For Travis Aronson
based on his picture
Peter Cardinal
In the dreamtime, in the time of shadows, Jay sat listening. In the dreamtime, in the time of shadows, Jay saw his vision. Flying, soaring, free from every boundary, in the blue sky. Freedom was his destiny and his gift for all the people. In his vision, Jay was flying - high above the grass-green mountains, calling out his song of freedom, flying, flying. In his vision, earth was calling: "Where you are Jay, I support you. In your freedom, I uphold you. In your flying, I am waiting."
In the dreamtime, in the time of shadows, Hinge sat listening. In the dreamtime, in the time of shadows, Hinge saw his vision and heard his song. Seeing, thinking, knowing and perceiving, earth was speaking: "When you speak, Hinge, I support you. On your wisdom hangs the future. Your discernment saves your people. In your song the light is shining, like the crimson edge of dawn. In your heart my life is beating, red as wild columbine."
In the village on North Hill, Little Bird was born many years ago. Little Bird's lodge was on the edge of North Hill, and he could see the blue waters of Middle Creek. Middle Creek was the boundary between the lands of Little Bird's village and those of the people of Eastown, far away toward the rising sun. The waters of Middle Creek sparkled in the sunlight when he looked eastward from his lodge door. Little Bird loved to watch the stream flow. He loved to watch the flowers bloom and the insects crawl and the winds blow and the clouds scud across the sky. Little Bird was always running off and exploring the woodlands on the slopes of North Hill and even farther, through the valleys that surround the hill-top village, up the hills beyond. He found the springs which seep from the earth to feed the flow of Middle Creek. He found the berries on which the bitter beetles crawl. He found the nut trees and the fruit trees, and the shady glades and hollows. Little Bird learned to love the land of North Hill and the people who lived there with him.
When Little Bird had lived past 14 summers, he left his lodge, he left his family, he left his people and travelled northward. Little Bird travelled through the valley, past the White Rapids, up the river to the head of Middle Creek. There Little Bird made camp. There Little Bird waited, never eating, waiting to learn who he was to be.
When Little Bird was born on North Hill, Nutcracker was born on Eastern Knoll. The two of them were born the same day on different hills. Nutcracker spent his days growing and learning. He learned the seasons and the stars. He learned the ways of building houses. He learned the ways of water and of flowers. He also learned the ways of the people, how they lived and how they helped each other, how they told their stories and how they sang their songs.
When Nutcracker had lived past 14 summers, he left his lodge, he left his family, he left his people and travelled eastward. Nutcracker travelled through the valley, around the woods, and to the edge of Eastward Prairie. There Nutcracker made camp. There Nutcracker waited, never eating, waiting to learn who he was to be.
On the edge of Eastward Prairie, at the head of Middle Creek, two young warriors kept the vigil. On the third day, at the dawn, each was answered. As the sun rose, Little Bird sanghis song; Little Bird became Jay. As the sun rose, Nutcracker sang his song; Nutcracker became Hinge. Jay colored himself blue like the sky and wrapped a crest of feathers, just as blue, around his head. Hinge was red, as were his feathers, red as blood, or dawn, or columbine. Then each one went to his village, never more to be a child.
In North Village, There was food and drink, dancing and singing. Fires burned late into the night and the talk went on until the morning light. Jay told the older people about the words he had heard and he showed them his feathers, as blue as the wide, free sky. But he kept the song of his vision a secret, and didn't sing it for anyone.
The next day, everyone slept late. Most of the people were still in their lodges when the sun began to shine into the bottom of the valley. But then everyone returned to their normal chores. Jay himself was assigned new work, like all the other adults. Jay was assigned to search for new supplies of food for the people. He would go out through the hillside and the valleys until he found food. If the day was young he would eat and enjoy his find, then he would return and tell them where they could go to keep the village supplied with food.
Jay enjoyed his job because it fit him well. Even though he now had adult responsibilities, he was able to continue wandering the hills and forests as he had before. Jay spoke often to the people about this happiness. He told them that everyone should have the same kind of freedom that he himself enjoyed, that everyone's job should be as pleasant as his was for him.
Not only did Jay speak of this freedom, but as the years went on he helped the people to find freedom in their work. Jay spoke up for people whose tasks did not fit them well. He helped to find new and better ways to assign the work. He talked to everyone and learned their skills, their habits, and their pleasures. Soon the people looked to Jay to make life easier for them all. Jay became a leader of the people.
Hinge, too, became a leader. After a solemn assembly around the sacred fire to honor Hinge and his new maturity, Hinge told the people about his vision. But he kept his song a secret.
