Seven Grandfathers

Among Native American people groups there is a parable story about seven grandfathers. Presented here is my fable for the Tsalagi or Cherokee people. In recognition of November in the USA being Native American Heritage Month.
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My name is Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee, Lone Panther. My father named me after the great cat. My father said he saw the great cat in a dream. He was always nearby and he always watched my mother. When my father took up his spear and knife to scare away the big cat, or to fight it, he looked into its eyes and saw that it was alone and waited for me. When I was born, my father named me Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee and told me the story. He would tell me the story many times before brother bear and he struggled. Then my father went to join his fathers beyond.

When I came of age my brothers and I came before our grandfathers. They told us our names and said we must go out to find our spirits. They would tell us the meaning of our names and why they came to us. We had a celebration. There was much laughter, but some mothers mourned their sons growing into men and maybe never coming back to their longhouses. In finding their names, some sons would never return to the village. They would find their own way. On this night we were among our people and life was good. In the morning our mothers and sisters hid their faces so we would not see their tears as we walked away into the dawn.

As a boy I had hunted these woods many times. This was my home as much as our long houses in our village. I had learned the sights, sounds, and smells of our land. I knew how to move through it. I was as silent as my little brothers among the trees. I put the scent of the forest on me. I was one with it. After many days I sat alone listening to the forest. I asked the Creator to guide me to the spirit that gave me my name. I knew he was watching but he was always silent. I walked along looking for a sign. None was found. The forest was alive around me. I walked where I willed. I ate what the forest gave me to eat. I listened to the forest and was alive in it.

Then came the day I met him. I stepped into a clearing the same time as Tluhda-tsee. We saw each other. His ears went flat to his head. I brought my spear around, drew my knife, and made myself low, ready for the fight. He circled around me. I circled with him. The clearing stayed between us. He was watching me to see what I would do. I waited to see what he would do. We looked at each other, waiting. Finally, I spoke to him.

”Tluhda-tsee, I am called Lone Panther,” I said to him. “You are my brother. We do not have to struggle today. You can walk your way. I can walk mine.” He stopped and stared at me. When his ears came up, I knew we would not struggle today. I looked into his eyes, and I heard my name.brought my spear around, drew my knife, and made myself low, ready for the fight. He circled around me. I circled with him. The clearing stayed between us. He was watching me to see what I would do. I waited to see what he would do. We looked at each other, waiting. Finally, I spoke to him.

“Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee”

I knew then this was the lone panther that came to my father in his dreams. He turned and walked away. I followed. We walked through the forest. Tluhda-tsee never turned back to see where I was. He kept walking. Once he dropped down. He was hidden in the brush. He made no noise. Only the tip of his tail and the spots of his ears showed where he lay. His tail twitched slightly with his excitement. Faster than I thought possible he leapt out of his cover and charged forward. He leapt onto a deer and brought it down. Tluhda-tsee held the deer’s neck in its jaws unto it no longer moved. He shouted out once then dragged away his prey. I ate of my own food while he ate of his.

When it was time, I followed after Tluhda-tsee. I followed his trail and saw where he ate. I followed his trail until I lost him. There was no sign of him or his catch. I looked for him but did not find him. I felt I had lost him. Following back on my own trail, I found the place where Tluhda-tsee stopped earlier. I could see the trail he was taking. I continued on the trail. I walked for the rest of the day until it was too dark to see the signs. I found a place near the trail and waited there. In the morning when the light had fully come up, I took my place back on the trail.

I had not traveled far when I smelled someone’s cooking fire. I moved more carefully along the trail. The aroma of roasting meat was strong on the air. I took a drink from my skin of water and chewed at a piece of jerky to make my stomach quiet. The roasting meet smelled really good after being away from my village so long. As I moved closer I did not see a village or hunting camp. There was just an old man, his tent, and a skin he was stretching and scraping. I watched and waited. He turned from the skin and walked to his cooking fire. The markings on his tunic showed him to be one of my people. I walked to the edge of the clearing and called to the old man. “I am Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee of the Blue people. My people live several days walk, toward the sun.” He looked up from what he was doing. He watched me for just a moment before he smiled and waved me to him. I walked carefully into his camp.sign of him or his catch. I looked for him but did not find him. I felt I had lost him. Following back on my own trail, I found the place where Tluhda-tsee stopped earlier. I could see the trail he was taking. I continued on the trail. I walked for the rest of the day until it was too dark to see the signs. I found a place near the trail and waited there. In the morning when the light had fully come up, I took my place back on the trail.

