How the First White Man
Came to the Cheyenne
By Glenn Welker
Several versions of this story have been told by the grandfathers for many generations. It is a simple, straightforward story revealing the kind, giving, open and free spirited character of the people prior to the invasion of vast hordes of greedy white men.
Many generations ago during the hot summer, the Cheyenne camped along the cool flowing tributaries of the upper Missouri River. Awakening from their sleep one morning, Gray Wolf and his wife saw a strange creature lying in their tipi. The woman was frightened and was about to cry out, but Gray Wolf quieted her and went closer to the strange being which was slowly rising to a sitting position. Gray Wolf saw that this creature was a man who looked something like a Cheyenne, but he had a white skin and hair on his face and spoke in a strange language.
The man was so thin that he had scarcely any flesh on his bones, and for clothing he wore were in shreds. He near death. Gray Wolf gave him something to eat, but at first the man was so weak and exhausted that his stomach would not hold it, yet after a little while he got stronger.
Gray Wolf
told his wife to keep the presence of the stranger a secret. He
feared that some of his tribesmen would kill the man, believing that
he might bring them bad luck. A few days later, the chiefs sent a
crier through the camp, announcing that the Cheyenne would be moving
camp the next day.
Knowing that the
stranger could no longer be concealed, Gray Wolf revealed his
presence. "I have taken him for my brother," he said. "If anyone
harms him I will punish them. The Great Spirit must have sent this
man to us for a good reason."
And so Gray Wolf clothed
him, fed him, and led him back to life. After a time the man learned
to speak a few words of Cheyenne. He also learned the sign language
of the tribe. In this way he was able to tell Gray Wolf that he came
from the East, the land of the rising sun. "With five other men I
started out to trap the beaver. We were on a lake in a boat when the
wind came up suddenly, overturned the boat, and drowned all the
others. After I struggled ashore, I wandered about, living on roots
and berries until all my clothes were worn and scratched off. Half
blind, and nearly dead with hunger, I wandered into your camp and
fell into your tipi."
For the hundredth time
the man thanked Gray Wolf for saving his life, and then he
continued: "For many days I have watched how hard you and your wife
work. To make a fire you must use two sticks. Your wife uses
porcupine quills for needles in sewing. She uses stone vessels to
cook in, and you use stone knives and stone points for your spears
and arrows. You must work hard and long to make these things. My
people, who are powerful and numerous, have many wonderful things
that the Cheyenne do not have."
"What are these
wonderful things?" Gray Wolf asked.
"Needles that keep their
points forever for your wife to sew with. Sharp knives of metal to
cut with, steel to make a fire with, and a weapon that uses a black
powder and sends hard pieces of metal straight at any wild game you
need to kill. I can bring you these things if you and your people
will help me get beaver skins. My people are fond of beaver fur, and
they will give me these wonderful things for you in
exchange."
Gray Wolf told his tribesmen what the stranger
had said, and they collected many beaver skins for him. The skins
were loaded on several travois drawn by dogs, and one day the
stranger went off toward the rising sun with his dog-train of
furs.
Several moons passed, and Gray Wolf began to
wonder if the stranger would ever return. Then on a bright sun shiny
morning, the Cheyenne heard a noise like a clap of thunder near
their camp. On a bluff to the east, they saw a man wearing a red cap
and red coat. Above his head he lifted a strange weapon that
resembled a black stick, and then he shouted a greeting to them in
their own language.
As he approached, they
recognized him as the stranger who had taken away the beaver skins.
He had brought the Cheyenne all the wonderful things he had told
about--knives, needles and steel -- and he showed the people how to
use them. Then he showed them the black powder and hollow iron with
which he had made the noise like thunder. And that is how the first
white man came to the Cheyenne.
--- Indigenous Peoples' Literature
LEGEND
OF THUNDER MOON
By Max Brand
The Legend of Thunder Moon is an intriguing and successful re-creation of the spirit of Cheyenne life during its golden age of nomadic hunting and superb horsemanship on the Great Plains. A Cheyenne brave, Big Hard Face, lacking a son to reaffirm his status, journeys east and kidnaps a white boy. The boy, raised as Thunder Moon, becomes immersed in Cheyenne culture and seeks honor through warfare and hunting to overcome the stigma of his lighter skin. Yet Thunder Moon refuses the self-torture of the Sun Dance, the major passage to adult status for males. Forced to prove himself through other means, Thunder Moon leads an audacious and successful raid against the fearsome Comanche. In this inaugural volume of the Thunder Moon tetralogy, we find Brand at his best, uniting a gripping tale of action with a shift from seeing the Native American as an implacably hostile menace to a more nuanced and sympathetic figure. Leisure Books, August 1999. Soft Cover, 256pp. $19.95
Proceeds from book purchases go to support the nonprofit, cultural, educational and religious purposes of the Manataka American Indian Council. Thank you for your support.
Notice: Occasionally books may be discontinued or out of stock without prior notice. With written permission, your order may be filled from the 'shelf'. Shelf books are new, but some may be slightly discolored or sale tags may be still attached. Fulfillment rate: 98.6%.
HER
SEVEN BROTHERS
By Paul Goble
A classic Story. Retells the Cheyenne legend in which a girl and her seven chosen brothers become the Big Dipper. When an Indian girl begins to make clothes beautifully decorated with porcupine quills for seven brothers she has not yet met, her parents believe that unseen powers have spoken to her. The girl knows she must travel to the north country to find the seven brothers. She comforts her mother by saying, "Soon you will see me again with my brothers; everyone will know and love us!" Simon & Schuster Children's, August 1993, Soft Cover. 32pp. $9.95
Proceeds from book purchases go to support the nonprofit, cultural, educational and religious purposes of the Manataka American Indian Council. Thank you for your support.
Notice: Occasionally books may be discontinued or out of stock without prior notice. With written permission, your order may be filled from the 'shelf'. Shelf books are new, but some may be slightly discolored or sale tags may be still attached. Fulfillment rate: 98.6%.