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eohippus all contents copyright 2007 max carmichael | why eohippus? bio contact | |
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arts portfolio: visual arts music writing events design | |
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writing: pow-wow books | back next | |
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HOW BEAVER STOLE FIRE FROM THE PINE TREES Just to get into a little bit of the spirit of the area out here and the people, I thought I'd tell you a story about fire. A long, long time ago, at first, it was just the pine trees that had it; they wouldn't share it. Animals were dying left and right, and the pine trees would not share the fire. So beaver hit upon a plan and all the animals supported it: beaver decided to sneak up on the trees and steal their fire. He hit upon the plan that he'd hang out underneath the stream near where the trees were, and wait for a coal or ember or a chance to get in. The pine trees were there, but he got there long before they did. He waited, and he waited. And finally, as the sentries were in place, they got to drinking the sap, and got really fucked up. So he waited, and a coal rolled down, and he grabbed it and stuck it in his breast! and took off running. The trees, no matter how much sap they drank, they knew what was going on, and they took off after him. Didn't take them long to catch up to him, 'cause he didn't have much of a head start - the chase was on. |
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Pow-Wow '91
1991 |
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He was fast! There were thousands of trees after him, but he was faster than the
trees. When he took a left, then the river along which he was going took a left. When he ran right, the river ran right. Ran straight, the river would go straight. The river is still like that. The trees started dropping off; they couldn't catch up with beaver. One by one, they just started dropping off, until there was only a few after him. He kept going 'til there was no one else after him. So he grabbed the coal, and blew and blew and blew... So he grabbed the fire, and started passing it around to all the kinds of trees, so they could share it. He gave it to elderberry, to yucca, seepwillow, cattail, arrowweed, and willow. He gave it to lots of other kinds of trees too. All the plants and trees now had fire. Now the trees that were chasing beaver and dropped off, became rooted to the spot. They're still there today. You go to Escalante, Utah, you can see them. This sage, this is desert sage, used by native people all over the southwest for purifying, to clear the air. Whenever they moved into a house they'd smudge the house. |
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