Native American Legends
Black and White Moons
A Winnebago (Hotcâk) Legend
In the time of beginnings, the good spirits and the evil spirits
met in council to determine how the world should be divided between
them. First they took up the question of how many moons there should
be from one winter to the next. Wild Turkey (Zizikega) strutted
before them and spread his tail feathers, declaring, "Let a
year be as many moons a there are spots on my tail." But the
council of spirits voted this down, as there were far too many spots
on his tail. Partridge also suggested that there should be as many
moons in a year as there were spots on his tail, but the spirits
felt that it was also too long a time. Then Chipmunk (Hetcgenîka)
scampered up throwing its tail over its head as chipmunks always
do, and said, "Let a year be as many moons are there are black
and white stripes down my back." The counselors thought well
of this suggestion, and allowed that the six black stripes would
be the summer moons, and the six white stripes would be the moons
of winter.
The evil spirits are greedy, however. They always wish for darkness,
so when they saw the bright white disc of the moon and how it lit
up the world, they began to eat the Night Luminary away until nothing
was left of it. But Earthmaker was not content to see his creation
consumed, leaving a dark world as a cover for evil, so he recreated
the moon a little each night until at the end of fourteen nights
it was full again. Then Earthmaker rested. While the Creator took
leave, the evil spirits again gnawed away at the moon until it was
completely consumed. And so it continues, with Earthmaker ever renewing
the moon and his enemies forever eating it away.
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