XML version dated February 14, 2024. © Douglas R. Parks, Indiana University.

68

When Bloody Hands Became an Eagle

Lillian Brave

The village was coming in a long procession 
–––– 
and, 
– 
poor things 
– 
their (du) liv- ing among them 
– 
Hands 
and 
– 
his grand- mother, 
– 
their (du) living pitifully, 
their (du) living on the outskirts of the village 
by the dung heaps, 
there 
alone 
where the poor were, 
poor things, 
their (du) living there. 
And 
then it arose 
a war. 
A war 
then 
it arose. 
He said: 
"Grandmother, 
– 
I will go with them 
– 
too. 
I will go with them 
– 
where they go 
– 
the young men. 
Young men 
however many there are 
– 
they now are going 
– 
(on) the warpath. 
Myself 
I will go with them." 
"Not at all 
– 
No, 
Hands, 
you are pitiful. 
– 
You are 
ugly. 
You are n 
ot one (ie the type) to be among them 
for you to be among them 
(on) the warpath. 
You are pitiful. 
You are ugly." 
"No, 
grandma, 
I want 
that I go." 
And 
again 
he 
was repeating it 
his beseeching her 
his grandmother. 
"I want 
that I go among them 
(on) the warpath." 
"Not at all, 
grandson, 
you are the ugliest baby. 
You 
just have a scarred belly. 
Everywhere 
you are just ugly. 
You are n 
ot one to go among them. 
"No,– 
grandma, 
– 
you have just hurt my feelings 
that you 
did not give me your permission 
to go. 
Now 
but 
I want 
that I go 
to be among them 
(on) the warpath. 
And 
– 
then he said 
Hands: 
"No, 
grandma 
– 
you have 
hurt my feelings. 
I wanted– 
to be among the 
– 
there 
all 
young men 
where they are going. 
I want 
to be among them." 
And 
then she said 
his grandmother: 
"Certainly 
now 
I said: 
'You ca 
nnot go.' 
Surely 
you are ugly. 
I do not want 
that they tease 
the men, 
that they tease you, 
that they call you names. 
I do not want it." 
"No, 
grandmother, 
I wanted 
that I go among them. 
Then I always win 
– 
when I go among them 
– 
(on) the warpath. 
Then I always win. 
Now 
but 
now 
whatever it is 
your 
not allowing me 
to go 
that is how it is. 
You hurt my 
feelings 
really, 
grandma. 
Really 
you've hurt my feelings." 
Now 
when she turned around 
the old woman, 
why, 
here 
he became 
an eagle. 
Then he said: 
"Grandmother,. 
I'm going to become 
an eagle, 
grandmother. 
I'm going to become 
an eagle, 
grandmother. 
Then she said 
his grandmother: 
"Oh ho! 
As ugly as you 
are 
how can you become 
an eagle!" 
When she turned around to look 
– 
when she saw him 
– 
her grandchild 
and 
there 
there was the head attached to him 
an eagle. 
"No, 
grandchild, 
no! 
I love you, 
grandchild. 
There 
– 
you can go with them. 
There 
– 
you can go with them." 
But 
he had already become 
an eagle. 
Then she ran outside– 
the old woman 
– 
She tied the lodge up. 
She staked it down. 
She staked the lodge down 
– 
with great vigor. 
Oh my, 
– 
the flapping sounds were above 
– 
in the smoke hole. 
In the smoke hole 
– 
that is where he flew out 
– 
the eagle 
as he flew. 
There 
– 
he was just flying higher and higher. 
There 
– 
really 
he was flying against the sky. 
"Come down, 
grandson! 
I love you. 
You and I are pitiful. 
It is not good, 
poor me 
– 
here– 
that I should live pitifully 
alone." 
Then he said 
the eagle: 
"No. 
But 
you wanted it. 
This is what you wanted 
alone 
'that I live capped in the lodge.' 
Now 
that is 
how it will be. 
Now 
it will be thus: 
you will live capped in the lodge 
alone. 
Now 
but 
I'll go 
to the Black Hills. 
That is the direction 
I'll fly 
the Black Hills 
where the highest Black Hills are. 
That is where I am going. 
There 
as he flew 
after some length of time, 
then he flew 
down 
the eagle, 
– 
but 
– 
his grandmother 
she went there. 
Then she transformed herself into it 
– 
a rabbit, 
– 
a rabbit 
its lying on it 
on a hill. 
Then he flew down 
the eagle. 