Hinge was made the keeper of the fire. It was his job to insure that there was always fuel at hand to keep the fire burning. It was Hinge's job to feed the fuel to the fire so that it would always burn brightly. The people could not live long without the fire; they would become cold and hungry. Hinge enjoyed his work, for it let him spend much time observing the work of the others of the people. He saw the food gatherers bring in the food. He saw how the lodge builders built the lodges. He saw how the older people cared for the young.
Soon Hinge began to speak up in the assembly of the people. He spoke about ways to do things better. He spoke about fairness and justice. He reminded the people of what is most important in life. Hinge was honored by the people.
The words of Hinge and of Jay were heard and respected by all the people. Soon their opinions were being requested by the village councils. People would ask them to settle arguments. Even people from outside their own villages would come to ask for advice. Eventually, people on North Hill began to wear blue to show that they were loyal followers of Jay. The people in Hinge's village began to wear red. Jay and Hinge became the chief leaders of their villages.
The village on North Hill village and Eastown on the Eastern Knoll both grew and prospered. There were many children and plenty of food. Many new lodges were built. In the evenings, new songs were sung. People laughed and played games and enjoyed life. Times were good. For most people, this was enough. They were not troubled by anything, except the mosquitoes, and then only when they gathered berries in the marshes by Middle Creek.
Jay and Hinge were not as happy as the others. They saw that the people had to go farther and farther from the villages to find food and fuel. They saw that the villages were each becoming so large that one person could hardly know everyone who lived there.
Jay was worried that the people's freedom would be lost. If bad weather struck, damaging their food supply, where would they go for food? Everyone would be needed to find and gather whatever was left. Many of the people would need to make long, tiring trips to bring back food from far away. When would they have time to laugh? When would they have time to sing?
Hinge wondered whether people would still work together if they didn't know each other so well. He worried that they might become so busy that they would not take time to think about what they were doing. If trouble came, people might stop trying to make things better. Perhaps the people would think only about getting by.
Other people, too, began to notice how things were changing. On North Hill, people started to whisper to each other. "Why don't we cross Middle Creek to find food?" they asked. "Why do we travel so far away?" And on the edges of Eastown, the people started to say, "There are plenty of trees and good land across Middle Creek." More and more often, some of the people would find a reason to travel near Middle Creek. They always looked across the water. More and more often, the people saw each other across the water. Then worried rumors began. "The people of the Eastern Knoll are planning to come and take our food," said the people of North Hill. And the people of Eastown said, "Those people from North Hill are overflowing their lands. Soon they will try to take ours."
Some of the people on North Hill became frightened. They brought their fear to Jay. "The people of Eastown are a danger to us," they said. "They are always found at Middle Creek, looking over to our side. We are afraid that they may invade our land. What will you do?" Jay thought much about this. Jay was not sure that the people from Eastown would reallycome across the river and invade the lands of the people from North Hill. After all, they had always been respectful of the boundary in the past. And wasn't their leader Hinge? And wasn't Hinge known far and wide for doing the right thing?
Even so, there was a danger. The fear of the people was itself a danger. Perhaps the fear was more dangerous than an invasion would be. When people are afraid, they do not work. When people are afraid, they do not think ahead. When people are afraid, they become slaves to their fears. Jay thought long and hard about these things.
The people from Eastown became frightened too. They took their fear to Hinge. "The people from the village on North Hill are a danger to us," they said. "They are always at Middle Creek, looking over to our side. We are afraid that they will cross over to steal from us. What will you do?" Hinge though much about this. Would the people from North Hill really cross the river to steal from the people of Eastern Knoll? Surely Jay would not allow such a thing. Jay always spoke up for freedom for everyone, not just his own people. Surely he would not allow his people to do such a thing. On the other hand, would the people of North Hill decide that their freedom allowed them to do whatever they wanted? Perhaps they would not listen to Jay's advice any more.
Besides this, Hinge knew that the fear itself was a danger. When people are afraid, they look for quick answers. When people are afraid, they don't think things through. When people are afraid, they don't think about what is right and what is good. Hinge thought long and hard about these things.
Both Jay and Hinge spent many hours considering what they could do to protect the people from their fears.
Jay and Hinge each thought deeply. Out of their thoughts an idea took shape. Out of the idea, a plan was formed. Out of the plan, iron birds began to take shape. One iron bird took shape on North Hill. It was large, it was strong, it was fast, and it was blue. Another iron bird took shape on Eastern Knoll. It too was large, it was strong, it was fast, and it was red.
