fluttered under the branches of the tree. It was a swarm of butterflies—brilliant, glittering, shimmering. As the butterflies danced in the air around his head, Man laughed and laughed and laughed. His hands stretched out wider and wider, farther and farther towards the cloud of butterflies. Each time, the radiant swarm moved just beyond his grasp. Finally, with playful abandon, Man stumbled to his feet and began chasing the butterflies out into the meadow. He chased them all that morning, and by the time Man realized he was hungry he had grown used to walking and running on two feet. To this day, the butterflies still dance about the heads of children to remind them of the time the cloud of dazzling wings was needed to get Man up and moving.
For the next while, Man continued to watch the Animal People. Being out from under the tree made it easier for him to follow his teachers as they made their way around the world. Man watched and learned. From the animals he learned to hunt, to gather, to store, to shelter and clean himself. He learned the rules of family, kinship, and harmony,and how to honour Mother Earth. Man began to gather the benefits of living as the Animal People taught them. Life was in balance. Life was natural.
But as was his destiny, Man began to think and dream.
It wasn’t long before he was searching for his own way to do things. The simple ways of his Animal brothers and sisters seemed too easy, too relaxed. Man wanted more control. Soon he began gathering more than he needed, and greed was born. He began to take pleasure in surrounding himself with things of the world—furs, good lodges, meat—and jealousy came into being. It wasn’t long before the good hunters began to look down upon the less talented ones, and judgement was created. After judgement came anger, and with anger came fear, and right on the heels of fear trotted insecurity and resentment. Burdened with these new feelings, Man began trying harder and harder to gain things, to have things, and to exploit the world around him. He began to forget the vital teachings of the Animal People and there was a great slaughter.
The Animal People were afraid. Never before had there been killing for the sake of having. Life was sacred, and when one life needed to be given to sustain another it was done respectfully and with great honour for the one that was sacrificed. But Man was killing to seem bigger and betterthan the others, and was beginning to try and claim the land as his own for the same reasons. When this happened the Animal People grew afraid of Man.
But they never forgot their mission. They remembered that their role was to be Man’s teachers, and even though they took to hiding from him and keeping their distance, they continued to teach them. But Man mistook their distance for sneakiness and slyness and began using these against each other, too.
“What will we do?” asked Raccoon at yet another great meeting in a clearing in a forest far away from Man’s eyes. “How can we teach Man when he is so eager to take us for himself?”
“He is so quick,” said Crane. “As soon as we teach him another part of our way, he turns it around to suit himself. There isn’t time to show him how wrong this is.”
“He doesn’t even try now,” said Wolf. “When he hears my song he no longer tries to listen for the teaching. He only feels fear and wants to keep me away.”
“How can we teach him? How can we fulfill our mission without putting ourselves in danger? How can we help him survive?” asked Beaver.
There were again many suggestions and, just as before, many rejections. No one could come up with a way ofteaching that would be respectful of everyone’s life. Finally, Bat spoke up.
“Man has learned by watching us,” she said. “Everything he knows of the world has come from us. Every bit of his knowing has come from watching, from seeing. Well, I do not see, but I have learned to
listen
to the world in order to find my
For the next while, Man continued to watch the Animal People. Being out from under the tree made it easier for him to follow his teachers as they made their way around the world. Man watched and learned. From the animals he learned to hunt, to gather, to store, to shelter and clean himself. He learned the rules of family, kinship, and harmony,and how to honour Mother Earth. Man began to gather the benefits of living as the Animal People taught them. Life was in balance. Life was natural.
But as was his destiny, Man began to think and dream.
It wasn’t long before he was searching for his own way to do things. The simple ways of his Animal brothers and sisters seemed too easy, too relaxed. Man wanted more control. Soon he began gathering more than he needed, and greed was born. He began to take pleasure in surrounding himself with things of the world—furs, good lodges, meat—and jealousy came into being. It wasn’t long before the good hunters began to look down upon the less talented ones, and judgement was created. After judgement came anger, and with anger came fear, and right on the heels of fear trotted insecurity and resentment. Burdened with these new feelings, Man began trying harder and harder to gain things, to have things, and to exploit the world around him. He began to forget the vital teachings of the Animal People and there was a great slaughter.
The Animal People were afraid. Never before had there been killing for the sake of having. Life was sacred, and when one life needed to be given to sustain another it was done respectfully and with great honour for the one that was sacrificed. But Man was killing to seem bigger and betterthan the others, and was beginning to try and claim the land as his own for the same reasons. When this happened the Animal People grew afraid of Man.
But they never forgot their mission. They remembered that their role was to be Man’s teachers, and even though they took to hiding from him and keeping their distance, they continued to teach them. But Man mistook their distance for sneakiness and slyness and began using these against each other, too.
“What will we do?” asked Raccoon at yet another great meeting in a clearing in a forest far away from Man’s eyes. “How can we teach Man when he is so eager to take us for himself?”
“He is so quick,” said Crane. “As soon as we teach him another part of our way, he turns it around to suit himself. There isn’t time to show him how wrong this is.”
“He doesn’t even try now,” said Wolf. “When he hears my song he no longer tries to listen for the teaching. He only feels fear and wants to keep me away.”
“How can we teach him? How can we fulfill our mission without putting ourselves in danger? How can we help him survive?” asked Beaver.
There were again many suggestions and, just as before, many rejections. No one could come up with a way ofteaching that would be respectful of everyone’s life. Finally, Bat spoke up.
“Man has learned by watching us,” she said. “Everything he knows of the world has come from us. Every bit of his knowing has come from watching, from seeing. Well, I do not see, but I have learned to
listen
to the world in order to find my
Similar Books
