Native American Legends
Gluscabi and the Wind Eagle
An Abenaki Legend
Long ago, Gluscabi lived with his grandmother, Woodchuck, in a
small lodge beside the big water.
One day Gluscabi was walking around when he looked out and saw
some ducks in the bay.
"I think it is time to go hunt some ducks," he said.
So he took his bow and arrows and got into his canoe. He began to
paddle out into the bay and as he paddled he sang:
Ki yo wah ji neh
yo hey ho hey
Ki yo wah ji neh
Ki yo wah ji neh
But a wind came up and it turned his canoe and blew him back to
shore. Once again Gluscabi began to paddle out and this time he
sang his song a little harder.
KI YO WAH JI NEH
YO HEY HO HEY
KI YO WAH JI NEH
KI YO WAH JI NEH
But again the wind came and blew him back to shore. Four times he
tried to paddle out into the bay and four times he failed.
He was not happy. He went back to the lodge of his grandmother
and walked right in, even though there was a stick leaning across
the door, which meant that the person inside was doing some work
and did not want to be disturbed.
"Grandmother," Gluscabi asked, "What makes the wind
blow?"
Grandmother Woodchuck looked up from her work. "Gluscabi,"
she said, "Why do you want to know?"
Then Gluscabi answered her just as every child in the world does
when they are asked such a question. "Because," he said.
Grandmother Woodchuck looked at him. "Ah, Gluscabi, "
she said. "Whenever you ask such questions I feel there is
going to be trouble. And perhaps I should not tell you. But I know
that you are very stubborn and would never stop asking. So, I shall
tell you. If you walk always facing the wind you will come to the
place where Wuchowsen stands."
"Thank you, Grandmother," said Gluscabi. He stepped out
of the lodge and faced into the wind and began to walk.
He walked across the fields and through the woods and the wind
blew hard. He walked through the valleys and into the hills and
the wind blew harder still. He came to the foothills and began to
climb and the wind still blew harder.
Now the foothills were becoming mountains and the wind was very
strong. Soon there were no longer any trees and the wind was very,
very strong.
The wind was so strong that it blew off Gluscabi's moccasins. But
he was very stubborn and he kept on walking, leaning into the wind.
Now the wind was so strong that it blew off his shirt, but he kept
on walking. Now the wind was so strong that it blew off all his
clothes and he was naked, but he still kept walking.
Now the wind was so strong that it blew off his hair, but Gluscabi
still kept walking, facing into the wind. The wind was so strong
that it blew off his eyebrows, but he still continued to walk.
Now the wind was so strong that he could hardly stand. He had to
pull himself along by grabbing hold of the boulders. But there,
on the peak ahead of him, he could see a great bird flapping its
wings. It was Wuchowsen, the Wind Eagle.
Gluscabi took a deep breath, "GRANDFATHER!" he shouted.
The Wind Eagle stopped flapping his wings and looked around. "Who
calls me Grandfather?" he said.
Gluscabi stood up. "It's me, Grandfather. I came up here to
tell you that you do a very good job making the wind blow."
The Wind Eagle puffed out his chest with pride. "You mean
like this?" he said and flapped his wings even harder. The
wind that he made was so strong that it lifted Gluscabi right off
his feet, and he would have been blown right off the mountain had
he not reached out and grabbed a boulder again.
"GRANDFATHER!!!" Gluscabi shouted again.
The Wind Eagle stopped flapping his wings. "Yes?" he
said.
Gluscabi stood up and came closer to Wuchowsen. "You do a
very good job of making the wind blow, Grandfather. This is so.
But it seems to me that you could do an even better job if you were
on that peak over there."
The Wind Eagle looked over toward the other peak. "That may
be so," he said, "but how would I get from here to there?"
Gluscabi smiled. "Grandfather," he said, "I will
carry you. Wait here."
Then Gluscabi ran back down the mountain until he came to a big
basswood tree. He stripped off the outer bark and from the inner
bark he braided a strong carrying strap which he took back up the
mountain to the Wind Eagle.
