Week 9 Essay: Tribute to the Tejas

Bee Bush
Source: pixabay

This week I read the Tejas Legends. Although the stories were all very unique in their different characters and plots, there were some recurring motifs. Perhaps the most prominent motif was characters in the stories turning into a plant of some kind.

I did not have any previous knowledge of the Tejas Native Americans, so I did not necessarily have any expectations for what I might read about in the stories. However, after reading through a few of the stories, I began to pick up on various components of their culture.

As mentioned above, the characters in the stories often turned into plants. This recurring motif was most common when a character was faced with death or actually died.

For example, in the story Maidens Who Broke a Drought, there were young girls who were sacrificing themselves to the great serpent in order to end the drought their tribe had been faced with. The young girls were going to jump off a cliff together where the great serpent was waiting for them at the bottom. As the girls jumped from the ledge, the goddess who watched over the girls noticed their bravery and took pity on them. As a result, the girls did not actually die, but were instead turned into bee bushes.

In another story, Old Quanah's Gift, there was an elder member of the tribe who was faced with death. Before he was on his deathbed, Quanah had been working on a particular blanket for many years. It was a beautiful blanket that featured a sunset and all of its lovely colors. The members of his tribe always asked him what he was going to do with the blanket, and he always told them he would reveal the blanket’s purpose when it was finished.

Fortunately, Quanah had finished the blanket before he died and told some of the men of the tribe that the blanket should be given to the most worthy member of the tribe. The tribe unanimously decided that Quanah was the most worthy member of the tribe. So after he passed, he was wrapped in the beautiful blanket before he was buried. After his grave was covered, a new flower bloomed, the fire wheel flower. The tribe was very thankful for this because it allowed them to still enjoy the lovely colors featured in the blanket.

Through the recurring motifs of this unit I learned a few things about the Tejas Native American culture. The Tejas Indians valued and honored those who were hard workers and who were brave. They also cherished nature as it often served as a reminder of important figures in their tribes. 

Fire wheel flower
Source: Wikipedia

Week 9 Storytelling: How the Dog Lost His Pride

Basset Hound
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Deep in the heart of Texas was a very successful farmer named James Johnson. Mr. Johnson was known across the whole state for his wonderful crops. Many people wondered how Mr. Johnson was so successful. They were often puzzled by how one man could look over such a large amount of land without any help. While other farmers attempted to have large farms like Mr. Johnson’s, the wild coyotes always ravaged the crops. Despite their bafflement, the other farmers were never brave enough to ask Mr. Johnson what his key to success was.

One day, deciding he could contain his curiosity no longer, one of the younger farmers, Rick Harrison, went to Mr. Johnson’s farm to see if he could uncover the secret to his success. As he approached the front door of Mr. Johnson’s house, he noticed a dog. Although dogs were very popular, especially among farmers, there was something different about this dog. He appeared more prideful, almost arrogant in fact, compared to the other dogs Rick had seen before.

Nevertheless, Rick kept walking past the dog and rang Mr. Johnson’s doorbell. “Well, hello there, Rick,” said Mr. Johnson as he opened the screen door. “What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be tending to your crops?”

“Actually, Mr. Johnson, that is why I am here. I have been tirelessly tending to my crops, but no matter what I do, they do not grow. And the ones that do grow get ransacked by the wild coyotes at night. I was hoping you could give me some advice.”

Mr. Johnson stood there for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should share his secret with the young farmer. On one hand, he felt pity for him. How would he ever be able to provide for a wife and children if he could not grow his crops? But on the other hand, he was suspicious of him. How could he be sure that he would keep the secret to himself? Despite his better judgment, Mr. Johnson replied, “Come in and have a seat.”

The two farmers sat and talked for a long while. Mr. Johnson told him all of his farming techniques: when to water, how much seed to sow, when to plow, and so on and so forth. Of course this was all stuff that Rick already knew. Rick was just about to lose his patience with Mr. Johnson when he saw that peculiar looking dog again.

“Mr. Johnson,” Rick interrupted. “Can you tell me more about that dog?”

“Why that’s my ole hound, Copper. He’s the most loyal dog I have ever seen. He sticks by my side all day long, and then at night, he keeps a close watch over the farm.”

Just then, Rick had an epiphany. It was the dog. The dog was the secret to Mr. Johnson’s success. Abruptly, he thanked Mr. Johnson for his time, and ran back to his own farm. He began working on a plan to kidnap Copper.

That night, Rick returned to Mr. Johnson’s farm with an empty feed sack and a plate of table scraps. He was going to lure Copper away from the front porch and then wrap him up in the sack so he could take him home for himself.

Copper spotted Rick as he approached the front porch and immediately began to growl. However, he soon smelled the table scraps that Rick had with him. The enticing smell of food distracted Copper, and before he knew it, he was wrapped up in the empty feed sack.

Rick ran home with the captured canine. Upon returning to his own farm, Rick tied up the dog outside, and then went inside to get a little sleep before the sun came up.

However, when the sun began to rise, Rick looked out the window and realized that Copper was gone. He quickly looked around the yard, but was unable to find the dog.

Turned out, Copper navigated his way back to his own farm. But when he got there, he realized the wild coyotes had devastated the crops. Mr. Johnson, looking very disappointed, stood on the porch waiting for him. Ashamed of what he had done, Copper hung his head, tucked his tail, and laid down on the porch. From that day on, he was never the confident and prideful dog that he was before.

Author’s Note

The original story, Why the Dog's Ears Flop, is the story of how the dog lost its pride. In the story, the dog decides to leave his wild cousins, the wolves, and live in an Indian camp. The dog agreed to keep away enemies if the Indians would share their meat with him. The dog did a good job of holding up his end of the deal for a while. However, one night his cousins came to visit the camp, and tricked the dog into thinking that they just wanted to see how he liked living with the Indians. While some of the wolves distracted the dog by talking to him, the others stole all the meat from the camp. Realizing what was happening, the dog began to bark to alert the Indians, but it was too late. The Indians scorned the dog, and from then on, he had floppy ears and a floppy tail.

Bibliography

Book: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends 

Author: Florence Stratton 

Year: 1936

Web Source: Un-Textbook

Week 9 Reading Diary: Tejas Legends

Tejas Legends 

How the North Wind Lost His Hair

I really enjoy reading stories of origin from other cultures. Even though this story was not about the origin of its people, it was still interesting to read about the origin of Spanish moss. Also the transformation of something that we cannot see, like the wind, into two characters was really entertaining!

The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail

It was great to see that wise and foolish characters can be found in Native American stories too! I had never realized how expansive these classic characters were. It was a nice way to explain to children how being foolish can lead to consequences.

Grandmother River's Trick 

I find it very interesting how the Native American culture can literally personify everything! I loved that the fish in the river thought of the river as their grandmother. I thought it was very entertaining how clever she was. This story reminded me of something my own grandma would do!

How Sickness Entered the World

Another "origin" story! I love how the Native American culture has a story for how everything came to be. It was very interesting that read about how there used to be no sickness and that people just died because it was there time to die. I also liked how the snake came into play, it seemed very fitting.

Maidens Who Broke a Drought

I loved the bravery that the girls of this tribe displayed! Also, I liked that they were rewarded for their bravery by not actually dying, but by turning into the beebush. It seemed to be a common theme among the Native Americans to have brave people turn into plants or something, so that they were always remembered.

Why the Dog's Ears Flop

This story was so cute! I loved hearing the story about how dogs lost their pride. It was also interesting to see the wolf show up as a trickster again!