After many days, the iron birds began to fly. "This bird will protect you from the people of Eastown," Jay told the people of North Hill. "You don't have to be afraid." And Hinge said to the people on Eastern Knoll, "This bird will keep you safe from the people who live on North Hill. You don't need to worry anymore." All the people from both villages were amazed at the iron birds.
The iron birds flew into the air. First they flew around their own village. Everyone was proud. Then the iron birds flew down to Middle Creek and began to fly up and down the stream. Every day the iron birds went out to Middle Creek and flew up and down the river.
The people watched the iron birds flying every day. They looked down from North Hill and from Eastern Knoll. They looked up from the banks of Middle Creek. They looked across from the Eastward Prairie and from the berry marshes. Every day the iron birds flew up and down to keep the people safe. But the people did not feel safe.
The presence of the iron birds reminded everyone of the fears they had. The birds flew every day, and every day the people were more afraid. Whenever someone looked to the sky, there was one of the iron birds. "Remember that you are in danger," the birds seemed to be saying. The people worried all the more.
Sometimes when the people looked in the sky they could see both of the iron birds at the same time. The two iron birds seemed to be threatening each other. They seemed to be taunting each other. "Try to cross the Creek," they seemed to be saying to each other. "Just try to cross, and see what will happen." The people were afraid. The iron birds that were intended to eliminate their fears had only made the fear worse. What if one of the iron birds tried to cross the creek? What if the two iron birds got into a fight? "Will our iron bird be able to defeat theirs?" the people asked. And then they said, "If the iron birds are fighting each other, what will protect us from the people on the other side of Middle Creek?" The people became more and more afraid.
"You must do something," the people of North Hill said to Jay.
"You must do something at once," the people of Eastown told Hinge.
So the two leaders went out from their villages. Jay went out of the village to the edge of North Hill. He looked out over the valley and across Middle Creek. They waters of Middle Creek were sparkling in the sun, just as they had when Jay was Little Bird sitting in the door of his lodge. Jay looked beyond Middle Creek to the top of Eastern Knoll. There stood Hinge, for he too had set out from his village. Hinge had gone to the edge of Eastern Knoll and he too was looking across the valley between them.
Up and down the length of Middle Creek, the two iron birds were flying. Red and blue, up and down, back and forth, the iron birds followed the banks of Middle Creek. The people of each village gathered around and behind their leaders. Everyone knew that something important was about to happen, but no one was sure what it was. Everyone hoped that this day would end the time of fear. But everyone was also afraid that today the war would start.
Hinge looked across the valley to where Jay was standing. Hinge thought to himself, "This is not good. We are looking at each other with fear. We are not taking care of our people. How can I tell the people what I have in my heart?" For a short time, Hinge stood quietly at the edge of Eastern Knoll, wondering what to do. Behind him, the people moved around nervously, waiting. Across the valley, the people of North Hill were waiting behind Jay. Between them the iron birds flew back and forth.
Suddenly, Hinge began to sing. He sang the song which he had heard in his vision many years ago. He sang the song which he had never sung to anyone before.
At the same moment, Jay also began to sing. He sang the song which he had heard in his vision many years ago. He sang the song which he had never sung to anyone before.
It was the same song. They did not sing the same words. They did not sing the same tune. Jay and Hinge were different and their songs were different. But when the song that Hinge sang had a pause, the song that Jay sang filled the space. And when Jay's song paused, Hinge's song took over. When they both sang, the notes of each song supported each other. It was the same song. It was a new song.
When Hinge and Jay began to sing, the people stopped to listen. They were surprised to hear the songs. They were surprised to hear the two songs became one new song. They stopped, they listened, and then they smiled. And then they sang.
The people began to sing the song of Jay and Hinge. They began to dance around their villages, down the hills, into the valley. They sang and danced across Middle Creek and formed a great circle around the White Rapids. Above them the iron birds circled and rolled together.
From then on the people on North Hill and the people on Eastern Knoll became one people. Middle Creek was no longer a boundary but a fishing stream and a swimming hole. The iron birds carried fuel from the forests of the north to Eastown and returned food from Eastern Prairie to those in the north. People would even travel the whole distance from North Hill to Eastern Knoll just to make new friends.
Every year the people of both villages would gather at White Rapids to honor the vision of their leaders and to celebrate their friendship. After a solemn assembly around a common fire, there were dances and stories through the night. Every year at this gathering, all of the people would join to sing the song that their leaders had taught them.
Blue as the sky, red as the dawn,
free as the air, and as perfect as the wild columbine.
March 25, 1994
June, 1999