\v
i \
THE THREE SISTERS
Small white bird
in the tree
let me hear your
morning prayer song
let it be heard by the »
people who do sundance
in the fall
before the coming of the new moon
Time in the Earth
is forever like the Springs
which flow on and on forever
When no one looks to you,
look to the earth
then there you will find a friend
look to your mother and find love
for her children
the creatures who roam the land in
beauty
Listen
listen deep
you can hear a warrior play the flute
for the lonely maiden in the woods
She is the gentle fawn in birth
and the doe in one
let their spirits rest now,
their time is done
listen
listen deep
hear them in the winds of yesterday
Taken from “ Bury my heart at Wounded
Knee.”
j
One time three sisters lived in a
village. They were very beautiful and i
smart. But a son of a Chief who lived on
the other side of the moutains and his
two brothers vowed to take the three
sisters as their wives. The sons were
very cruel and mean. But they were
skilled hunters and brave warriors.
One day the oldest sister went out to
pick berries and dig roots by herself. She
was the gentlest of the three. As she
walked down the trail, she heard a voice
call her name. It kept calling her, so she
followed. The voice lead her to a white
rock on the hillside. “ Come closer,”
it spoke. She was afraid at first but then
a warm and gentle wind blew and made
her feel at ease. Then the voice spoke
again. “ I have brought you here to
speak with you. My child, you and your
sisters are not of this world. Your people
live among the stars within the wide
sky. Soon the village will be destroyed
by the people who live on the other
side of the mountain. Lead your sisters
to the edge of the forest, near the great
river, whose other side cannot be see.
There you will have a vision. You must
follow this vision then you will be joined
to your true people among the clouds.”
At these final words, she found herself
upon the trail once more. The three
brothers stood outside their home
speaking with the young warriors of
the village about their plans.
They
decided to leave early the next morning.
The oldest sister then told her sisters
what had happened that day. The next
morning the village was raided, but the
three sisters escaped into the dawn.
They ran down the trail all the way to
the river whose other side could not be
seen and stayed there. The sons of the
chief searched through the captives
determined to find the three sisters.
The oldest of the son’s spoke to the sky,
“ I will find them .” The three sisters
then began the long journey before them.
The oldest sister, following her dream,
lead the way.
As they started, they stood at the
shore-line. Then the oldest sister walked
upon the waves. She turned around and
encourged her younger sisters to follow.
Mine is the Medicine of the Wind.
Send to me a vision so that I
May seek within myself its meaning.
Show to me the signs of this
Endless journey I take.
Let me pass into the other world in
peace and serenity.
Unite the Indian people the Medicine
Way,
For this circle never ends,
Nor does the wind in the everlasting
skies.
I wonder to myself many times.
I looked up to the sky...
I watched the dove and the eagle in mid
flight.
I turned to the stream and saw
A small white rabbit leap onto the rocks.
I wonder at the earth
For she is the mother of all things.
In her, I find peacefulness and beauty,
For mine is the Medicine of the Wind.
The Spirits of my people
Linger among their descendants of today.
I can hear them sing
Thqir almost forgotten songs in the wind.
Emmy C. Bitt
The past speaks of the future
Does one not act wisely, The
people and all will be lost in the
wind
and scattereff riever to be found again
** forever.
Sho-shone Bannok Northern Paiute
Emmy C.B.
—Nipe Numie - Wind Sister—
For many days they walked upon the
waters until they came upon an island.
It was small and they felt uncomfortable
there. . The next morning the oldest
sister lead them down a stairway into a
room. From that time on they were
never heard from again. When you
look into the sky and see three stars
in a row, they say the three sisters are
home.
A story told to me by an old man who is
now gone.
Emmy C.B.
Sho-Ban-Northem Paiute