When I had gotten close to him, he handed me a plate with meat and vegetables. He pointed to a place by his fire then he returned to his skin. He was wise in our ways. He did not leave much to waste. I could see where he was boiling the fat and hollowing the bones. The entrails had been stretched out to dry in pine smoke. And a little bit of meat was on a spit roasting while the rest was being smoked into jerk. As soon as I had finished eating what was on my plate, he added more and gave it back to me. For an old man he moved very well and kept at the hard work of scraping the hide with his piece of blackstone. And when I could eat no more, he came to the fireside and sat down.

“I am Dohee-aga-tanahee-awahee-lee, Wise-Eagle-at-Peace. You have come to find your spirit and ask him a question.” He did not look at me. He worked the fire, arranging it to burn more evenly. “I will help you, Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee, Lone Panther. I have seen you walking in the woods. You move silently. You take only what you need. Your spirit brought you here to me.to waste. I could see where he was boiling the fat and hollowing the bones. The entrails had been stretched out to dry in pine smoke. And a little bit of meat was on a spit roasting while the rest was being smoked into jerk. As soon as I had finished eating what was on my plate, he added more and gave it back to me. For an old man he moved very well and kept at the hard work of scraping the hide with his piece of blackstone. And when I could eat no more, he came to the fireside and sat down.

The old man continued, “A long time ago, the Creator made the world. He let seven great spirits watch over our people. They watched and lived with us many, many seasons. They were like grandfathers to our people. A young man came into their world. He was searching for his spirit name and to ask why he was named. They took him on a journey and showed him what they had learned. He asked them many things. They had lived very long lives and told him many things. The grandfathers showed him his spirit. Nearing the end of his journeys with them he discovered the meaning of his name.  “You are of the age to ask these questions too. When you have learned all that you can from them then you will know your name.

“We are all one people, Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee. We should listen to the Creator and make room for our brothers and sisters around our fire. We should share our fire, our food, and our shelter with those we meet along the way. They are not strangers. They are family we have only just met.”          “You are of the age to ask these questions too. When you have learned all that you can from them then you will know your name.

The old man stared at me for a long time then only nodded. The old man got up. Without looking at me or saying anything more, he entered his tent and closed the flap. I sat there for a time thinking about what the old man had said. The day had become long and the old man never came out of his tent. I decided he did not want to say anything else. I gathered my things and made ready to leave his camp. I lifted my hand to him and his camp.

“May there always be peace between you Wise-Eagle-at-Peace and me Lone Panther.”

I heard an eagle cry. I searched the trees until I found him. He stared at me for a moment, unfolded his wings wide, then closed them again. I turned and walked into the forest.

I made my way back to the trail where I had last seen Tluhda-tsee. I heard his deep throated rumbling before I saw him. He only briefly looked at me before getting up and walking away from the trail. I followed him for a long while until we came near a camp. In the camp were some elders surrounded by children. The children were all from our people but no two were dressed the same. They were dressed in the colors of many different villages. I looked but I did not see anyone from my village.

After some time, I looked around for the trail of Tluhda-tsee, I did not find it. The day was getting long and the camp was near. I decided I would come closer and greet them.

“I am Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee of the Blue people. My people live several days walk, toward the sun. May I come near and share your fire?”

The elders looked over to me and smiled. The children looked at me and were afraid. They hid behind the elders.

“Greetings to you, Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee of the Blue people. We are of the A-ni-gi-lo-hi, the long hair people. Please. Come join us around our fire. All are welcome.”

As I came into their camp I could tell they were of the A-ni-gi-lo-hi. Their hair was long and braided with many beads and cloth. The children fell back as I came closer. An elder spoke to them.

“Little ones, can you not see that this is one of our brothers. Is he not like you?”

I asked one of the elders when I came close, “Why are they afraid of me? Why do they fall back? I will do them no harm.”

“Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee of the Blue people, it is because you do not know your own heart.”

Another spoke, “How can they trust you? Each one must be true to himself first.”

Another spoke, “If he can do that, he will be true to his brothers and sisters.”

An elder mother spoke, “If he can do that, he will be true in everything he does.”

The first elder with whom I had spoken looked at me, “Then he will always speak the truth; especially to himself.”

Their words spoke to my being. They rested heavy on my heart. The elders greeted me and invited me into their camp to share their fire. I was not a stranger to them. I was one of their people and they made room for me. As many villages as there were, there was room enough for one more.

As the day wore long and the sun went west to hide from the moon, an elder came to me. He was of the A-ni-wo-di, the medicine people. He sat with me and began to boil some tea. He would mix in various herbs from his pouch.

“The A-ni-gi-lo-hi elders spoke truly to you,” he said. “Before a person can be true and honest in every act he does, he must be true and honest with himself first. It is the way to a clean heart, a light spirit, and a whole life.” He looked at me with eyes that knew much. He had the kindness of one who lived many years and was a father to fathers.

