A very long time ago, the Choctaw Indians were one people. The Choctaw Indians who had passed on lay to rest in the Sacred Mound.
The white men came along and tried to steal this land, but the Choctaws continued to live on their land, for over here they were happy.
The Choctaws became sad when they heard that white men were wanting the Choctaws to take a journey. Some Choctaws would run off to the forest and hide from the white men, so they could not go. A few Choctaws used the help of the spirits in the Sacred Mound to have powers which could make them invisible so the white men could not see them.
The Choctaws could not have survived if they fought the United States Army. A few white men helped "The Choctaw Way" stay alive, for they believed that they Choctaws must continue to live in Mississippi and keep up their traditional ways. The Choctaws were happy that those kind of white people helped them survive from the trail, which became known as the "The Trail of Tears".
After a warrior had fought his last battle, eternal sleep comes to his body. His spirit goes to a new home. The warrior must make one more journey, the journey to the spirit world. The warrior goes to the world of the spirits only if he has walked on earth and followed the laws of the Choctaws. He must love his brother at all times. He has to do good things for his brother and must never harm his brother. He must never steal from his fellow Choctaws.
His journey to the spirit world is long and hard. The warrior faces a last struggle to get through the great distances. He must travel over mountains, and through valleys. He has travelled many miles before he gets to the mighty river. This river is the longest he has ever seen. He slowly enters deep blue water. The sky gets darker. His journey has almost been impossible. He drags himself out of the water and falls on the ground. The warrior hears a voice calling, "Mighty warrior". Then the voice says, "Come follow me, you must not abandon your journey to the spirit world".
Many years ago, all of the Choctaws were one people. The long journey from the west ended and bones of "those who had gone before" rested in the sacred mound. Spirits were home in the pine forest of the Choctaw land. The people were living in the sacred Choctaw way and were very happy.
After white men came among the Choctaws, they continued to live near their sacred ground where they were determined to guard the land for which they had been commanded to search. Here were buried the bones of their ancestors. Here dwelt the spirits of the Choctaws.
They were happy until they heard that the white men were determined that the choctaws would take another journey – a journey away from their sacred place. A journey away from the bones of "those who had gone before" and a journey away from the home of their spirits. "The Trail of Tears" is what they were to call this journey.
The soldiers came and drove the Choctaws from their homes but many of them would not go. Brave Indian men and women left their homes and went into the woods. They lived like the animals. When they wanted to be invisible to the soldiers, they called upon the special powers and strong medicines.
The Choctaws could not survive alone against the army. The brave remnants would have been driven from this land. The Choctaws’ way was kept alive with the help of kind men who were determined that the Choctaw Indian must continue to live in Mississippi. Not all settlers were cruel, they did not want to destroy the indian by driving him from the home of his spirits. Good Neighbours hid Choctaws in their homes. They also shared food and sent warnings of moving troops. The Choctaws have not forgotten the good men who stood with them. Even to this day, the Choctaws remember the white men who through their kindness and love helped them stay in the land of the Choctaw spirits.
A long time ago the Choctaw people were hungry. Some mothers were arguing because their children were starving. Some men couldn’t go hunt for deer because they were too old.
The spirits heard the Choctaws. The Choctaws wanted a new way of life. They wanted a way so they did not have to always hunt. But the indians were still hungry. The next day some birds brought seeds and scattered them. The wise men told the others it was corn seed and the corn grew fast. The birds were sent by the ‘Great Spirit’. The Choctaws didn’t have to go after the beast they now had corn. The Choctaws also had a new way of life.
On November 7, 1997, the Pow-Wow started. The Pow-Wow is a place where Native Americans sell beadwork, leather, bows and arrows, food, T-shirts, hats and stones. Choctaw Indians dance in traditional clothes. Once dance they did was the snake dance. Everyone follows the leader and does the same moves that he or she does. The reason they call it the Snake Dance is that the line of dancers slither around like a snake.
