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SOME PEOPLE
SAY stars are the campfires
of the departed, and the Milky Way is their path to the heavens.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the Moon is the younger
sister of the Sun, and the Morning Star and Evening Star are twins who
are special to Makers of Medicine.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the Sacred Fire is
the physical presence of Ohfvnkv in our midst. One should never walk between
the Sun and the Fire—carelessly allow your shadow to pass over the Fire.
To do so would be very disrespectful, and bad would come of it.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a person must be careful
what one says or thinks in the presence of the Fire. The Fire will surely
tell on you to the Sun. If the Sun sees you do bad things or hears of them,
Sun will tell One Above Who will be displeased.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the right to make a
Flute is hereditary, The right to play it is hereditary too. Flutes should
be played to greet important strangers and to attract the attention of
a young woman. Flutes have magic and speak a language known only to the
birds, the wind, and Ohfvnkv. Flute music is Silence made solid.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY when one first hears
a bird during morning, one must say “Fuswv yvhiketomes,” “A bird
is singing.” This is an act of praise. Birds were the first creatures
to receive the gift of a voice from Creator at Creation.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the Fire on the Square
is our voice when we approach the great One Above, Ohfvnkv. Prayers
travel upwards on the Smoke Road, the trail of white smoke cause
from a gift of Tobacco to the Fire.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the Sacred Fire must
never be put out with water on the Square Ground or in the camps. This
is done only to announce an important death. When a person who keeps a
Fire, such as the head of a family, dies, their Fire is put out with water.
The Spirit representative of One Above residing in the Fire and the Fire-tender's
spirit will travel together to the Upper World after four days.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY nothing sacred comes
without fasting and meditation.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a Fire made of Cedar
is a great purifier.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY Tobacco is the greatest
medicine of all. One Above requested its use and showed us how to use it.
Tobacco may be given as a gift, but should never be given casually or for
unimportant reasons.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY to bring the kind of
rain your garden needs, turn a Turtle upside down. She will call the rain.
But don’t leave the turtle too long. That's an old time understanding.
We don't do that anymore--its harmful to Turtle. And, we’re supposed
to protect our smaller relatives. Nowadays, we catch a Turtle, feed it
well and ask her to call rain for us Some people find an abandoned Turtle
shell and leave it in the garden upside down..
SOME PEOPLE
SAY winter stories must
be told only in the summer, and summer stories must be told only in the
winter. Bad will come of disregarding this practice.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if you mention Rabbit’s
name in your garden or near your fields, Rabbit will eat it all up for
you.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if you do not share
your fresh corn with the Fire, you next crop will be pretty bad.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY that beans, corn, and
squashes (that includes pumpkin) are brothers and sisters. They must be
planted together or they will not do well or die from loneliness. They
are all one family.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if a young person digs
a grave, that one might lose strength and may get powerfully sick. Don’t
laugh or giggle near a grave if it is new—the spirit may not be gone
yet and it might want to come back and live with you. Only the older, mature,
and respected ones should dig graves. The family must give the gravedigger
a meal four days later and a gift of Tobacco. All
the dirt of a grave has got to be used. If
any is left over, things could get mighty bad—especially for your bones.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if you cut your hair
outside, you must pick up every strand, or a bird will put it in its nest.
Then you’ll have headaches that won’t get better until the nest is
empty.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY women should save all
hair they cut and put it in a bag or pouch. In death, it is their pillow.
Early white hair means that the person dreams of One Above and may even
hear the wisdom of Ohfvnkv.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY Willow, Cedar, and
Cypress are a family. Leave a small gift if you gather and use any of the,
as they are all strong medicine.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the smell of Cedar
is special—it is the Breath of One Above.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if women carry Willow
in a dance, it makes their thoughts and words to be living thoughts and
living words.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY Willow Tea cures headaches.
Cedar Tea refreshes the soul, but must be made only by a Maker of Medicine—otherwise
it will only make you very sick. Mint is used for problems caused by ghosts
and the dead.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY some animals can be
talked about by name but must never be called by name. Wolf is one such
and Woodpecker is another. In the old days, wolves were very special—they
let the Maker of Medicine know if an enemy was near. Never hurt a wolf;
bad would come of it.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY after an Owl Ceremony
at night, the Square must be very quiet till sunrise, or the Owl Medicine
will not work.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY you must dance counter-clockwise
on the Square, that is, into the Sun. Never turn you back on One Above.