There he saw her 
his grandmother. 
"Grandma, 
I always like 
to eat it 
rabbit 
one that is 
dead, 
but 
this one 
it is alive. 
This one 
it is alive 
rabbit." 
Again 
so he soared in the sky. 
Again 
then he flew high. 
There 
after he soared into the sky 
– 
there 
– 
while he as going 
after some length of time 
– 
there it lay yonder 
– 
a stag. 
Ah, 
it lay yonder. 
– 
It lay on a hill yonder. 
– 
He flew down 
again 
the eagle. 
He flew down 
again 
the eagle. 
When he saw it: 
"Grandmother, 
– 
I always like 
– 
to take 
bites out of it 
a deer 
one that is dead 
but 
this one 
it is just looking! 
It is just looking 
this 
stag. 
It is just looking!" 
Again 
then he flew up high. 
"Ah, 
grandchild, 
I want 
that you come. 
I want 
that we be together 
since 
I am poor. 
Alone 
that I live 
it is not good. 
But 
it was good 
when you and I were together. 
We were poor, 
poor things, 
– 
what we ate 
– 
by the dung heaps 
where we lived." 
She said 
his grandmother: 
"Well, 
go on!" 
Again 
then he flew up high. 
There 
– 
as he flew 
– 
he flew 
up against the sky. 
She said 
his grandmother: 
"Aah, 
Haaands, 
Haaands, 
here I am watching you 
– 
Here I am watching you. 
– 
You are just 
wishing 
– 
the buzzards 
– 
'that you come 
that you eat me up.'" 
And 
then she became frightened of it 
the old woman. 
She said: 
"No, 
I will just stay here, 
and 
buzzards 
when they come 
I'll just scare them away. 
I'll just scare them away 
the buzzards. 
And 
no matter what happens 
– 
see, 
grandson 
– 
but 
I will follow 
you. 
There 
I will follow you 
wherever you are going! 
But 
now I'll be flying behind. 
I'll go flying behind 
no matter 
where you go. 
There 
then he got to the Black Hills. 
He got to the Black Hills. 
"Ah, 
grandmother, 
no matter where you go 
– 
but 
– 
there 
I'll always be in the lead. 
I'm going 
where the high mountain 
is, 
alone 
where the high mountain is." 
She said 
his grandmother: 
"Now 
there will be one thing, 
grandson. 
Come to the ledge 
and 
I'll see you for the last time 
and 
again 
I'll see your face, 
grandson." 
Well, 
and 
then that is what he did 
the eagle. 
There 
he went on top 
there 
where the high hill was. 
A rock 
it was. 
It was a tall rock. 
There 
that is where he landed. 
"Now, 
grandmother, 
here I am. 
But 
I let it be known. 
I said:– 
'But 
I am now going to the Black Hills there.' 
– 
That is how it is. 
This is where I am going to be. 
But 
here 
this will be my 
territory. 
But 
here 
the Black Hills are where I'll roam 
but 
there 
you'll live. 
You forbade it 
'that you go among 
them'– 
(on) the warpath. 
But 
while the wars are going to 
– 
but 
I'll be sitting here. 
I won't pay any attention to it, 
but, 
poor thing, 
I'll sit on top." 
There 
when she arrived 
-- 
the old woman 
then she arrived. 
There 
she arrived 
the old woman. 
"Noow, 
Haaands, 
only 
peep over! 
Just 
look!" 
Then this is what he did: 
poor thing, 
Hands 
then he perched on the ledge. 
Now he sat on the ledge. 
–– 
But– 
his grandmother 
– 
when he looked at her 
-- 
but 
Hands 
when he saw her 
his grandmother 
-- 
here 
she had 
become 
a bear. 
And 
there there was 
a bear, 
a black bear, 
his grandmother. 
"Now 
– 
come to the ledge! 
Surely 
– 
let me see your face!" 
Hands 
then he moved over. 
When he looked at her 
his grandmother 
they looked at each other. 
Oh my, 
the bear 
then she leaped 
up into the air 
– 
Then she clawed down it 
– 
Then she fell down. 
Now 
there was a thump on the ground 
when she fell. 
"Now 
wait, 
Hands! 
I want 
that I touch your hand. 
I want that 
that 
I touch you anywhere." 
"Now 
try harder, 
grandmother! 
Surely 
but 
that 
that is what you want. 
It is your fault 
yourself. 
Yourself 
it is your fault. 
But 
– 
you have hurt my feelings. 