The evil witchdoctor has many great powers but uses them to hurt people and sometimes kill them. The grimreaper is the one who takes souls to heaven or hell, but sometimes he takes their souls to the witchdoctor. He puts them in a bag of souls and gets more power. The witchdoctor is powerful and hides deep in the woods and the gripreaper is deadly and takes souls. The witchdoctor only has medicine to kill and that is why he is a witchdoctor. The witchdoctor’s face is white with black lines and he has black hair. When the grimreaper touches you, you start to get weak and die. The witchdoctor burns the body until the soul of the body comes out. The witchdoctor gets more powerful and stronger but the witchdoctor seem to think he has all the power in the world. His power cannot compete with the power that God has and he will never have as much power as God. He is the second most powerful person in Choctaw history.
The Choctaws’ sacred mound is known as "The Nanih Waiya Mound". People say that the elder men from the light centre were originally from the dark center of the Nanih Waiya Mound. The Choctaws get their strength from the Spirits at the nanih Waiya Mound.
The Choctaws brought their ancestors’ bones from the west and buried them in the Nanih Waiya Mound. At that time the Choctaws had a brought. Then during the drought, an old medicine man came to the Choctaws and told them that he could make rain. They were told that the medicine man was going to go around the Mound 4 times and ask the spirits to help him. Every time he went around they had to pour water on his back. They did what they were told and it really worked. The rain saved the corn, it filled the streams, and put an end to the Choctaw’s greatest droughts.
All of the evil spirits of the Choctaws have followed them on their long journey from the western part of North America. The witches, demons, and the monsters came with the Choctaw people. But the most horrible frightening of all these beasts is the hideous monster the Choctaws call the Shampe.
A Shampe is a giant in the form ugliest Choctaw beast. He lives in the deepest part of the woods. So far in the forest that no Choctaw has even been able to find the location of his huge, dark cave. The Shampe cannot stand the brightness of the sun or the open air.
The smell of blood will attract him and he will follow the person who has been hunting and carrying a wounded game. Shampes do not have very good vision but have a keen sense of smell. They can track any person or animal.
The Shampes make a whistling noise as he stalks through the forest. His scent is so terrible, that many people have died from his odour. While he looks like a gigantic form of Choctaw, she smells like a skunk. Some of them are really hairy like an ape while others are hairless. The Choctaws won’t live in an area where a Shampe will live or has been spotted. The Choctaws will often be caught or chased by a Shampe. If someone were to drop a small game such as a rabbit or a squirrel, the Shampe stops to eat it and may be drawn off your trail by the blood of the small animal.
Shampes have followed the Choctaw people along their journey from the western United States. They say that all Shampe have returned to the west now. But today, some Choctaws still hear whistling sounds in the woods and catch a strong odour. The Choctaws still drop small animals when they think a Shampe is near. You may never know that all Shampes have returned to the west.
A long time ago Choctaw men told stories about the stars. They said that the stars were spirits and if you were a star you would be a witch too. If a star falls down that means the witch is dead. The fastest stars shooting across the sky were the most powerful.
The spirit world was gazed upon by the Choctaws. A man died and went to Choctaw heaven. He felt young again and he was strong. He looked in the river and his face appeared to be from his younger days. Then he saw a maiden that was beautiful. She was the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen. He heard people having a good time so he followed them into the village. He saw a lot of maidens in this village. There seemed to be hundred of maidens around and he kept looking to find his wife to help him find his new home in heaven. He got tired that day and the maidens took him to hi new house and he went to sleep there. When he woke up he went outside and started walking again on his journey. He heard beautiful noises and he started towards the direction that they were coming from. The sounds grew dimmer and dimmer. As he turned back he couldn’t find his way back. He had lost the trail. This man had not been a good Choctaw indian. He didn’t follow the way of their laws. He still searches for the path to take him back to his new home in heaven. He will look forever.
