XXXVI. HOW THE WATER LILY CAME
(Ojibway)
n the old days all men were happy. The men and women were as happy as little children. The wild animals came when they were called, and there was much food. The winters were not cold; it was always like the Strawberry Moon, for the days were warm and the nights were not cold.
There were many birds in the trees. The birds were all red, blue, or yellow like the war paint warriors now use. The birds could all sing, and there was much music. Each tribe of the red men did what was right, and there was no war. No one knew how to fight for a long time.
The Indians sat every night outside their wigwams. They watched the stars. They said the stars were the homes of those who had walked across the starry Bridge of Souls. They saw a star leave the sky one night. It came halfway to the earth and stopped. It seemed like a bird of fire.
A young brave had a dream about the star, and he believed his dream. It seemed as if the star came to [[186]]him in his sleep and looked like a white maiden. The maiden was very beautiful.
She said: “I have left my home in the sky. I saw the red people and loved them. Ask your wise men what shape I may take that I may always stay and be loved by their people.”
The young brave woke and told the council. The wise men said: “Let the star choose for herself. She may live in the top of the pine tree or in the heart of a flower. She may live wherever she finds rest. She is welcome.”
The wise men filled their peace pipes and offered the smoke of their pipes to the star.
The star came lower and made the village very light, then hid herself in the white rose on the mountain. The star was lonely on the mountain. She could see the people, but could not hear them talk. She left the mountain rose and went to live in a flower upon the prairie. Great herds of buffalo went by her. The flower and the star trembled at the sound of their hoofs.
The wise men saw the star rise from the prairie. They feared it would go back to the sky, but a soft breeze floated it over a lake. The star saw her shadow and the shadows of her sky sisters in the water, and she rested like a canoe upon the water. The next morning the lake was covered with water lilies. [[187]]
“The night stars have blossomed,” said the little children. The wise men said, “The white star has come to live with us.”
The people went out in their canoes and chanted songs to the new flower. They gave it this name, “Wahbegwannee.” It means “the white flower.”
Copway’s History. [[188]]
Pueblo Indians watching a Sacred Dance
From a Photograph
[[189]]