When the tree flowered

by John G. Neihardt

“So while the giants and their children were staring, Falling Star and the other thin little boy went outside and took all the papa they could carry. And the other thin little boy said, ‘That boy who spoke to us, he is the one who sometimes sneaks over to our tepee and gives us papa to eat. He is not a bad boy.’ And Falling Star said, ‘We will remember him.’

“So the two thin little boys went back to the little patched tepee with the papa; and while the grandfather and grandmother were eating, they heard about Wazya’s bow, and were happy again. And while they were eating and hearing, there was a crier going around the village outside, and it was good news that he had for the people. He was shouting, ‘Moon Necklace,’ for that was the head chief of this village, ‘Moon Necklace, the valleys where you used to hunt, they are full of bison! Many bison they have seen in the valleys where you used to hunt! Men, get ready! Women, look to your children’s moccasins and sharpen your knives!’

“So the grandfather and grandmother and their grandson and Falling Star went outside. All the people were coming out of their tepees, singing as they came. Even the wind had stopped mourning, and the valley was no longer white. It was all in brown patches, and the tender grass was peeking through.

“So there was a big hunt. Falling Star had only one arrow, but that was all he needed; for he tied his hawk feather on the end of it, and the feather had the sacred power of the hawk, to see and swoop and kill. He would shoot a bison with this arrow, and it would go on through to another bison, and on through to another and another. I cannot say how many, because my grandmother was too old to remember that; but it went through many. Then Falling Star would find his arrow and shoot again, and again, and again. I think the women were very busy by now, cutting up the meat.

“All at once Wazya and his woman and all his children were coming running, and Wazya was roaring, ‘Leave my bison alone! Those are my bison, and you cannot have any!’ He began putting all the dead bison into a big sack he carried. Then Falling Star grew very tall, taller than any man ever was, and he was burning all over, for he was very angry. When Wazya and his woman and his children saw this, they began to run away. But Falling Star ran faster, and with one swing of his knife he cut off Wazya’s head!”

“Hoka hey!” cried Moves Walking and Eagle Voice. “Hoka hey!”

“And water came rushing out of the giant’s neck,” No Water went on. “Then with another stroke, the giant woman’s head rolled off, and gushing water came out of her neck also.”

“Hoka hey!” the two cried in unison.

“And when this was done,” No Water continued, “Falling Star chased the children and cut off their heads also, the biggest ones first and then the smaller ones. And out of all their necks came running water. So Wazya and his woman and his children were dead, all but one little boy, the smallest of them all. And when Falling Star saw this one, he said to himself, ‘This is the boy who sometimes sneaked away from home and fed the old people. I will chase him, but I will let him live.’ So he chased the smallest boy into a big crack in the ground, and you could see frost coming out of the crack where the smallest boy hid. If Falling Star had not let that one get away, maybe there would be no winter at all. That is what my grandmother thought. I do not know. But old, old men always say the winters used to be much harder than they are now. Deeper snow! Colder, much colder! Maybe that was before Wazya and his woman and children got their heads cut off. I do not know this, and I must be careful what I tell.

“So the people of this village feasted and danced and sang, every tepee-top gave smoke, and all the valley was green.