I’m here playing stickball. I will tell you how to play stickball. First you get two sticks and you get a ball. Choctaws make the stickball sticks and ball to play with. You need twenty players and a coach. Playing stickball is going to hurt but not that much. Don’t hit each other with the sticks and don’t fight. Stickball is a tricky game. You have to hold the ball with your stick and run to the goal, then throw it to score.
Told to me by my mother: Cornelia Willis
My mother tells me many stories about Choctaws. The Choctaws were probably sitting around the fire. She says these stories were told to her by her grandmother. She wants to pass down these stories to me. Some of the ancient Choctaws were living in big wooden houses in the wilderness. At night, they would sit around the fire and tell stories about little people, magical powers, medicine men (good and bad), and about the future. My favourite talk is how the Choctaws would talk about the future. The elder choctaws would stand up and tell the younger Choctaws about the stories. The elder Choctaws told about the future. They believed there would be no living in wooden houses but that they would be living in red-brick houses. There would also be cars. There would be computers and other things in the future. I wouldn’t know if these stories are true, but we do have houses, care, computers, and many other things. They could true to me. My mother has been passing stories down to me as a tradition.
There was a big, stinky and hairy monster. He lived deep in the forest, in a cave near the swamp. The Shamine played a Old Choctaw Drum. The Shamine played Old Choctaw Drum on a full moon. The Shamine also built a fire. Then he started a chant, then his friends, "little helpers," or Bokpoli. The Bokpoli started dancing traditional Choctaw dances, to pray to their goods. After the moon went down, the Bokpoli and the Shamine went where they had to go, until the next full moon. The Shamine did not eat for almost 1 week. So, one day the Shamine went out of his cave to look for food. The Shamine was picking up a smell, "I smell a human", said the Shamine. So he followed the smell of the human. He saw the human with a dead deer over his shoulder. The Shamine came out from behind a bush to kill the human. The Shamine jumped on the human, grabbed the dead deer and swung the deer at the face of the human. That swing of the dead deer knocked the human out for a couple of minutes. Finally, the human woke up, but the Shamine already went into his hideout. The human went back to town. His face was all bruised, and scratched. He told the Sheriff what happened to him in the forest. The Sheriff gathered up some men, and gave them guns and a flashlight, and told them is they saw anything unusual shoot it. The Shamine was not aware of this. The Shamine was not satisfied, so he went out for more food. By then, the search party had already arrived at the forest where the thing was last seen. So they started their search. The Shamine found a dead rabbit by a tree, the Shamine did not know that the dead rabbit was a trap. The Shamine grabbed the rabbit, then a rope caught the Shamine’s leg and lifted the Shamine up. The search party found the Shamine up in the tree, they got him down from the tree. They tied the back of his hands together, and put him on a bucket. They put a rope around his neck, and tied it to a branch high above the Shamine’s head. They lifted the rope and kicked the bucket from under the Shamine’s feet. Then the Shamine started to make choking sounds. That we the end of the Shamine for now.
Where have the Brave Warriors gone?
Where have the Medicine Men gone?
Where have the Eagles gone?
Where have they gone?
The Great Chiefs have gone to help
The Great Spirit lead us to a better place.
The Brave Warriors have gone to help
The Great Spirit fight wars so we won’t have to.
The Medicine Men have gone to help the
Great Spirit free us from evil,
The Eagles have gone to help the
Great Spirit look out for our future.
They have all gone to help us lead a long and prosperous life.
And there is always a game for all,
Chatas will get up from their lazy,
And pick up their pair, for a game of stickball.
They’ll run, jump, and move around,
But they’ll all chase after one guy,
And make sure the guy hits the ground,
Even though the ball is in the sky.
The game is fun also full of laughter,
And the game is for everyone,
It doesn’t matter who you’re after,
Just get the son of a gun.
