Week 10 Reading: Tejas Legends, Part B

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Why Hummingbirds Drink Only Dew:
  • build nests near water
  • skim over water and spray tips of wings
  • also like to fly in rain
  • but do not drink water they bathe in--only dew on flowers and leaves
  • hummingbird and heron owned lake together--shade is where hummingbird would drink cool water
  • both had bad habit of gambling--hummingbird bet he could out fly faster than heron--loser had to give up drinking in all lakes
  • hummingbird thought for sure he'd win but the heron flew faster than expected and hummingbird cannot see in dark
  • hummingbird had to drink dew

(Photo of Hummingbird from Wikipedia)

How Sickness Entered the World:
  • Indians used to live long time without illnesses until 2 young Indians killed messenger from Great Spirit
  • old medicine dying--wisest man--tried to tell Great Spirit his wisdom before he died
  • Great Spirit sent word he was sending messenger to meet under certain tree--but medicine man too weak to go meet
  • called two young men to tell them--went to forest and sat to wait
  • large snake came and scared them--beat the snake and killed it, but the snake was the messenger
  • mate of snake laid egg and every egg=sickness
When the Rainbow Was Torn:
  • flower colors belong to rainbow
  • white cactus flowers look at sky--when rainbow touched eath, ground washed with colors 
  • but never touched cactus plants--scared of thorns
  • after heavy rain rainbow too heavy and did not care so sunk on cactus flowers--tried to lift but couldn't
  • all colors went to cactus but red, orange, and yellow were the only ones that stuck
Why the Dog's Ears Flop:
  • dog ears flop when in trouble
  • ancestor dog left wild wolf cousin and went to prairies to live with man
  • wild as wolf--ears stood up to warn enemies and tail high with pride
  • came up to Indian camp and saw strips of meat hanging, went to Indian and asked for piece--yes if stayed on camp to fend off other animals--agreed
  • one night wolves came but wolves weren't afraid--got all meat
  • Indians woke up and beat dog--ears droop
Bibliography: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends retold by Florence Stratton and illustrated by Berniece Burrough (1936).

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