How the Buffalo were Released Unto Earth

In the first days a powerful being named Humpback owned all the buffalo. He kept them in a corral in the mountains north of San Juan, where he lived with his young son. Not one buffalo would Humpback release for the people on earth, nor would he share any meat with those who lived near him.

Coyote decided that something should be done to release the buffalo from Humpback's corral. He called the people to a council. "Humpback will not give us any buffalo," Coyote said. "Let us all go over to his corral and make a plan to release them."

They camped in the mountains near Humpback's place, and after dark they made a careful inspection of his buffalo enclosure. The stone walls were too high to climb, and the only entrance was through the back door of Humpback's house.

After four days Coyote summoned the people to another council, and asked them to offer suggestions for releasing the buffalo. "There is no way," said one man. "To release the buffalo we must go into Humpback's house, and he is too powerful a being for us to do that."

"I have a plan," Coyote said. "For four days we have secretly watched Humpback and his young son go about their daily activities. Have you not observed that the boy does not own a pet of any kind?"

The people did not understand what this had to do with releasing the buffalo, but they knew that Coyote was a great schemer and they waited for him to explain. "I shall change myself into a killdeer," Coyote said. "In the morning when Humpback's son goes down to the spring to get water, he will find a killdeer with a broken wing. He will want this bird for a pet and will take it back into the house. Once I am in the house I can fly into the corral, and the cries of a killdeer will frighten the buffalo into a stampede. They will come charging out through Humpback's house and be released upon the earth."

The people thought this was a good plan, and the next Morning when Humpback's son came down the path to the spring he found a killdeer with a crippled wing. As Coyote had foreseen, the boy picked up the bird and carried it into the house.

"Look here," the boy cried. "This is a very good bird!"

"It is good for nothing!" Humpback shouted. "All the birds and animals and people are rascals and schemers." Above his fierce nose Humpback wore a blue mask, and through its slits his eyes glittered. His basket headdress was shaped like a cloud and was painted black with a zig-zag streak of yellow to represent lightning. Buffalo horns protruded from the sides.

"It is a very good bird," the boy repeated.

"Take it back where you found it!" roared Humpback, and his frightened son did as he was told.

As soon as the killdeer was released it returned to where the people were camped and changed back to Coyote. "I have failed," he said, "but that makes no difference. I will try again in the morning. Perhaps a small animal will be better than a bird."

The next morning when Humpback's son went to the spring, he found a small dog there, lapping at the water. The boy picked up the dog at once and hurried back into the house. "Look here!" he cried. "What a nice pet I have."

"How foolish you are, boy!" Humpback growled. "A dog is good for nothing. I'll kill it with my club."

The boy held tight to the dog, and started to run away crying.

"Oh, very well," Humpback said. "But first let me test that animal to make certain it is a dog. All animals in the world are schemers." He took a coal of fire from the hearth and brought it closer and closer to the dog's eyes until it gave three rapid barks. "It is a real dog," Humpback declared. "You may keep it in the buffalo corral, but not in the house."

This of course was exactly what Coyote wanted. As soon as darkness fell and Humpback and his son went to sleep, Coyote opened the back door of the house. Then he ran among the buffalo, barking as loud as he could. The buffalo were badly frightened because they had never before heard a dog bark. When Coyote ran nipping at their heels, they stampeded toward Humpback's house and entered the rear door. The pounding of their hooves awakened Humpback, and although he jumped out of bed and tried to stop them, the buffalo smashed down his front door and escaped.

After the last of the shaggy animals had galloped away, Humpback's son could not find his small dog. "Where is my pet?" he cried. "Where is my little dog?"

"That was no dog," Humpback said sadly. "That was Coyote the Trickster. He has turned loose all our buffalo."

Thus it was that the buffalo were released to scatter over all the earth.

The Two Wolves

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather which wolf would win. The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

Jumping Mouse

Once there was a little mouse. He was just like any other little mouse. He was always gathering up seeds to eat and twigs and cotton to build a nest with. But every once in a while this little mouse would pause, stand still and listen intensely. He would listen silently for a while, then go back to his work.

Now this little mouse started to wonder about this sound he was listening to. He asked another mouse. “Brother mouse, do you ever hear a roaring in your ear?”

The other mouse just looked at him as if he were crazy, then dashed off into the log of a rotting cottonwood tree. He tried asking other mice the same thing, but they were too busy working to even answer his question.