In Native American culture there are witches or as they call "the witch doctors". Well some tribes have what they call skin walkers. Skin walkers are also witch doctors. They are said to be the fastest thing alive. Most native people are very afraid of them. People say that if you get a skin walker to be mad or jealous of you, then it will curse you, and bad things will start to happen to you and your family. Some believe that these are the only people that have the gift to be able to visit the four sacred mountains of the Navajo people. The skin walkers look like everybody else, they do not look like monsters or anything like that. They are just humans that have special abilities and powers. Some are good and kind, but others are mean and cruel. Many believe that the skin walkers can run so fast that if you were riding in a bus going fifty miles per hour, it could catch up to knock on your window, pass you, and be waiting for you in the next town before you even get there. Some say that they can run by you and tap you on the shoulder and you not even know it because you are not able to see them, because they are so fast. Many elders say that they have the spirit of horse because they are free spirited and can run anywhere. They also say that the skin walkers have the heart of an eagle because they can be very fierce and strong.
Long ago the people of the Apache tribe let their horses out to rest, after their long day chasing animals. The settlers near the tribe took the horses and used the horses to do their work like pull the wagons. The people of the Apache tribe including the chief were very angry. One of the horses that wasn’t stolen knew where the horses were so he decided to go rescue them. When he got there he found the horses and let them lose. Just then the settlers came out and tried to catch them. They finally gave up. When they returned the chief thanked the great horse.
The basket is made up of swamp cane. Usually the elder women make the baskets. The younger children don’t want to learn how to make the baskets. They don’t have the patience on the basket. It is very hard to make. The starting off is the hardest part of all. After you get the hang of it, it starts to get easy. The basket can have all sorts of designs, but it is very impossible to make a lot of designs on the basket, when you first start off. The women who make these have a special skill. They should only teach the Choctaw people.
Melinda, a young teenage girl, loved to go to her grandma’s house to stay for the summer. Her grandfather had died when she was little, so she stayed with her until August. One day she went up to see if her grandma was there, she was not there. So she stayed and waited. She got tired of waiting. So she went to a neighbours house. They told her that he grandma had went to the hospital down Main Street. Melinda ran to the hospital. She asked the nurse which room her grandma was in. The nurse told her room 103. Melinda ran up the stairs to her grandma’s room. She quietly opened the door. She saw her grandma laying in a hospital bed. She had several needles in her arm. Her grandma looked her way. Come here she told Melinda. Melinda slowly walked to her grandma’s bed. "This will be the last summer you can spend with me." "Why?" asked Melinda. We said her grandma, "The doctors aid that I may die shortly." Melinda looked in shock. The remainder of the day, Melinda read her grandma stories. And told her about how she had done in school. That night the doctors had asked her if she could leave the room. Melinda left the room. A nurse walked out you may now go in Melinda went in. "Melinda", said her grandma, "this are my last words to you. I love you, and I’ll be watching you." "Why?" asked Melinda. "Well, I am dying and this is it. I love you" she said as she passed don. "I love you too" said Melinda. She walked out crying. Later that week her funeral took place. Melinda knew that her grandma was watching her so she smiled a little.
The moon Pingaler is the father or Yogamada, the seven sisters. He is shining on the water and the stars, the seven sisters are behind him. They are afraid of the moon Pingalar for he tried to hurt them. That’s why they are always seen together for it they separate he will grab them.
My home is made of bamboo sticks and the roof is made of dried banana leaves. There are 8 people in my family: my parents and the 6 children. People hire us to work in the ricefield and cornfield. Sometimes I grow vegetables for our meals.
Three mothers went to get some food for their chicks.
They kept on walking and children keep following them
The mothers took the children to the forest, found some food and ate it.
There was a little deer walking in the woods. He met many animals and he became a very good fiend with a squirrel. They went for a walk and played in a brook happily together. They thought that the woods is very good and useful for all plants and animals. After the fun time, the little deer went home to his mother.
One day while a small bird was flying, he saw many birds making nests on the trees. He then thought about making a nest and he finally succeeded one. He got a new home. The old nest was ruined. He went to invitee his parents to stay with him.