He took the pot from the stone and poured some into a bowl, then he handed me the bowl. “This will help you with what you seek.”

I took the bowl and thanked him. I looked around the village. The longhouses were busy with activity. The children from many villages ran around, playing with some, ignoring others. Each seemed to be considering his or her own gain without thought to what it did to anyone else. I began to slowly drink from the bowl given to me. The tea was good and soothing. Soon I was tired and lay down to rest.

I came back from the world of dreams refreshed, rested, and contented. I open my eyes and the camp was gone. There was no sign of a village at all.

“Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee.”

I looked around to see who had called me by my name. I saw a deer stag standing there. He was staring at me. He showed no fear of me. I admired him. He was full of life and the power of the land.

”I am A-wi. Come. Follow me.”

I gathered my things to follow him. When I stood he leapt straight up into the air, turned in mid leap, and shot away like a loosed arrow after he landed. I chased after him. He was always just barely in sight. I ran as best I could. The ground under my feet was uneven and broken. I had to constantly pick my path around branches and undergrowth. Small branches and leaves bat at me as I ran past. Brambles and briars would tear at me. Then I was able to A-wi move through the same terrain that tore at me.

A-wi moved gracefully, springing from one spot to the next, looking to where he was going, and flowing with the land. As I watched him run, I began to do the same things. I no longer chased him but ran to where I saw him running. I began to move with the life around me; not through it or against it. The branches and the brambles no longer tore at me. The undergrowth was there on purpose and I moved with it.

A-wi broke through, into a clearing. I came through after him. He stopped and stared at me. He snorted once, trumpeted, and leap into the brush on the far side of the clearing. I felt free, not limited by what was around me, but a part of what was around me.

I squatted down to rest near a tree and to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin. I looked around the clearing, enjoying the beauty of the land. I saw a bear digging at the ground. He was on the other side of the clearing from me. I stood up, ready to move away if needed. The bear had not caught my scent and seemed more interested with digging at the ground. While the bear was digging, a raccoon would come up behind the bear and take away what the bear dug up. Several times the raccoon came back for more of the bears work, nearly getting caught each time. Curious, I moved so I could see better what the raccoon was doing.

I followed the raccoon into a small hollow. It walked up to an old, fallen tree trunk, and went inside. I could hear the chatter of other raccoons within the old tree. In moments, the raccoon came out of the tree. It moved back up the side of the hollow to where the bear was known to be digging. I looked back to the tree and there were three young raccoons just inside of the tree. They were each gnawing on a piece of wild potato and looking to see where their mother had gone. She had risked the bear to feed her young.

I set off back the way I came with A-wi. I found the trail left by Tluhda-tsee. The way was easier and the travel enjoyable. I ran as part of the land. As I ran I felt free. I moved as part of the trees and undergrowth around me. I ran for the joy of running and feeling a part of all that was around me. That is when I took note of the gray brother, A-ni-wa-yah, the wolf. He ran with me.

A-ni-wa-yah stayed with me. He was not afraid of me nor my spear. He could see that I ran as one with the forest. I was a part of the world around me. When I stopped to rest, he would stop with me. When I ran, he ran with me. When I stopped to eat, I shared my food with A-ni-wa-ya then he left me. I sat, rested, and listened to the world around me. I smiled and was at peace with my world.

I moved on through the woods, following trails left by the animals or running water. I wondered where the world took me. I saw the trees, the shrubs, the undergrowth that spread everywhere. And, I moved through it as one who is is not separate from it.

A-ni-wa-yah returned with his clan. We ran together for a long time. We rested together. I watched the cubs play. I watched the leaders say who could lie where and with whom. A-ni-wa-yah, who first ran with me was the clan leader. He had accepted me as one of his. He took part of his kill and laid it near me. I was one with the wolves.

We spent the rest of the day together running and hunting. I took down prey and stepped back to let A-ni-wa-yah be first; as was his right as clan leader. As night came I felt a slumber come upon me. When I woke, it was deep in the night. The wolf clan had left. I was once again alone in the forest. I looked around and listened to what the forest was telling me. It was time to return to my village. I had found what I sought.

I am Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee, Lone Panther. I am one with my world. It is my choice. My world is alive around me. I gain my life from what is in it. I take only what I need. I honor those in it. I am accepted by it when I no longer struggle against it. I am at peace with my world. It is time to return to my village.

As Uheeso-dee-tluhda-tsee, Lone Panther, made his way through the seeming endless forest of trees and underbrush, he was shadowed by tluhda-tsee, the panther. As they made their way through the paths that only they could see, the big cat faded into the young warrior and they became one spirit.