But the mouse keep hearing it, and one day decided that he would investigate this sound that he heard.

He followed the sound very carefully. It took him to strange places, places he’d never been to before, far away from the comfort of his home. He was a little scared, but also very curious.

“Hello little brother. What are you doing way out here?” he heard a voice, and it scared him so much he nearly jumped out of his fur.

“Don’t be afraid little fellow, I am brother raccoon. Again, what are you doing out here?”

“Why, I’m investigating this sound that I keep hearing,” the little mouse said.

“Ah!” the raccoon cried. “That sound, what you hear is the sound of the river!”

“The river? What is a river?” the little mouse asked.

“Come, I will show you.” And the mouse followed the raccoon deeper into the strange territory of woods. Finally, they came upon a river, mighty wide and huge, roaring across the land. It seemed that parts of the world were floating down it.

“Here is the river, little friend. I must go now, but I leave you in good hands with brother Frog here.”

“Ok, nice to meet you, Brother Frog,” mouse said. The frog nodded, as raccoon wandered down the river’s edge to go and catch some fish.

“Little Mouse,” Frog said. “Do you want some medicine?”

“Medicine? For me? Oh, why, yes! I would love some medicine!” Mouse said.

“Then crouch down as low as you can and jump as high as you can,” Frog instructed.

So little mouse crouched down as low as he could and jumped as high as he could. He was in mid air and he saw something amazing. He saw the sacred mountains, blue and beautiful. He hung midair in awe and amazement as he gazed in wonder at their majestic beauty that touched his heart. Then, he dropped back down and splash, fell into the river.

“Glub, blub, blub,” little mouse struggled to get to the river’s edge. Finally he succeeded with great effort pulled himself from the waters.

“You tricked me, Frog!” mouse said furious.

“Wait!” Frog cried. “Before your anger gets the best of you, think about what you saw.”

Little mouse thought for a moment, then his angry eyes turned blissful, as he recalled the beauty of the mountains and how he felt inside his heart.

“Oh, why, yes. I saw the sacred mountains. They were amazing. I can never forget that vision.”

“And,” Frog said, “You now have a new name. You are Jumping Mouse.”

“Jumping Mouse! Oh, this is wonderful! Wonderful!” Jumping Mouse cried. “Thank you, thank you, Brother Frog!” and he scurried off back home.

But when Jumping Mouse returned home, nobody would listen to his story. They thought he was crazy and didn’t believe in the river or any sacred mountains. Worse, since he was wet, they thought that an animal had snatched him up in its mouth, but spit him out because he was poison. So everybody shunned Jumping Mouse. He was very sad.

Day after day, Jumping Mouse went about his business again of collecting seeds and materials for his nest. But he could not get the image and feeling out of his mind and heart about the Sacred Mountains. How he longed for them! Finally, he could stand it no longer. He was determined to see the Sacred Mountains once more.

“I will see them again!” he cried, and went out to the edge of his world and looked out on the prairie where he thought the mountains lay. He was frightened as he looked out on the open prairie and up into the wide sky above, filled with eagles ready to snatch him up.

But the vision pulled at him with great desire, and he mustered up all his courage and then dashed out on to the prairie. His little legs carried him as fast as he could, as his eyes, glazed over with fear, looked into the sky. Finally, he spotted a bush and dashed into it. His heart was beating furiously as he caught his breath. Then he looked around and saw some amazing things.

Why, there were many, many seeds to collect and so much more nesting material than back home! How easy life was here! Then, he saw an old mouse.
“Hello there, little mouse,” said the old mouse.

“Why hello!” Jumping Mouse said. “You must be a very special and wise mouse to be way out here. You must have seen the sacred mountains!”

“Yes, that is true. I am old and therefore wise. I have come a long way in my life. But those sacred mountains. Forget about them. They are not true. You should just stay here and journey no further.”

Jumping Mouse thought about this for a while as he watched the old mouse in his comfortable surroundings. But he remembered the vision of the sacred mountains.

“No, no! You are wrong! The mountains DO exist. I saw them myself!”

“Don’t be a fool,” the old mouse said. “Do you see those black dots up there? Those are eagles. They will snatch you up quickly once you hit the prairie again. Stay here where you are safe and have so much to live for!”

“No! NO!” and Jumping Mouse gathered up all his courage, looked up at the eagles above, but closed them and dashed out onto the prairie. He hurried as fast as his little legs could carry him and he was fearful as he heard the sound of beating wings. Suddenly he saw a chokecherry bush, and dashed to safety.

