew that Crow only had one sound that he repeated over and over so they asked Mockingbird if he had captured any of Crows song when he was snatching up the other bird songs. Mockingbird assured them that he had indeed caught Crow sounds but never sung them since he had far more lovely songs he could sing. The birds told Mockingbird to hide among the thickest branches of the Cedar the following morning and when Crow began to sing to sing back the same song to him even louder. Mockingbird agreed we would do so. The following morning as the birds began to sing, as usual Crow fly up to a high tree branch and began to loudly sing, “Caw, caw!”. The other birds became silent, Crow thought in deference to his beautiful song. But then another bird he could not see began to sing a loud “Caw, Caw!” Crow could not believe someone would interrupt his song with such a harsh sound. Crow decided to drown out the offending noise and sang even louder, “Caw, Caw!” An even louder “Caw, Caw!” replied to Crows’ song. Crow called out, “Who is singing that awful racket?” Mockingbird flew down from his hidden perch in the Cedar and hopped into view. Now all birds knew Mockingbird was the stealer of bird song. When Crow saw Mockingbird, Crow knew that the awful song that Mockingbird was singing was Crows own song. The old ones say that we should learn from Crow that the characteristics or motivations we see in others are often our own. Crow was sorely ashamed of his harsh, discordant voice and flew off to hide himself in the deep woods. Hesaketemese had mercy upon Crows plight and called Eagle. The Most High told Eagle, tell Crow my words, “Do not be sad because your song is not beautiful for since it was your lot to receive it because of your service to others, you shall be a sentinel and my special watcher. When others hear your song they will know that there is danger and they will heed your warning.” So Eagle returned from the presence of Hesaketemese and told Crow the words of the Creator. It is for the Crows service and because of Hesaketemeses blessing upon him that Crows voice became a warning call and the Crow became the watcher. In remembrance of the Crows wisdom and service to others, the people use his feathers as a token of their ancestors who watch over them and likewise warn them of danger. It is because of this connection that the Crow is not harmed even when he feeds in the corn fields. The Crow was happy and satisfied with the Creators pronouncement and even to this day proudly and loudly sings out his warning, “Caw, caw!”
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 22:52:26 +0000
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