The last dance of the year can go the other direction, clockwise. It winds
down the Old Year at Green Corn.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY when a couple is married
at the Square, they must be taken separately around the Fire in the backward
(clockwise) direction. When the couple comes together on the Square after
that, they go around together in the right way (counter-clock wise) for
they have closed the old life and are starting over as “new people”
in a new life.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if a woman gives a
gift to her women friends without her husband’s help, she may be is announcing
a divorce.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY that if a big wind
or tornado tears up your house, you had something that was supposed to
be given to One Above and you didn’t do it.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY women must always wash
downstream from where the men wash; by this, women protect men from accidental
power abuse.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a child’s umbilical
cord must be kept and buried on the East side of the Square. The father
or mother’s brother must make weapons for a boy, or a keco and kecvpē
for a girl. These are small
toys and should be placed in the Fire with a gift of Willow and Tobacco,
and the Fire will guide the child in the right way.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a baldheaded man is
either real good or Creator took his hair to protect him (from being scalped)
or he’s real bad and Ohfvnkv took his hair to embarrass him. Either way,
you’ll know by his behavior.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if a stranger calls,
you should feed his dog first—this will please the person and they will
respect you for it.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY one must always give
food to a Maker of Medicine after each Busk, and Tobacco or some other
gift after receiving their services. The Makers of Medicine aren’t allowed
to name a fee; Creator didn’t charge them and they can’t charge you.
They give a gift of self and good to the One Above—you must give too.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if your animal doesn’t
like a person, trust the animal, not the person.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a bared fanny pointed
into the wind will make the wind go away, but it’ll come again. Drive
an axe into the ground and it’ll split the wind in two.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY you shouldn’t ever
point at a rainbow—that’s rude! If you must, use the finger with no
name (called the “ring finger” in English) or point with the tilt of
the head or the lip. The Square is sometimes called the Rainbow House.
If you walk under a rainbow, your children will have beautiful hair. If
you are lucky enough to be able to stand under a rainbow, you can call
a dead person’s name and say goodbye to them. The rainbow is the door
to heaven and it’s always open.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY in the first times,
Creator smiled and that smile became the Sun.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a person who eats chicken
innards can never handle “Medicine” properly. They misuse the chants
and make the medicines poorly or in effective.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY turpentine will cure
tuberculosis.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY Turtle Clan is chief
of all water-things. The blessings of Turtle Clan people protect you from
all water-caused harm. Turtle Clan never eats fish.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if you spank your child
with your hand, something might grasp the child and eat its soul such as
a lohke.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a new house must have
Willow laid on the top for a day, if life within is to be good.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if you parch a handful
of bees and give one a day to a baby, it will cure the hives. Never give
more than nine, or the child will buzz around all its life.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY that if you soak your
potatoes in water for a night or in a running stream, you won’t get as
fat.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY never tear down a spider
web or kill a spider. Doing
so will bring rain, but not the kind of rain you want.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if children eat chicken
backs, they might become deformed or suffer bone diseases.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if you eat much after
dark, never sit down. Departed
ones will eat with you and make you sick. Worse yet, they might not want
to leave.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if there are spirits
hanging around your house, your children will never marry and will drive
you crazy.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY when it thunders you
should say “Ohfvnkv ci!” for the Creator’s Heart is beating nearby.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if a snake milks your
cow, the calves will be deformed. If you believe snakes milk cows, you’re
also crazy.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY that if you sweep after
dark you’re liable to get pregnant--so get your brother to do it!
SOME PEOPLE
SAY drop a broom and someone
you don’t like will surely come.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if a woman dances beside
a man in a Stomp, she should give him a small stick or a coin. The stick
or coin can later be traded for a meal (with the mother's permission).
SOME PEOPLE
SAY if you don’t or can't
stay awake all night on the Square, you must pay someone to do it for you.