"Here, Grandfather," he said, "let me wrap this
around you so I can lift you more easily." Then he wrapped
the carrying strap so tightly around Wuchowsen that his wings were
pulled in to his sides and he could hardly breathe.
"Now, Grandfather," said Gluscabi, picking the Wind Eagle
up, "I will take you to a better place."
He began to walk toward the other peak, but as he walked he came
to a place where there was a large crevice, and as he stepped over
it he let go of the carrying strap and the Wind Eagle slid down
into the crevice, upside down, and was stuck.
"Now," Gluscabi said, "it is time to go hunt some
ducks."
He walked back down the mountain and there was no wind at all.
He waited till he came to the tree line and still no wind blew.
He walked down to the foothills and down to the hills and the valleys
and still there was no wind. He walked through the forest and the
fields and the wind did not blow at all.
He walked and walked until he got back to the lodge by the water,
and by now all his hair had grown back.
He put on some fine new clothing and a new pair of moccasins and
took his bow and arrows and went back to the bay and climbed into
his boat to hunt ducks.
He paddled out into the water and sang his canoeing song:
Ki yo wah ji neh
yo hey ho hey
Ki yo wah ji neh
Ki yo wah ji neh
But the air was very hot and still and he began to sweat. The air
was so still and hot that it was hard to breathe. Soon the water
began to grow dirty and smell bad and there was so much foam on
the water he could hardly paddle.
He was not pleased at all and he returned to the shore and went
straight to his grandmother's lodge and walked in.
"Grandmother," he said, "what is wrong? The air
is hot and still and it is making me sweat and it is hard to breathe.
The water is dirty and covered with foam. I cannot hunt ducks at
all like this."
Grandmother Woodchuck looked up at Gluscabi. "Gluscabi,"
she said, "what have you done now?"
And Gluscabi answered just as every child in the world answers
when asked that question, "Oh, nothing," he said.
"Gluscabi," said Grandmother Woodchuck again, "Tell
me what you have done."
Then Gluscabi told her about going to visit the Wind Eagle and
what he had done to stop the wind.
"Oh, Gluscabi," said Grandmother Woodchuck, "will
you never learn? Tabaldak, The Owner, set the Wind Eagle on that
mountain to make the wind because we need the wind. The wind keeps
the air cool and clean. The wind brings the clouds that give us
rain to wash the Earth. The wind moves the waters to keep them fresh
and sweet. Without the wind, life will not be good for us, for our
children, or our children's children.
Gluscabi nodded his head. "Kaamoji, Grandmother," he
said. "I understand."
Then he went outside. He faced in the direction from which the
wind had once come and began to walk.
He walked through the fields and through the forests and the wind
did not blow and he felt very hot. He walked through the valleys
and up the hills and there was no wind and it was very hard for
him to breathe. He came to the foothills and began to climb and
he was very hot and sweaty indeed.
At last he came to the to the mountain where the Wind Eagle once
stood and he went and looked down into the crevice. There was Wuchosen,
the Wind Eagle, wedged upside down.
"Uncle?" Gluscabi called.
The Wind Eagle looked up as best he could. "Who calls me Uncle?"
he said.
"It is Gluscabi, Uncle. I'm up here. But what are you doing
down there?"
"Oh, Gluscabi," said the Wind Eagle, "a very ugly
naked man with no hair told me that he would take me to the other
peak so that I could do a better job of making the wind blow. He
tied my wings and picked me up, but as he stepped over this crevice
he dropped me in and I am stuck. And I am not comfortable here at
all."
"Ah, Grandfath . . . er, Uncle, I will get you out."
Then Gluscabi climbed down into the crevice. He pulled the Wind
Eagle free and placed him back on the mountain and untied his wings.
"Uncle," Gluscabi said, "it is good that the wind
should blow sometimes and other times it is good that it should
be still."
The Wind Eagle looked at Gluscabi and then nodded his head. "Grandson,"
he said, "I hear what you say."
So it is that sometimes there is wind and sometimes it is very
still to this very day.
And so the story goes.
Native American Legends
Back to Top
Other Native American Legends
|
Native American Legends A-B