BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Native American The Campfire Circle

This time of year is when we think more often of family and close friends because the busy times of summer are winding down and holidays are coming up. Remember your loved ones near and far and keep in touch.

To all my forum members who visit here at the Campfire Circle I send prayers for health, peace and joy. May your moccasins lead you back here often to share stories, poems, songs and time together.

Coyote and the origin of Death
A Caddo Legend

In the beginning of this world, there was no such thing as death. Everybody continued to live until there were so many people that the Earth had no room for any more.

The chiefs held a council to determine what to do. One man rose and said he thought it would be a good plan to have the people die and be gone for a little while, and then return.

As soon as he sat down, Coyote jumped up and said he thought people ought to die forever. He pointed out that this little world is not large enough to hold all of the people, and that if the people who died came back to life, there would not be food enough for all.

All the other men objected. They said that they did not want their friends and relatives to die and be gone forever, for then they would grieve and worry and there would be no happiness in the world.

Everyone except Coyote decided to have people die and be gone for a little while, and then come back to life again. The medicine men built a large grass house facing the East. When they had completed it, they called the men of the tribe together and told them that people who died would be restored to life in the medicine house. The chief medicine man explained that they would sing a song calling the spirit of the dead to the grass house. When the spirit came, they would restore it to life.

All the people were glad, because they were anxious for the dead to come and live with them again. When the first man died, the medicine men assembled in the grass house and sang.

In about ten days a whirlwind blew from the West and circled about the grass house. Coyote saw it, and as the whirlwind was about to enter the house, he closed the door. The spirit of the whirlwind, finding the door closed, whirled on by.

In this way Coyote made death eternal, and from that time on, people grieved over their dead and were unhappy.

Now whenever anyone meets a whirlwind or hears the wind whistle, he says: "Someone is wandering about." Ever since Coyote closed the door, the spirits of the dead have wandered over the Earth trying to find some place to go, until at last they discovered the road to the spirit land.

Coyote ran away and never came back, for when he saw what he had done, he was afraid. Ever after that, he has run from one place to another, always looking back first over one shoulder and then over the other to see if anyone is pursuing him. And ever since then he has been starving, for no one will give him anything to eat.

Retrieved with permission from FirstPeople.US

The Elders have given us so much. Remember them during this winter and give back to them whatever they may need. Their smile of thanks and the warm glow in their eyes will be your reward.

As Black Elk often said, all life, all Creation, is a circle - from birth to death and birth again. Our campfire is a circle where we all come as friends to share, support, tell stories, pray and just chat.

I will be away from the forum for a few weeks but will leave my blanket at the campfire to show that I will return to the circle to share with all friends. Walk in Beauty.

Phyllis, we'll keep your blanket warm until your return. I hope everything goes well this weekend and in the weeks to follow. Maybe when you return you can post a picture of your beloved mountain.

Yes, I will help to keep the fire burning brightly in he campfire. Good luck with the move Phyllis and hurry back.

Worked all day Sunday at the Cherokee of Georgia Tribal Grounds. Jan 21st a small tornado hit in the evening. We're so thankful for no injuries. RV's don't fair well in that weather and 4 trees totalled the Chief's. All the permanent structures and the boardwalk in the swamp were completely untouched, but a few lodges were destroyed.

We spent the day cutting down damaged trees and hauling debris. On the positive side, we've got additional cleared areas for campsites and plenty of firewood for the April Pow-Wow. They're bringing in a chipper this week to salvage the limbs for ground cover.

Tribal members, friends and family have come in from all over to help with the clean up and no one has been injured. We were out of town when it hit, and it rained all day this past Saturday. But we'll be returning this weekend, which gives me time to work out the sore muscles. Prayers for good weather and continued safety would be most graciously appreciated.

Well at least something good came from a tragedy. Thankfully no one was hurt. I will pray for good weather and continued safety for everyone.

Thank You Vance. I really appreciate your thoughts and prayers. We'll be returning Sunday if the weather holds. The weekend of Valentine's Day is the monthly Camp Meeting. We have never attended, as we are not Tribal members. However, I was chided (and invited) in November by the Chief's wife and by another Elder this past weekend for not attending.

My husband and I have said numerous times it feels like we're being adopted. Being invited to the Camp Meeting, I guess that's "unofficially" official now. My Tribal family is in South Carolina. By SC law, I can only be a member of one Tribe. But it is so nice to have a local Tribal family, even if it's not official, and that's truly irrelevant anyway.

We are making great progress on the storm clean up at the Tribal Grounds. A Tribal member has a lumber mill and several truck/trailer loads have been delivered. I don't know what is planned for the lumber, but there will be a ton of it, several tons actually. There was a pile of sticks and limbs as big as a house in the parking lot. The chipping was completed Sunday afternoon.

It will be a month or more before the Sweat Lodge can be rebuilt. It was completely destroyed. But we have to wait until it warms up and the sap starts rising. I hope I'll be there that day to watch and learn.

It's so hard to drive down for the day and have to return home in the evening. I can't wait for April and a whole week on that Sacred Ground.