Indian Myths

Once the Indians were all going along a path in the woods. They were moving to a new village by a lake where the water was so clear that it was as blue as the sky.

The children ran along the path. They played among the trees. They crossed small streams which poured over stones and made soft water-music. They picked the wild flowers found on the hills. They loved the streams, the trees, and the flowers and were very happy. But all at once they stopped and screamed. They were frightened, for a panther leaped into the path before them. In its mouth it carried a babe dressed in beads and buckskin.

The panther stood in the path. In anger it held its head high and roared madly at the children. The war-riors came running up. They shot arrows at the panther, but it was not hurt. It carefully put the babe down in the path and was seen no more.

The chief’s daughter ran to the child and took it up. It was not harmed in the least. Its dress was covered with pearl beads and flowers made of porcupine quills. It smiled at the children and they were in love with it at once.

The chief’s daughter kept the baby girl for her own. In the new village she soon grew large enough to run and play with the other children. She was a beautiful child. And she loved the wild flowers more than all other things. But the flowers had no sweet smell then as they have now.

Se much did the child love the flowers that they named her Seets a’ ma, which means “holding a flower.”

One day Seets a’ ma became very sick. All that was done for her did not help her. And she died as the sun went down. The people mourned for the lovely little girl and the hookies tried to bring her back. But this could not be done.

Seets a’ ma came to the city of the Woman who fell down from Heaven. She was on her way to live with the Little People. She said to the Woman, “Before I go on to the Little People, let me do something nice for my own village.”

“What would you like most to do?” the Woman asked her.

“I love flowers best of all things,” she said.

“I made you so,” said the Woman. “For, while you are not truly my own child, I brought you from the happy fields of the Upper World. And I sent the panther to leave you in the path. You shall cause all flowers to have fragrance. You shall carry the sweet odor of the Tree of Light. And you shall give some part of it to every flower in the Lower World.”

Then the Woman gave Seets a’ ma a beautiful bag. It was as red as blood, for it was made of the flowers of the redbud tree. In this bag was the color and fragrance of the flowers which grew on the Tree of Light which fell down from Heaven into the Great Water. Then she called the humming bird, and made it carry Seets a’ ma to every flower.

Seets a’ ma was as light as the down of the silkweed. And she was brighter than the sun at noonday. She rode on the back of the bird poised on the toes of her left foot like a dancing fairy. She was more graceful than the wild flowers she loved. The humming bird carried her to every kind of flower. From the beautiful bag she breathed fragrance into them. And this sweet smell they have to this day.

Then Seets a’ ma went to her own village. All the people ran out to see her. And behold! There were flowers growing thick all about everywhere as far as they could see. A sweet smell arose from these waving fields of many-colored flowers. It filled the air, and the people were pleased.

Seets a’ ma said to them, “Our Grandmother sent me back to give fragrance to all the flowers. She loves all the people in the Lower World, and this is her gift to them.”

Then the hummingbird darted away with Seets a’ ma standing on its back.

At the gate of the city the woman said to the bird, “The flowers shall bear honey for your food from this day. You shall live among them till the end of the world.”

And the Indian mother sometimes says yet to her little daughter, “If you are a good girl, you may see Seets a’ ma and the hummingbird as they fly among the flowers.”

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