| TIMETREE CHAPTERS: 1 Two Indians 2 Spring 3 His Brother The Wind 4 The First Years 5 Comings And Goings 6 Another Spring 7 The Great Meeting 8 Alone Yet Not Alone 9 Remembering 10 Tomorrow Gone Home Page |
Once Upon A Time, |
HIS BROTHER THE WIND
An Indian legend records the telling of a great brother of the forests, the wind. The wind spirit brings, in turn, a record of happenings from distant places. The spirit of the forest and the spirit of the wind talk to one another, and the little tree learns to bend and sway with pleasure when his friend the wind whispers to him. The wind teaches the tree to understand many tongues.
"In a distant land, a people known as "Spaniards" are exploring in great canoes," says the wind.
"Are they coming this way?"
"Yes," sighs the wind. "There is a great ocean in the way of the rising sun. A young man known as Columbus has beached upon nearby land and has returned from whence he has ventured. That was 44 seasons ago, before you were born. Another man named Balboa has discovered the South Sea, the pacific ocean. Yet another, Magellan, has traveled before many ocean breezes and circled all the lands and oceans just as I have done. He is brave and hungers for journeys." So said the wind spirit to the tree spirit.
"Tell me more when you return," the little tree bids the wind.
Each time the wind returned, he told the tree a little more. He said the Spaniards were far to the south now, in a land of Mexican Indians and Aztecs. There was greed everywhere. Many colonies were now claimed by these short people, the Spaniards.
"Today you are one year old," announced the wind. "I have returned to you time and again. You have learned much. Today you are five inches tall, strong and straight. Indeed, you are extra tall for your age. This is good," sighed the wind with satisfaction. "But now the first American press has begun printing in this land, far to the east".
"What does it mean?" asks the little Yellow Pine.
"It means that new people of the east have snared the spoken word and placed it into writing, a sign language on parchment that allows all those who read to remember the same things," chuckles the wind.
"And what does that mean!" asks the little tree.
"I asked the great horned owl," says the wind. "He rolled his yellow eyes at me in the night and said that it means war. It means that the new people will move across the plains together, very quickly. You must hurry and grow tall for the great owl will come and live with you soon and tell you more. I will send you an underground water spring so you will never be thirsty," promises the wind.
"Ask this owl to come and live with my father tree as he is still tall and strong and has a great hollow place for him."
"I will tell the wise one," says the wind, swishing away.
| TIMETREE CHAPTERS: 1 Two Indians 2 Spring 3 His Brother The Wind 4 The First Years 5 Comings And Goings 6 Another Spring 7 The Great Meeting 8 Alone Yet Not Alone 9 Remembering 10 Tomorrow Gone Home Page |
Once Upon A Time, |