Everyone must be awake until halfway between midnight and first light unless
you're very old, sick or very young.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY whatever you grow you
must divide and give some away, or others will never share with you what
they grow. Not everyone can grow everything—you must share to have the
right foods.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY only a special person
or Beloved One can grow Tobacco for use on the Square. Don’t abuse it.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY that at a ceremony
the Fire is the true host. You must protect it from harm. When you first
visit a Square Ground, you must go to the Fire if the Square is not closed
and speak to it and thank it. All newcomers must be introduced to the Fire
before a ceremony.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY part of the first squirrel
killed must be buried beside its tree, or the squirrels will go away. Squirrel
skin is used for stickballs. The squirrel must be caught before it hits
the ground or the ball will be not good and your team will lose.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY put four fleas in the
game ball to make it jump about a lot and confuse the other team.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the first ceremony
each year must have wild onion stew, so everyone will remain healthy and
have good children.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY that a pregnant woman
must not see someone bleed, nor should she see the masks used in the winter
dances. She might lose the child or the child might be born deformed.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the Eagle Dance can
be done only after first frost and must never be rehearsed. It is the most
powerful of men’s dances and is done only for the greatest community
need or in the most trying times. If any town masks are brought out before
first frost, the weather will become very bad—much ice usually follows
that winter! Eagle Dance must be done once each generation or the Town
loses the rights to its power.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY Makers of Medicine
can change form and do so to help someone. Bad makers of medicine will
change form to harm someone.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY Buzzard Medicine helps
gunshot wounds. Buzzards eat death and are seemingly immune from it.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY the first portion of
any feast must be given to the Fire so that One Above may taste and enjoy,
too. Pregnant women, young children
and honored visitors are feed when hungry at a ceremonial. No male participating
in a Busk should eat anything until it is first offered to One Above. Menses
women are feed when the food is first prepared because One Above is already
with them.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY never to put rotten
wood in the Sacred Fire or you and your Town will have a rotten life.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY sound is the voice
of creation, silence is the voice of Creator. You must hear in silence
and speak in silence to know holy ways.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY music is the voice
of the One Above, too—this is why many songs need no words.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY menstruating women
should take care not to approach sacred objects or men. Women are very
powerful at this time and might do unintentional harm to some man or object
not capable, prepared or properly protected to handle such Power.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY that if twins live
and are boys they will first be lucky and happy, then both will be unhappy
and do poorly and finally, one will be good and prosper and one will become
bad. If one dies, the other will usually become a Maker of Medicine. Such
Makers of Medicine can be very powerful for good or very powerful for bad.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY whoever makes and sends
out the sticks for Nettv-Kvckv, the Broken
Days, should be given a special cut of meat at the ceremony.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a Medicine Bundle should
contain daytime objects and nighttime objects. The daytime objects should
be brought out only in sunlight at the Square. A Medicine Bundle must be
packed only at night if it is to be moved during the day. It is best to
move a Medicine Bundle at night. Nighttime objects must be well wrapped
and not be exposed to sunlight accidentally. If a person’s bundle is
out, never stare at it; staring will weaken your own.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a new groom or a new
father must supply meat to the town for a feast.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a feathered cane pole
from the Feather Dance must never be dropped or laid on the ground. Money
or a small gift must be given to whoever makes the pole you use. If you
dropped something on the Square it must be taken to the Mekko, who will
sell it back to you. The money helps for food for widows and orphans.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY only a person of good
heart should call for rain. A bad-hearted person would only bring disaster—such
as floods!
SOME PEOPLE
SAY a half-cup of strong
black coffee, followed by hot mint tea, cures a headache in about twenty
minutes. If that fails, call
the Maker of Medicine to probe your forehead with sharp pointed shard of
red glass.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY to know the future
is one thing, but to speak it without specific authority is to invite trouble.
SOME PEOPLE
SAY hang a white feather
over the door of your house that you go into and out of the most. It will
remind you of what is right. (Such
feathers come the Feather Dance after the Harvest Busk)
THERE ARE MANY,
MANY MORE of these “some people say” things. This
collection is but a few of the more common one for you to think about.
Isn’t it interesting what one can tell from them!
NOW,
SOME MORE “SOME PEOPLE SAY”
FROM
DR. ROSEMARY McCOMBS MAXEY, Of Dustin,
Oklahoma.
Rosemary M. Maxey wrote:
Aelah! Tvktopv takpvlpakis vpēlecvt, mv "Some People Say" makē hotcē as vntotētcvt. You people! (Eng: Oh my! I was justa rolling on the floor with laughter & hilarity because of that "Some People Say" which you sent mother Sarah and me---oh you people!) Actually, I knew many of these sayings. A few I know differently.
One I was told children should eat chicken backs to keep soldiers or warriors from eating them, lest they be shot in the back. Soldiers or men are to eat the thighs and drumsticks so that can run fast. Old women are to eat the wings--lactating women get chicken breast.
Heles-Hayv, it seems to me, in this scenario, that there's a ploy to keep the kids and old people from getting big pieces of meat! Of course if you get the last piece, you'll be the last one of your family left. If you stared at someone while they were eating, you got WARTS. Hell, it wasn't until I got out of Oklahoma and into the Anglo world that I put on weight! Of course now I'm back to eating "buffalo wings." (They more they change, they more they remain the same..eh Heles-Hayv?)
[From a wonderful letter sent by Rosemary McCombs Maxey, Creek minister (UCC) and college professor at Westminster, Maryland. She and her family enjoy the Pine Arbor writings available on the internet and her son, who is studying Medicine, visits the Busks here often.]