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