Really 
– 
you have hurt my feelings. 
That is the 
reason 
when I made myself 
an eagle. 
But 
I'll fly about over there permanently. 
But 
I'll roam around over here in the Black Hills. 
But 
there 
you (pl) can live there! 
You (pl) can be making wars over there! 
But 
I'll go around in the Black Hills here. 
I'll roam all about these Black Hills here. 
But 
there 
you (pl) can live over there." 
And 
– 
then she said 
– 
the old woman: 
"Ah 
– 
Hands, 
– 
again 
I am going to say. 
Again 
I am going to say 
– 
'Come to the ledge! 
Surely 
let me see you for the last time!'" 
Now 
again 
then he went. 
Then he sat down on the ledge. 
Oh my, 
the bear 
then she leaped up angrily. 
Then she leaped 
up angrily 
the bear. 
This time 
she al 
most got to the top. 
Then she did it: 
(with) claws 
then she fell down 
again. 
"Now, 
grandson, 
and 
here 
you have gone." 
"Yes, 
I did it. 
But 
I am going. 
There 
southward 
that is where I will head. 
There 
southward 
that is the direction I'll go. 
Over there 
that is where they will have it 
– 
too 
– 
humans 
their being the ones they make 
rings. 
Rock, 
the blue 
stone 
they are the stones one sets in them, 
too. 
And 
they can remember that, 
too, 
the eagle 
what I did for them, 
what I did for them." 
Again 
then she did that 
the old woman: 
she leaped up angrily. 
Then she scratched him. 
And 
then she scratched him 
a little. 
She fell down 
again. 
Well, 
now 
this was the last time. 
"Now, 
Haaands, 
I loved you. 
You and I were pitiful. 
Poor things, 
we were pitiful." 
And 
then she cried 
the old woman. 
"Now, 
– 
my grandson 
– 
this will be the end. 
I am tired. 
My having been jumping 
I am now tired. 
And 
that is all now. 
I will let you go. 
I will let you go 
and 
there 
you can go on 
there 
where you say 
southward. 
There 
you can go yonder. 
You have made it difficult for me. 
I canno 
t get there 
there 
where you are going. 
It is land 
rock(y). 
It is difficult. 
That is where you are going. 
– 
You have left me 
really. 
– 
And 
that is how it is, 
too. 
You hurt my feelings. 
We have 
hurt each other's feelings 
both." 
The old woman, 
also 
– 
the eagle, 
both 
– 
they hurt each 
other's feelings. 
That is all. 
But 
the eagle 
– 
there 
it was headed 
– 
southward. 
"But 
that is where I am now headed, 
but 
this is where you'll be going about." 
"Now, 
– 
grandson, 
– 
grandson, 
you have made it hard for me. 
Over there 
– 
it is difficult 
– 
to go. 
It is land 
only 
rock(y). 
– 
Rock(y) 
only 
it is land. 
– 
There 
that is where 
you are now headed. 
Now 
whatever you want 
yourself 
to be, 
now 
– 
but 
– 
now I am going to ask them 
– 
there– 
for them to 
use the 
– 
and 
precious metals 
– 
those kinds, 
precious metals 
the ones inside 
in the ground. 
I pity them, 
too. 
Too 
that is how they'll be 
– 
They will be rich 
– 
Indians 
those who are living. 
But 
here 
you have hurt my feelings. 
Now we have separated. 
There 
it is truly the way 
we have 
separated. 
The eagle 
he is going all around. 
He goes around 
in the Black Hills. 
But 
there 
I'll go around pitifully." 
And 
the old woman 
then she went home. 
The old woman 
then she went home. 
There 
then she arrived. 
And 
there her lodge was. 
"Eh, 
Hands 
he used to live here 
-- 
here 
this is 
where you used to live 
Hands. 
Now 
but 
you have made plans 
for yourself 
yourself. 
Yourself 
you have now made plans for 
yourself 
the way you wanted. 
Also 
that is what I am wanting 
that it be 
too. 
Yourself 
then you made plans for yourself 
the way you wanted." 
But 
she was talking to it 
a spirit. 
The old woman 
she was speaking to it 
the eagle. 
"But 
you have made plans 
for yourself 
yourself. 
There 
you'll travel around. 
There 
you are holy 
there 
– 
now that you are going around 
– 
far away. 
Now you have left me. 
Now you've made me feel miserable. 
But 
I'll live over here pitifully, 
now 
whatever I'm going to do, 
too."