There are 4 people in my family. My parents are employees. When my parents go to work, I cook rice for them. When they come back home, I serve them the rice. After the meal, they will take a bath and then rest. Our family lives happily together.
The forest near our village was rich and full of animals. Various kings of animals lived in this forest. One day hunters came to hunt in this forest. They hunted animals for food and also sold them to people in towns. They kept hunting until the animals become extinct. Finally, the head of the village called for a meeting and asked people not to hunt the animals in the forest. Since then, the forest becomes rich and is full of animals again.
Once in an old village lived a chief his wife a son and a daughter. The chief’s name was Running Wolf, the wife’s name was Morning Glory, the son’s name was Little Bear and the daughter's name was White Flower. All was peaceful in the village until one day some strange men came to the village. They had strange long sticks that would shoot out fire from the end. They talked in a strange tongue that we could not understand. They said that they wanted to trade. They wanted to trade knives, guns, and horses for squash, beans, and corn. But the chief said no, so the leader of the white men got so mad that his face turned as ripe as a strawberry.
The leader of the white men killed the chief because he did not want to trade with the white men and because they did not want to change their religion or how they were living in the village. Then White Flower heard her mom crying over her dad. White Flower’s mom told White Flower and Little Bear that they were going to run away. So the next morning they got their things together, they took what they needed on their way to the mountains. They didn’t go far until a Spanish soldier caught them and took them back and whipped them and raped White Flower’s mom.
They sold White Flower and her brother. But White Flower and Little Bear managed to escape. They took what they needed including a lot of food that they had hidden in the corn fields. That night they climbed out of the window and started toward the north. They walked for a long, long time. Then Little Bear was getting hungry so they stopped to eat. They knew that they could not build a fire because if they did the Spanish might find them and take them back and whip them, so they did not make a fire. They stayed the night and in the morning they would have to keep moving north so they wouldn’t get caught. But when they saw the Spanish soldier coming toward them they ran to the west. They ran and ran, ran and ran but Little Bear started to get tired so they stopped to rest for the night. Then they woke up they found themselves in a different village. Something caught their eye. They same an old lady who knew how to make a horno. One day the Spanish soldiers came to look for the two kids. The two kid were in the horno that the old lady made.
The Spanish soldiers walked right by them. They didn’t even see them so when the Spanish soldiers left the village. The old lady gave the kids a lot of food that they were going to need on their way back to their old village. They were going to have to go through the mountains because the Spanish soldiers were going on the trail. They start to go up the mountains. They stopped to rest. But they knew that they could not stay for long.
Because they knew that they would get caught they had to keep or moving. But all of sudden they butted in to some Apaches. The Apaches took them to their village. The Apaches asked them what they were doing out side of their village. White Flower told them what had happened to their mom and dad so the chief of the Apaches said we will have a war against the Spanish soldiers. The next morning the Apaches went to war. They had a big fight against the Spanish soldiers. The woman and children went in to the mountains and the men stayed and fought the war against the Spanish soldiers. That was the day that peace came to the village.
Long ago there was a village of the Red Willow tribe and there was a family that lived by a river that flowed down from the mountains. Everyday the family would do down to the fields and gather up all the crops of squash, beans and corn. In one of the families there was a father who was one of the chief leaders in the Red Willow tribe. The chief’s wife name was called Blue Flower. Blue Flower had two kids and their names were Red Hawk and Morning Girl.
Red Hawk and Morning Girl would always be the first ones up and while Blue Flower and the chief were sleeping Red Hawk and Morning Girl started to go down to the fields and gather up all the crops, so that when their parents would wake up they would not have to go down to the fields. One day some people came known as the Spanish Conquistadors. The Spanish were looking for gold. The Spanish thought was gold in the village of the Red Willow tribe because the sun would always shine on the pueblo houses and that made it look like gold.