He panted hard catching his breath. Then he looked around in his new surroundings. There were even more things that he could eat. The chokecherries were abundant.

Just then he heard a sound. It was heavy, uneven breathing. He peeked out of the chokecherry bush, and saw an enormous, brown, furry animal.

“Hello there,” Jumping Mouse said. “Who are you? Are you all right?”

The creature moved a bit then spoke. “I am a buffalo. But I am dying. The only thing that can cure me is the eye of a mouse. But there is no such thing as a mouse, so I must die.”

Jumping Mouse ran back into the bush. “An eye of a mouse!” he said. “I am a mouse! My eye can heal him! But to lose my eye!” Jumping Mouse sat for a very long time, wondering what to do. “If I don’t give it to him, this great being will die!”

Finally, Jumping Mouse came back to the buffalo.

“Buffalo,”

“Yes?”

There is such a thing as a mouse. I am a mouse. And I give you one of my eyes.”
No sooner that the words were out of his mouth, that one of Jumping Mouse’s eyes flew out of him and into the buffalo. Instantly, the buffalo was healed.

“Oh, Jumping Mouse,” the buffalo said. “I am so grateful for your gift. You have healed me. I wish to do something for you in return. I know of your quest for the sacred mountains. I will take you there. You can walk beneath me and I will protect you from the eagles.

“Oh! Thank you, thank you!” Jumping Mouse said. And he walked beneath the buffalo, although it was very difficult with the heavy pounding hooves shaking the earth and with the use of only one eye. He was terrified, but so excited that he was closer to his goal.

Finally, the buffalo stopped, and so did all the shaking.

“Here is the foot of the sacred mountains. I can go no further, and I must now give-away to the people.”

“Oh, that’s quite all right. Thank you so much!” Jumping Mouse said.

“No, thank you,” Buffalo said.

Jumping mouse searched around some more, investigating all around him the best he could. There were even more seeds, more nesting materials than ever before! He was amazed, and got busy. However, he came across a wolf.

“Wolf! Wolf!” Jumping Mouse cried.

The wolf suddenly shot up to its feet.

“Yes, that’s right! I remember now. I am a wolf, I’m a … I’m …a”

“Wolf!”

“Wolf, yes, that’s me! I am a wolf. I’m. I’m what?

“Goodness,” Thought Jumping Mouse. “What a great being this is, but he has no memory!” Jumping Mouse thought for a little while and then went to the wolf and said.

“Wolf!”

“I’m a wolf! That’s right!” the wolf said jumping up.

“Wolf! I understand that you have no memory. And I have that which will heal you. It’s one of my eyes, and I willingly give it to you.”

No sooner that he said those words, that his second eye went flying out of his head and went straight into the wolf and he was healed.

Tears streamed out of the wolf’s eyes, but little Jumping Mouse could not see them for he was blind.

“I am so grateful to you, little mouse,” the wolf said. “I remember now, that I am a guide to these mountains. I can take you to the lake at the top of these mountains, if you wish.

“Oh, yes, yes, that would be nice,” Jumping Mouse said.

The wolf gently picked him up in his mouth and climbed to the top of the mountain, where he set Jumping Mouse down by the lake’s edge.

“I will stay here as long as you wish,” the wolf said.

“Oh, thank you, but there are others who will need your services.”

“Very well. As you wish.” And the wolf left Jumping Mouse alone.

Jumping Mouse didn’t know what to do, alone and blind at the edge of the lake on top of the mountain, he felt fear and he swore he could feel the presence of eagles around him. He heard screeches and the beating of wings and then…..something hit him, and he blacked out.

Jumping Mouse lay there for a long time before waking up. And when he did he found that he could see! Yes, he could see! Not very clearly at first, it was blurry.

Then he heard a voice.

“Jumping Mouse. Do you want some medicine?”

“Medicine for me? Oh, yes, yes!”

“Then crouch down as low as you can and jump as high as you can.”

So Jumping Mouse did as he was told. He crouched down low and then jumped high with all his might. He found that as he jumped, he was lifted up into the air, the wind lifted him higher and higher, and the higher he went, the clearer his vision became. He looked down upon the lake and he saw the whole world reflected in it. And in the center of it, was his friend, Brother Frog.

His vision restored, Jumping Mouse soared through the air.

“And you have a new name, “ Frog said. “You are Eagle and you will live here for eternity.”