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The
Wea Indian
Tribe
of Indiana
Wea Indian
Tribe
of Indiana
| THE YOUNG WARRIORS JOURNEY One morning a young warrior awoke and came out of his wikiumi (house). This young warrior was a very inquisitive young man, he had many question to which most he could answer. But this particular morning one question arose that he could not answer, though he thought for a long time on this question he could not find the answer. This young warrior did the only thing he could and that was to go talk with the holy man of the tribe. When he approached the Holy man's wikiumi he presented him with asema (tobacco), as it was a custom of respect to do so. He said:" I wish to talk with you about something that has me troubled." The Holy man look up at him with eyes that held much wisdom and said: " come and let us sit by the fire and smoke the pipe (which also was the way we respect our ancestors and the creator). As they sat and smoked the Holy man asked the young warrior what was troubling him. The young warrior said:" A question arose in my mind that after thinking along time on it I cannot answer. The question is Who Am I? What is My Purpose In Life? I know I help our elders and that I am a great hunter and I also fight along side the other warriors in battle, But the question is still there. So I came to you hoping to find an answer." The Holy man with his head down and looking into the fire thought on this for along time. He then raised his head and looked at the young warrior and began to speak. "This is a great question and one not to be taken lightly, I can not answer your question, but I know how you can find the answer you seek." The young warrior listened very closely to what the Holy man had to say. "You must go on a journey, you need to take with you some food and water, herbs for medicine, and your bow and arrows. You need to head for the great forest to the east and on the other side is another village and the holy man there may have your answer you seek." The young warrior got up and thanked the Holy man for his words and went to prepare for his journey. After gathering those things that the Holy man told him to get, he decided to go to bed early, as he wanted to get an early start the next morning. The next morning just before sunrise the young warrior gathered his stuff and headed for the great forest (which was a good two hour walk). The Holy man meanwhile looked out of his wikiumi to see the young warrior was leaving, and then he smiled and went back to doing his prayers. When the young warrior arrive at the entrance of the forest he could hear the birds singing and smell the fragrance of the flowers and trees before him and this made him feel good. He began to walk the path before him, taking in the sights and feeling at peace with mother earth. After some time he came upon a fork in the path one leading to the left and one to the right, and setting in the middle of this fork was coyote (for Indians coyote is also called the trickster who always misleads you). As he stood there trying to decide which path to take, coyote ask him where he was going. The young warrior said, "I am on a journey and must reach the village on the other side of this forest to talk with the holy man there." Coyote told him " then take the path to the right it will take you there. Young warrior remembering the stories about coyote decided to take the left path instead, because he knew coyote was trying to trick him. As the young warrior started down the left path he could see how smooth it was and thought surely this must be the way. But as he went further he began to stumble on some stones scratching and skinning his knees and hands. This did not stop him and he kept on walking only to fall face first in a big mud puddle. He got up and was getting frustrated and kept on walking determined to reach his destination. Soon he could she the forest again and a path. As he walked down the path for a while he could see yet another fork up ahead. But when he got there coyote was also there smiling from cheek to cheek. Coyote said "See I told you to take the path to the right". The young warrior was starting to get angry and began walking down the right path. As he walked he could see many strange things. To his right he saw strange looking buildings with points at the top of them and he also saw people in strange looking clothes holding a book in one hand. These people reached out to him and said come off your path heathen and let god save your soul. But as they reached for him, he ran as fast as he could because this scared him. Once he could no longer see them he began to calm down only to notice men sitting next to a building holding a bottle in their hands and when they spoke their language was slurred. He also saw women with little clothing on calling for him to come off his path and that they would show him a good time, but he paid no mind to either of them. He looked again and saw two men beating another and felt the hatred in the air so he began to walk faster to get away. After awhile three young men came up behind him and stole all of his belongings, he turned and chased them. When he got close to them they dropped his stuff and ran away. So young warrior continued down this path and finally came to the entrance of the forest once more. As he walked the path he began to calm down and relax again. He soon came to yet another fork in the path and again coyote (who was lying on his back laughing so hard he could hardly speak) was waiting for him. By this time the young warrior was furious, at this time he happened to look up and straight in front of him he could see yet another path, one he did not see before. This made young warrior very angry, so he grabbed his bow and pulled out an arrow and pointed it at coyote and said: "twice you misled me down the wrong path, twice I was fooled. But no more, he began to pull back on the bowstring when coyote took off running. As he left you could hear coyote say " I'll be back again one day, laughing as he vanished from sight. Young warrior noticed there was a bush blocking the path in front of him and pulled it to the side. Then he stood and thought awhile wondering if he should take it or not because he didn't want any more strange surprises like he had previously experienced. The young warrior gathered up his courage and began to go down this path being very cautious of his surroundings. He soon noticed an elderly woman coming up to him, she was skinny and frail looking. She asked the young warrior if he had any food and water to spare for she had not eaten in three days and was very hungry. Being moved with compassion he reached into his sack and took out some dried meat and bread and he noticed a wooden cup hanging from the woman’s dress and filled it with some water. This pleased the old woman and thanked him. He began to continue on his journey and a little while later saw three young boys teasing a rabbit with sticks. He called to the boys and said you must not tease our animal brothers for they also are creators creation and if you show them respect then one day they to will show you respect. As he was teaching the boys he pointed to the rabbit showing them that she to had a family and is also teaching them this same lesson. The boys promised never to tease any more animals and went on their way. After some time, he saw three warriors enter the path and they looked as if they had been in battle for they were wounded. One of these warriors called to him and asked if he could help them, the young warrior ran to them and began to make teas and polise from the herbs he had to bandage their wounds. These warriors thanked him and before the young warrior left one of them presented him with his war club as a gift then he went on his way. A little while longer he could see the exit to the forest and began to walk faster to reach it. When he got there he went on to the top of the hill that was there to see if he could spot the village. The village was just down the hill but the sun was starting to go down so he had to hurry to get there before dark. After a couple of hours he finally reached the entrance, he stopped dead in his tracks with both eyes and mouth wide open, for you see this village was his own. The Holy man walked up to the young warrior and said "I see your back, go get some rest and we will talk in the morning of your journey. The next morning as they sat around the fire the Holy man said, "tell me of your journey, what did you see? Did you find your answer?" The young warrior told him of his adventure and all that he experienced and said what does it mean? The Holy man thought on this awhile and told him " When you left you was determined to find the answer to your question, the path that you walked was your life, the coyote was those who have tried to go their way. What you experienced in the first two paths was rough and not your own. When you met coyote for the third time you began to realize this fact. You then removed this obstacle from your life. The third path, which was always there, you saw who you really are and began to feel good about yourself. Also you have something that is puzzling you correct? "Yes" said the young warrior. You are wondering how you could leave this village and enter the great forest and come out at the other end only to enter your own village again correct?" "Yes" he said. The answer is simple this is the circle of life no beginning, no end but a continuous circle." The young warrior now understanding what he experienced was his answer and left to think on it some more. Many years have passed and now he is an old man, but the lesson he learnt that day he shared with many young people of his tribe so they to would understand their own path. |
| Short Story by Danny Walters |