The Red Willow tribe thought the Spanish would be very nice so the chief let the Spanish people stay in the pueblo. The Spanish also brought all kinds of different seeds and the seeds were cotton, wheat, alfalfa, and pumpkin. The Spanish people taught the Indians how to read the Holy Bible. The Indians were taught how to read the Holy Bible because the Spanish wanted the Red Willow tribe to have their own religion. If the Indians did not want to read they still had to read because they were forced to read.
One day when the Spanish knew that there was no gold they decided to build a building called the church and Red Hawk and Morning Girl were one of the ones that were chosen to build the church. About 3 months later when the church was finished the Spanish taught the Indians their Catholic religion. After a while some pueblo members got sick from all the diseases such as smallpoxs and the measles.
Three days later the Indians finally found out where they got them so the chief told them and he said it was from the pigs and all the sheep. One day when the Spanish knew that they had to start a war they told the Indians that they were going to go back where they came from. About two days later the Spanish wanted to start a war so they were going to travel back to the pueblo. The chief knew that they were going to come back so the chief told all the Indians to stay in their houses but Red Hawk did not want to stay in their house. When everybody went into their house Red Hawk wanted to stay up all night and wait for the Spanish.
The reason the chief did not want any body out of their houses is because he was afraid that some one would get hurt. Red Hawk was waiting for the Spanish to come but they did not show up until the next morning. The next morning, Morning Girl and her mother got up and went to go search for Red Hawk. Blue Flower and Morning Girl saw Red Hawk sitting on a big rock and looking all around and then he saw the Spanish people coming toward all the houses.
The Red Willow tribe got all their bow and arrows and they went to their tallest house and they picked up all the ladders and went into the house so that when the Spanish would shoot at their houses it would not go through. About two days later the Indians thought the Spanish were hiding in the bushes so all the Indians got out of their houses.
When the Spanish saw the Indians coming they just started to shoot and the Spanish shot the chief and all the other pueblo members except for Red Hawk, Morning Girl and Blue Flower. While the Spanish were still shooting the Indians and the chiefs, Red Hawk, Morning Girl, and Blue Flower all went up to the mountains and stayed up there and never were to be seen for 12 months.
My Aunt Dolores Romero gave me my Tiwa name. She was walking along a trail in the Taos Pueblo Mountains when she saw a wild rose on a wild rose bush. The rose was ready to bloom.
Long ago in 1609 there was a tribe called the Red Willow people. In the tribe there was a boy named Big Bear and when he was up in the mountain he saw a wagon so he ran down to his people. When he got there he saw a main with a log stick and with shiny armour and 39 men on horses.
The chief said they were Spanish soldiers from another place. The Spanish leader said they were looking for gold. The chief said they did not have gold here.
The Spanish soldiers stayed for 2 years and ate all their food and kind of used them as slaves. The Spanish were teaching the Red Willow people their way of life and took them to church every Sunday. They wanted them to be Catholic people like them but the chiefs said we do not want to give our religion up for your religion.
The Spanish were saying we should hang the chiefs for not agreeing to be catholic like us OK then go hang chiefs. Big Bear was the first one to get up in village and the first one to see the hanging chief and went to a house and told that the chiefs were hanging in the middle of the pueblo and the Spanish leader said you are our slaves now.
The Spanish put Big Bear’s people in the cornfield to pick corn. Big Bear’s people were slaves to the Spanish. Big Bear ran into the forest before they could get him. After a few weeks Big Bear built a house in the forest. When he was building his house he heard a loud noise in his village and look and saw 3 of his people landing on the ground. One of the Spanish soldiers saw Big Bear and shot at him and missed. The Spanish soldier ran after him. Big Bear got his bow and arrow and shot the Spanish soldier.
After a while he heard foot steps by his house. He went outside and looked around and saw two boys who ran away. Big Bear asked them what was wrong. One of the boys aid, "We ran away because our mom and dad got killed by two of the Spanish soldiers". "What has been going on down there?" "Killing", said one of the boys, ‘How come they are killing our people?" "Because the people don’t what to work that way."
