A Lesson In Harmony ( From The Book, Sparks--Stories For Children Of All Ages) Audio/Text

And this is what they said...

The high desert shimmered in the afternoon sun. Sage flowers blossomed and filled the noses of human beings with a pleasant scent.

A young man walked toward the corn fields dreaming of his important family and the new horse his father had traded for. He wasn't paying any attention to where his feet were stepping.

Crawls-Sideways, the Snake, was shedding his skin near a rock beside the path. He was so busy becoming new that he failed to notice the thump-thumping of the young man's footsteps coming toward him. Now in those days, the Snake Nations and Human-Beings were at peace with one another, but that was about to change. The young man, not looking where he was going, stepped right on the tail of the Snake. Crawls-Sideways was shocked and frightened at the pain. He spun his head quickly and bit the young man on the leg. Immediately he was sorry for what he had done, and crawled away into the sage brush ashamed.

Other Human-Beings found the young man, and he was carried back to camp to tell his tale. He told his father that he had been walking along peacefully when he was attacked, without warning, by the Snake.

The young man was very sick for five days, and after that he walked with a limp. The townspeople had a council and war was declared on the Snake Peoples. No one went to speak with them to hear their side of the story; they just looked at the young man, now called Limpy, and were reminded of the unfortunate attack. After that, every time Human-Beings saw any kind of Snake, they took its life and did not even say the honoring prayers for its spirit that were always said at these times.

The Snake People did not understand what was happening. They asked the Horned Toads to be scouts and report when any Human-Beings were about.

The Clan-Mother snakes became angry as they lost more and more relatives, but were unable to defend themselves against so powerful an enemy. Finally, only a few Snakes were left alive in the whole country. The Humans danced for their victory and congratulated themselves.

A few seasons passed and the Humans began to notice an increase in the Mouse Nation. First the mice invaded their stockpiles of dried corn that the village girls had worked so hard to grind.

Next they came right into the hogans and ate any food they could find. Eventually they were so numerous that at night, while sleeping, the Peoples were constantly awakened by Deer-Mice running to and fro over their sleeping robes.

It started shortly thereafter. A great sickness swept through the young and healthy Human-Beings. One moment they were well and the next they were deathly ill. Many died.

A young man, who was being taught Medicine by the Old Ones, went up on the Mountain to ask the Grandfathers for guidance and a Power to heal the sickness.

In a dream, the Western Grandfather sent Brown-Bear to speak to the young man. "There is no doctoring that can be done.” Bear said. “The Power to heal this blight rests with the Snake Nation and the knowledge that the sickness is carried on the backs of the Deer-Mice. Go to the Snake Nation and make peace. Only in this way can the balance be restored."

The next day the young man returned to his People to speak of his Vision. It was agreed that the War should be put aside. A young woman who had lost her husband offered to make a gift for the Snake Peoples. In a dream she saw a special Button rattle and, after purifying her hands, made one exactly that way.

An old Elder said, "Tell the Snakes that with this gift we pledge peace. They can bestow this gift on any family, so they can give warning when our people come too close or frighteThe Peoples called to a Horny Toad and the gift was fastened to his back. n them unnecessarily. We pledge to hunt them in anger no longer and to never use them for food again."

The Snake Peoples accepted the peace gratefully, although one family of the Snakes was still very unhappy so many of their Relatives had been hunted. This family finally agreed, reluctantly, to the peace and it was their Leader who pledged to wear the rattle on his tail as a sign that the peace had been accepted.

Soon the Snake Nation was returned to its former power and the population of Deer-Mice reduced. The sickness disappeared and the Nations lived side by side in harmony again. Eventually the button-tail-rattle became a natural part of every Rattlesnake to warn Human-Beings when they are moving about in an arrogant and disrespectful way. And, as every human knows, Grandfather Rattlesnake has remained a grumpy relative to this day.

This is one of the lessons that brought understanding to Human-Beings that even the smallest relatives like the Deer-Mouse have great power. And though the Earth may change, Human Beings must be her caretakers and try not to disturb the fragile balance that makes each and every one of our Relatives precious and important.