This is a story from the Iroquois people. Do you know who
the Iroquois people are? They were the people used to live along the Northern East Coast long ago.
For all you know, lots of the Iroquois people walked right here where our
school is many many years ago, maybe right where we are sitting now. Later, a lot of other people
from all over the world came and the Iroquois people
moved to a smaller area in parts of New
York
The Iroquois people call God as The Everything -Maker. That is the correct
name right? God makes everything. They tell this very funny story about birds.
The Everything -Maker made the entire world and he also made a
whole lot of birds. They were all beautiful, with big wings and big colorful
tails and long necks and long beaks. There was only one problem.
All the birds looked exactly alike. So the birds all got together
and had a meeting.
"It is not fair" they said. "The animals all
look different. The mouse is tiny and the bear is big! The moose
has huge big antlers".
"All of them are different. Why cant all of us be
different".
"Wont it be more fun if each of us had something special and
we were all different?”.
The Everything –Maker overheard them and asked “Well, if you want
to be different, that’s fine with me”.
“What do you want?”
“I want to be a beautiful bright red” said the cardinal – and sure
enough the Everything-Maker made him as red as the sunset. “I want to be a pure white” said the swan
“with a black beak. And could you please
make my neck long and curved”. So the
Trumpeteer Swan got his beautiful body.
“I want a little black necklace on a grey body said the song
sparrow. “It want people to see it when
I sit on the top of the tree and sing”.
So the Everything –Maker gave the little bird his necklace and also a sweet
voice so he could sing all day.
Now the owl sat watching all the birds and teasing them. “Your
black cap looks silly” he told the chickadee.
“Your legs look too thin” he told the egret. The Every-Maker said, “Oh owl, I wish you
would not tease the other birds. Think
of what you want instead of being mean to the others”.
The owl instead said “Hoopoe, it looks like your hair is all messed
up. Do you want a comb?”. The Everything –Maker got really mad now
“Owl, stop it! If the other
birds don’t look good to you, just close your eyes and be quiet”. The owl said “Neaner, neaner boo boo. Just wait and see me! You all think you are beautiful. I am going to get wings as wide as an
albatross and colorful as the cardinal.
I am going to be so beautiful, you will all be jealous of me”.
The Everything-Maker said “That’s it! Come here.
He pushed the owl’s head down and pulled his ears out. “There” he said, that will teach you. Your neck is so short, you cant stretch it to
look at everything and complain. Your
ears are long enough that you listen to what I say”. “And if you think I will give you what you
want when you tease the other birds so much, - you must be kidding!”. So – the owl became a dull colored bird with
big ears and a short neck. He learnt his
lesson, flew away and went to sleep on the tree and stayed there during the day
when the other birds are awake.