The next day the Spanish got very mad cause the people were not working so the people of the Red Willow tribe got in a war. Big Bear said he was going to war. When he got down he saw a lot of people of the Red Willow tribe dying but the Spanish were dying even more but before he could look around his chest was hurting so much he knew that he got shot by one of the Spanish and he blacked out. After 2 minutes he opened his eyes and saw the two boys crying on his chest. Big Bear died 12 minutes later.
Long, long ago in the dreamtime all the birds were black. All one colour untill one day a little dove looking for food flew down to the ground to catch a big juicy grub.
Instead he landed right on a sharp stick. It pierced his little foot and his foot swelled up. Suddenly parrot rushed forward and with her sharp beak burst the little dove’s swollen foot. Colour splashed out all over the parrot - red and green and blue ran down her chest, wings and tail. All the birds got the colours too.
All except crow who got not colours at all. He was standing too far away from the others.
Filong and Bunberra were hunting and exploring far from their family camp. They came to an opening in the steep rocks so they decided to go in there to look for wombats. They came to a cave and a rock pool so they played and swam there for a while.
When it began to get dark the boys went back to their camp. That night around the camp fire their mother told them the story about Nargun who lived in a cave not far from their camp.
She said that Nargun liked to grab boys by the legs and drag them into her cave. They would never be seen again.
Filong and Bunberra felt frightened. Next day they decided to go looking for honey instead of exploring the cave.
Long, long ago there was a pelican named Borun. There was a big flood. On one island he saw a girl he liked. So he thought of an idea. His idea was to leave the girl till last so that he could marry her. So he went over to the island and picked everyone up except for her. The girl was very scared because she was the only person on the island. So she thought of an idea herself. When it got dark she lit a fire, got a log and wrapped her possum skin rug around the log. It looked like someone sleeping. When Borun went over to the island he saw a person on the ground - that’s what he thought. Then he said "Get up girl and marry me". There was no answer, he got angry so he went to kick her but he kicked the log and hurt his foot. He wanted to make war on her people so he painted himself black and white. Instead a spirit turned him into a statue and that is how the pelicans got black and white.
One day the crow stole the Eagle's wife. The eagle was very angry. He flew off and found some hot coals for crow to eat. Crow thought is was food so he swallowed them. They burnt the crow right through and made him turn black. That is why crows are black today.
In the dreamtime there were two boys called Filong and Bunberra. They liked to go hunting and exploring. Then one sunny day they saw a gap in the steep cliffs. "Let’s go and see what’s through there". So they went. Soon they came to a place where there was a cave with a rock pool. Soon it was getting dark, so they went back to camp. That night their mother told the story about the Nargun and how a little boy was taken by the Nargun. They were frightened. The boys realized how lucky they were. The next day they were too frightened to go back to the rock pool, so they went looking for honey instead
Long, long ago in the dreamtime there was a great flood. Some people were stuck on island. Borun the black pelican decided to rescue them. He saw a lovely woman that he wanted for his wife. Borun left her on the island till last. She was frightened all alone so she decided to trick him. She wrapped her possum skin rug around a long and put it beside the fire so that it looked like a person asleep. Then she swam across to the mainland. When Borun came back he was very angry because he had been tricked. He put white clay marks all over his body like war paint. The spirits were angry too and turned Borun into stone. Today pelicans are black and white to remind us about Borun and that we should not fight.
There was a time when two nasty women had a fire and they didn’t give any one warmth. There was a fire-tail Finch called Bimba-Towera and he decided that he would get some of the fire. His plan was to become friendly with the two women and go on a journey with them and stay at their camp.
Once he became friends with them he was allowed to handle the fire. This was the opportunity that he was waiting for. He hid the firebrand behind his back and flew off with the fire. And that was how he got the red spot on his tail.
Day after day the turtle would sneak around the snake’s eggs to eat them but the snake was just as sly as the turtle. So one day the turtle tried to steal the eggs while the snake was sleeping but the turtle make a bit of noise so he was caught out and the snake curled himself around the turtle and tried to swallow him.
