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Follow-Up Activities why Mother Earth is “taking all ✚ Imagine Little Deer going ✚ Organize a class project to clean green into her heart”? How does through your daily life with you. up or beautify a stream, park, or calling Earth “Mother” help us What would he see that shows roadside—or even your own remember to be respectful? respect or disrespect for Mother school grounds! Earth? Make a list. ? Many Americans are urging ✚ Read The Education of Little Tree respect for our environment. Who ✚ Write a letter to Mother Earth. by Forrest Carter (New York: Dell are they? Think of conservation Tell her how you feel about what Publishing, 1976). It’s the true groups in your community. Do is making her sick and what you story of a 20th-century Cherokee you know people who are in- will do to help make her well boy growing up in eastern Ten- volved in these issues? What are again. nessee. they doing to help? ✚ The Cherokee had a written An excellent resource for more ? What actions can you take in language by 1821. It was invented questions and activities is Keepers of your daily life to “take only what by a man named Sequoya. Find the Earth. See the reference in “Notes you need, with respect”—to help out more about him and write a on the Story.” heal Mother Earth? Some ex- report on what you learn. amples might be bringing your lunch to school in a lunch box, saving and re-using your paper bags, using only as much water as you need to keep clean, turning off electrical appliances when you’re not using them, recycling clothes and toys, closing doors and windows when the heater or air conditioner is on, and not littering. What other things can you think of? KET, The Kentucky Network 43 RISING FAWN AND THE 88 FIRE MYSTERY told by Marilou Awiakta Notes on the Story ising Fawn, a young Choctaw girl, and her Through the oral tradition, R family and neighbors are preparing to leave families preserve much American their homes and join other Indian tribes history and culture that otherwise would be lost. Two Choctaw uprooted and forced to follow the Trail of Tears. Her families contributed to Marilou’s grandmother (Ishtous, “the Deliverer”) gives her a book Rising Fawn and the Fire small pouch containing a few kernels of corn to plant Mystery (Memphis: St. Luke’s/ Wimmer Co., 1983). Irving Knight at the end of the journey. She tells Rising Fawn the of Memphis first told her the corn represents life itself, for at the heart of each story, beginning with the words “I kernel lies a spark: the flame of its life and spirit, want to tell you about my great- grandmother…” The great- which like the sun and the Sacred Fire cannot be grandmother was Rising Fawn, extinguished. who at the time of the story (1833) Before the tribe can began its journey, they are set lived with her family near Friars Point, a river town in Mississippi upon by soldiers, who massacre the Indians. But one about 50 miles south of Memphis. dismayed soldier snatches up Rising Fawn, vowing to Also living in the area at the “at least save one of them.” He conceals her in a crate time was the family of Tushpa. Tushpa’s son, James Culberson, and takes her by steamboat to his family in Memphis. wrote down in English the story of Thinking it a kindness, the white couple take the family’s removal to Oklahoma Rising Fawn’s moccasins, braid her long hair, dress as it had been told to him by the elders. His account includes her in clothes like theirs, and take her to white schools descriptions of how news of the and churches. Through it all, she refuses to speak to coming removal affected the them, even though they ask her name many times, or family members—what they felt; what they said and did. Ruth to let them take her little pouch. Culberson Robertson of Okla- Finally, after months of thought and meditation on homa, James’ daughter, kindly the corn seed, Rising Fawn realizes that the spirit is allowed Marilou to use these details as historical background. still alive—within the corn and within herself. Not And a great-granddaughter of even the suffering she has endured can kill the fire in Tushpa, Beverly Bringle, illus- the seed and in her heart. So she goes to her new trated the resulting book. In the story, a small pouch of family and speaks for the first time, saying: “My seed corn helps Rising Fawn name is Rising Fawn.” survive the tragedy that strikes her because her grandmother has made sure she understands that corn is more than food for the body. Through the wisdom of its ways, it also nourishes the spirit. 