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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 252 326 RC 014 810 AUTHOR Schultz, James Willard; Rcyhner, Jon Allan, Ed. TITLE Famine Winter. INSTITUTION Heart Butte School District #1, MT.; Montana Council for Indian Education, Billings. SPONS AGENCY Department of Education, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 84 GRANT G008103248 NOTE 28p.; Story as told by Red Eagle. Edited and reprinted by permission of the Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University. For related documents, see ED 245 850-862. AVAILABLE FROMCouncil for Indian Education, Box 31215, Billings, MT 59107 ($1.00 softbound). PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Materials (For Learner) (051) EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *American Indian Literature; *American Indians; *Cultural Background; Cultural Influences; Elementary Secondary Education; Relevance (Education); *Supplementary Reading Materials IDENTIFIERS *Blackfeet (Tribe); Relevance (Cultural); Survival ABSTRACT Written for the studbnts at Heart Butte School on the Blackfeet Reservation, the booklet tells a story about Old Sun, a Blackfeet medicine man, and how terribly unkind the country of the far north can be. Old Sun had a dream of a bear with long, soft fur and white as snow. He was advised by his secret helper to get the be.. s skin for a sacrifice to the sun. After questioning the Cree for the best route to the north country, Old Sun was determined to start in the spring. Spring came aad Old Sun and his family began their trip north. The family had plenty to eat and traveled far. Soon the weather began to turn cold and the land more desolate. Old Sun and his son, Two Bows, looked for the white bears and found none. After traveling 124 days, Old Sun and his family decided to start toward home. Old Sun had a dream that warned him that great misfortune would befall his family. The cold weather made food and shelter scarce. Old Sun, his wife and Two Bows eventually sacrificed their lives to save the life of Old Sun's grandson, Otter. Otter and his mother eventually came to the Crees' camp and were saved. (ERB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Mio *********************************************************************** "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY agWeattiL, TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." "Famine Winter" is edited ard reprinted by permission of the Museum of the kockies, Montana State University. This book was partially funded by Grant #G008103248 from the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Heart Butte Bilingual Program. However, opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Education and no cfficialendorsement by the U.S. Department of Education should be inferred. The staff of the Heart Butte Bilingual Program would like to thank John Murray of the Blackfeet Tribal Council and Tom Thompson, Molly Bull Shoe and Willie Running Crane of the tribal Cultural ReviewCommittee for their help in producingthis book. COUNCIL FOR INDIAN EDUCATION 517 Rimrock Road. Billings, Montana 59102 HEART BUTTE SCHOOL DISTRICT#1 Heart Butte, Montana 59448 Frederik Leitch, Superintendent Roy Johnson, Chairman Gene Guardipee Bernice White Quills Athena Thompson Louis Running Wolf 3 FAMINE WINTER as toldby Red Eagle to James Willard Schultz edited by Jon AllanReyhner illustrated by Shawn RunningCrane Council for IndiinEducation Billings, Montana and the Bilingual EducationProgram Heart Butte, Montana 1984 FAMINE WINTER by James WillardSchultz At times the Cree peopleexchanged visits with the North Blackfeet. At one of these long ago, friendly gatherings--it was in the Cree told of a before the white men came--a strange kind of bear that lives in the far he north. Their fur was as white as snow, said, and very longand soft. named Old Sun A Blackfeet medicine man was much interestedin this. He had recently His seen just such an animal in a dream. get the skin secret helper had advised him to the sun. He of one for a sacrifice to best therefore questioned the Cree about the determined to route to the north country, start for it inthe spring. off, Spring came and Old Sun started Two Bows, taking with him his wife, his son, The young and the latter'swife, Lone Woman. winters, named couple had a son of three took him with them. Otter. Of course they 1 \ that of a strangekind of bear A Cree told Their fur was as the far north. lives in and very longand white as snow, he said, soft. for a time. All was well with them easily killed, so Buffalo were plentiful and meat. Their horses, they had