Well, in the dreamtime there was once a beautiful rainbow serpent. He went around forming everything, and giving life to it.
He formed all the rivers, mountains, grasslands and the oceans. All the trees, rocks, animald, reptiles and birds. He formed everything but the thing that took him the longest and hardest to form was the people. He had to take great care in making them, but he needed help and energyy because he had already given it away to form everything else.
All the animals, birds, reptiles, trees, rocks and everything else he had formed helped him to make the people.
But they all had different energy and power so eceryone turned out different except for the ones who were formed together.
This is how my family were formed.
This painting is about my family. Each member has a special place, my mother and father and me and my sisters. I have talent to paint. My sister Yaraan has a lot of talent to write. My sister Marlee has talent for sports. My sister Niyoka is born a little after and Kirrae is going to be just like Yaraarn. All my Family is one. Me and my family are all together.
This picture represents the life of my Grandmother and how she was taken away from her family and culture.
In 1927 Jean was just six years old and very sick with ‘Rheumatic Fever’. While walking to school with her mother and brothers Billy, Johnno and Norman, they were confronted by Nowra police and Jean was taken to ‘Bomaderry Children’s Home’. They didn’t take any of her brothers because they were too young. While she was there she still went too school, she just lived like any kid would. All she had to do was make her bed and help out when needed.
She stayed there until she was 10 year old, then she was taken to ‘Cootamundra Girls Home.’ There she did household chores like washing up, helping with the cooking and other chores. They were given six pence a week to go to the movies and have fun. She had regular visits from her mother, father and other family members.
When she was 15 years old she got her first job on a farm working from Mr. and Mrs. Hartnet. There she looked after the sheep, milked the cows, fed the chickens and did jobs that were considered ‘children’s jobs’. She was paid two shillings a week while working on the farm.
She worked for the Hartnets until she was 22 years old. Then she met and married Mervyn Bundle in 1945, then they moved to Sydney and had Debra in 1953 then her twins Kenny and Kathy in 1958. Then they moved to Bega to have Bobbo in 1960 and her youngest Gina (Mum) in 1964.
After a while they moved to Cabbage Tree Creek, then to Orbost and she is still in Orbost to this very day.
After all that has happened to Jean in the past, she looks back on her life and says she was glad she was taken away from her family because they looked after her and cured her of ‘Rheumatic Fever’.
Once upon a time there was the first Kurnai of the land who was Borun, the pelican. He came from the mountains of the north-west and reached the level country. He crossed near Sale and continued to Port Albert. All he had was a bark canoe on his head. At last he reached the deep waters and put his canoe in. Surprising him was a woman, she was Tuk, the muck-duck. He liked her so they became mother and father of the Kurnai.
The tribe sat by the fire. They danced and sung till the children went to sleep, then they went to get some food to feast on since they deserved it after the dancing.
There was a beautiful river that was born in a lake that was surrounded by mountains covered with snow. There, a tribe of indigenous "mapuche" lived.
"Quintral was the son of the chief. He liked to go hunting and fishing in the river and when doing so one day he approached the lake where he met Amancay. She fell in love with him, but it was a desperate love because she was of a humble origin.
Time went on, till one day all the tribe felt ill and started to die. The son of the chief was ill too and she, Amancay, heard he was ill. So she went to the "Machi" (the witch of the tribe) and she asked her what she could do to save him. The "machi" told her she had to fetch a flower that grew high up in the mountains and prepare a medicine with it.
So Amancay went high up the mountains to look for the flower. She was going down when the " condor" (a bird similar to the eagle) arrived and told her to give him the flower she had collected. She said no and he told her that if she wanted the flower he would give it to her in exchange of her heart. She accepted.
The condor went away with the heart, and in all the places where her blood had dropped, a beautiful flower appeared.
The son of the chief cured.