44 Telling Tales Teacher’s Guide Before Viewing American Indians have always ◆ The theme of “Rising Fawn” is carrying embers of the Sacred Fire revered corn for these reasons. mutual respect among people of to Oklahoma. Our Mother Corn by William different cultures. Hold a class Many European settlers made Brescia (United Nations of All discussion about what is required the mistake of thinking the Tribes Foundation, Daybreak to create understanding between Choctaw “worshipped” the fire Press, Seattle, 1981) is an excellent different peoples. How can itself. Discuss the ceremony with resource for grades 5 and up on someone not raised in a culture your students and talk about why the origin of corn and its place in come to see its values, ceremonies, this perception was wrong. the lives and cultures of the Hopi, and beliefs from the point of view Pawnee, and Seneca people. The of the people who live them? ◆ Give your students some Cherokee story of Selu, Grand- background information on the mother Corn, is included in ◆ Fire is a very important symbol Choctaw. Like the Cherokee, the Keepers of the Earth by Michael in this story. Southeastern Indians Choctaw had highly developed Caduto and Joseph Bruchac. often said, “We are people of one social, political, and judicial To help her tell Rising Fawn’s fire.” The Choctaw ceremony of systems. By 1815, the tribe had story in this program, Marilou has Loak Mosholi is an example of one of the first and finest public a deerskin pouch and Rising what this saying means and of the school systems in the South. The Fawn’s miniature pouch, both mystery of the Sacred Fire. original Choctaw Nation, which made in the traditional hand-sewn Describe it for your students: had already existed for centuries way by leathercraftsman Dan Throughout the year, each at the time America gained its Hanrahan. She also wears a Choctaw band keeps the Sacred independence, encompassed two- special “storytelling shawl” Fire burning in the Council House. thirds of the present state of whenever she is invited to share This Fire signifies the presence of Mississippi, plus parts of Alabama stories and poems. Traditionally, the Creator, the life-giving light of and Louisiana. Indian women carry or wear the sun, and the spirit of the Then came the Treaty of special shawls during ceremonial people. In the fall, the Fire is Dancing Rabbit Creek on Septem- dances. brought onto the ceremonial ber 27, 1830 and the subsequent grounds. Each family extinguishes forced removal of the Choctaw to its home hearth fire and cleans its Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). fireplace. Then the people gather But the people refused to “van- on the ceremonial grounds to ish.” They preserved their culture celebrate the meaning of the from generation to generation Sacred Fire with song, dance, and through their stories and ceremo- prayers. They dance in a circle to nies, and today the tribe is flour- honor the Creator’s Sacred Circle ishing. The Mississippi Band of of Life. At the end of the cere- the Choctaw, located on a reserva- mony, each family lights a brand tion near Philadelphia, MS, from that Fire and carries it back numbers about 6,000. The to re-light the home fire, bringing Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma has heat and spiritual comfort to the a population of 58,000. family. In James Culberson’s account, a 12-year-old girl in the ◆ You may want to introduce family was given the honor of your students to other books KET, The Kentucky Network 45 RISING FAWN continued Before For Discussion Viewing continued After Viewing about American Indians, but bear Give each child a corn seed to religious ceremonies? Have you in mind that many books written hold during the following discus- ever participated in such a cere- by Europeans contain misconcep- sion. mony? tions about Indian culture. An excellent guide to evaluating ? Why did Rising Fawn decide to ? On the model of the Web of contemporary children’s books speak? What made her feel that Life, corn is a strand of the web. about Indians is Books Without she was among loving people— Study your corn seed. Rising Bias: Through Indian Eyes, edited that she was safe in the “warm Fawn’s grandmother had told her by Beverly Slapin and Doris Seale. earth”? How did the woman’s stories about the meaning of corn It contains essays by distinguished giving Rising Fawn her own and the wisdom it teaches. How American Indian writers, reviews clothes back for Christmas show did knowing those stories help of contemporary books, and a respect for the child’s Indian Rising Fawn survive in a strange checklist with clear examples of culture? land? How did the stories help her how to identify cultural bias.

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