plenty of good became fat andstrong from winter-thin, soon green grasses. feeding hugely upon the young, 2 6 BESTCOPY AVAILABLE Every day they travelled from earlymorning until nearly sunset. They were pleased with the rapid progress they weremaking. As they went on, and on, the country plains began to change. They left the great and entered a region of much timber, and great swamps. The buffalo disappeared, and in their place were moose andcaribou, and black and grizzly bears. Neither deer, nor antelope, nor elk were found afterthey came to the swamp lands. And now as they went swamps, farther and farther into the travelling became more and more difficult. belly The horses were continually sinking flies deep in the soft mud, and huge moose made and mosquitoes drained their blood and their hides a solid masp offestering sores. difficulties the little But in spite of these party kept up its courage. In the second lake moon of the quest, they cameto a great There the where conditions favored a rest. in the steady west wind kept the flies back fine feed for timber, and along the shore was days, the horses. They remained there many horses feasting upon moose meat. The recovered their strength. 3 day they travelled from earlymorning Every with until nearly sunset. They were pleased the rapid progressthey were making. Starting again, they followed the rocky shore of the lake for three days, and upon leaving it entered the worst swamp country they had yet encountered. It soon became so Two bad that the horses could go nofarther. Bows led them back to the lake and turned them loose in the rich, flyfree pasturage. there until No doubt they would remain wanted, he and hisfather thought. 4 BEST COPY AVAILABLE than Afoot now, andcarrying nothing more drill, and a their weapons, a fire making party couple of extra robesfor bedding, the month out made better progress. In the third the from the Saskatchewanthey gradually left of broad, wooded swamps andentered a country brush mossy plains where the few trees and few bands were very small. Here they found a easily killed of animals new to them and until several. Their dogs held then at bay They they could walk right up to them. but seemed to be a relativeof the buffalo, than the big wanderer they were much smaller Their dark coat was of the Blackfeetplains. sharp, black very thick and long. Their differently on theirheads. horns were set with the Their flesh was eatable but strong The Cree had odor like that of themuskrat. They said that spoken of these animals. also ranged the where they ranged, there white bears. sharp lookout Father and son now kept a noted the tracksin the ahead and carefully not a beardid moss and bare ground. But old signs of they see of any kind nor even went. Old Sun kept them. On and on they the moons bymaking count of the days and with his stone notches on an arrow shaft 5 bands of animals newto Here they found a few them and easilykilled several. change in the knife. There came no Ever in frontof appearance of the country. mossed, almost them stretched the deep Presently, thin iceformed treeless plains. in the summernights. on the still waters evening, the old Sitting around the fire one together. Old Sun man and his son counciled 6 1°BEST COPYAVAILABLE said, "I have just been counting the notches on my arrow shaft. Our trail from the Saskatchewan is one hundred and five days--almost four moons long. This is just about the middle of the summer, yet we see a little ice every morning. I don't understand it." "There's nothing remarkable about that," Two Bows answered. "Ice sometimes forms in our country in the summertime. If you will just remember, ten summers back there came a snow storm that killed all of the little birds." "True enough," Old Sun agreed. "I do remember it. This is probably an unusually cold summer here. But what I was thinking is this: The summer is half gone. We will be as long on the back trail as we have been coming out. Dare we go farther or must we here turn toward home?". Two Bows thought a long time before he answered. Then he said, "Some summers are longer than others. This may prove to be a long one. Anyhow, let's take chances. If possible, you must get a white bear. It is bad luck for you if you fail to accomplish that which your secret helper hastold you to do." 7 summers arelonger than Two bows said, "Some long one. may prove to be a others. This If possible you Anyhow, let's take chances. must get awhite bear. to be toldthat," Old "Ai! I do not need after somethought he took Sun exclaimed, and "We will go onfor fifteen his son's advice. must be the utmost more days, and that Early the nextmorning they limit," he said.