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The current Cherokee Nation is in the midst of the election to choose their Principal Chief and members of the Council. As in any American election, the fur flies, tempers become frayed, and the good of the people is sometimes lost in the heat of the contest. This story was written to try and show what happens when the goal is lost in the fight.
She took hold of the handles of the cart and started back to her home, thinking about all of the good things she was going to cook with this beautiful and tasty selu. As she neared the edge of the field and started into the forest, a wheel of the cart ran over a large root. As it bumped, one of the baskets fell off the back of the cart and spilled its contents onto the path. The woman was not aware of it, so continued on to her home. But there were others who saw and noticed the accident. There was a flock of crows roosting in a large cottonwood tree on one side of the path, and they talked to themselves about how good it would be to take the selu with them to their village and have a great feast and dance. They imagined how they could stuff their bellies at this great celebration and spend much time with each other in feasting. In a massive hickory tree on the other side of the path sat a clan of squirrels. Their eyes were also looking down at the fallen selu. Their leaders met in council and planned on how they would use this unexpected gift from the Great Mystery. It was clear to them that they were the ones to whom the selu was given. Then they were amazed to see a crow drop out of the neighboring tree and fly down to the pile of ears on the ground. The squirrels chattered angrily at the crow, and as others joined him on the ground, the squirrels began to throw hickory nuts at the crows. When a nut hit a crow on the head, it startled him; and he flew back to the cottonwood tree, crying loudly. This scared the other birds and they also abandoned the ground for the safety of the cottonwood tree. The leader of the squirrels then scampered down the hickory tree and examined the many ears of selu lying there. He called for his brothers to come down and help him carry the gift back to their village. About that time, the crows flew out of their tree and began to fly around the squirrels. They pecked them on their heads and bodies and drove them back to the safety of the hickory tree. The rest of the afternoon was filled with the shouting between the two trees. The crows hollered that all of the selu belonged to them; that Grandfather had blessed them for their hard work by providing the selu for their feast. The squirrels shouted back that this was not the case. The ownership to the selu was theirs alone. Every time a crow would get near the selu, he would be met by a hail of hickory nuts and cow dung, that the squirrels had gathered for that purpose. When a squirrel would start for the bounty, the crows would attack, with angry pecks and their own poop, squirted on the squirrels as they flew over them. The battle raged back and forth, with much shouting, nut throwing, and the exchange of poop until it was too dark to see or fly. Then both the squirrel and the crow warriors settled down in their trees to guard their rights, and plan how to win the battle. After they had settled down and were sound asleep, a family of pigs came wandering down the path, smelled the selu, and had a great feast, there in the dark. When the crows and squirrels awoke the next morning, there was nothing left but shucks and a few empty cobs. The moral of this story is that if you spend all of
your time shouting, fighting, and throwing crap at each other, some greedy
pig is going to come by and get all of your selu for himself. Wa
do.
This is one of 12 stories from the book entitled:
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