Napi's Dance by Alanda Greene

Author:Alanda Greene
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Second Story Press
Published: 2012-09-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Eleanor carried the coal sack over her left shoulder, holding its end with both hands while she angled up to the coulee’s rim. The tipi circles were close, and she was curious to see them again. She walked around each ring of stones, seven in all, then stepped into the center of the most western ring, sitting to look across the coulee. An Indian woman might have sat in the same place, she thought, and watched antelope like that small group on the other side, watched the land go on as if it went forever.

It was a wonderful thing, my girl, the way you could ride the prairie for days and never see a fence or road or house. Then, a wisp of smoke might rise and there they’d be, the lodges of buffalo hide, each painted in a different design.

Near her left shoe, a sharp point protruded. She pushed away dirt and dead grass to pull it from the ground: a black stone, chipped along its outer edges. Arrow? Spear? Her hand held what their hands had held, and a thrill shivered through her. Placing it in her skirt pocket, she headed toward their house, a small bump on the northern horizon.

The sense of being watched made her stop and turn. There, on the far side of the coulee, the hills rising beyond, sat a coyote, its pink tongue lolling and clearly visible, even across the valley. Beside the first lay another on its belly, neck up, huge ears perked high. She knew they looked directly at her, even though she was too far away to make out where their eyes aimed. But I can feel them, she noted, feel them thinking of me.

Eleanor imagined telling this to her mother or father and knew it would be thought silly. “Imagination running away with you,” her mother would say. Her father would explain, “Animals don’t think, dear. We must not put human characteristics on them.”

The coyotes continued watching. The one with its tongue hanging looked like it grinned. But if I could tell Uncle Bernard, she thought, he would not think it silly or imagined.

It was a wonderful thing to see, my girl, how the Indians could communicate with animals. I’ve seen a young warrior stand near his camp, looking to where the horses grazed, and pretty soon over the grass comes trotting his favorite pinto, ears up and tail swinging. And wouldn’t the horse walk right to that brave and put his soft nose against the man’s ear and nicker a greeting. The Indians understood that animals have souls too, Eleanor. That they’re players also in this big play of life.

But Uncle Bernard was not here. She had to trust in her own experience. She raised her hand in farewell to the two coyotes. When she looked back a few paces further, the spot where they had watched was empty.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.