DOCUMENT RESUME RC 019 764 AUTHOR Smith-Trafzer, Lee … · DOCUMENT RESUME ED 373 950 RC 019 764 AUTHOR Smith-Trafzer, Lee Ann; Trafzer, Clifford E. TITLE Creation of a California

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 373 950 RC 019 764

AUTHOR Smith-Trafzer, Lee Ann; Trafzer, Clifford E.TITLE Creation of a California Tribe: Grandfather's Maidu

Indian Tales.REPORT NO ISBN0-940113-18-XPUB DATE 88NOTE 54p.; Illustrated by Ross Coates. Some illustrations

may not reproduce clearly.AVAILABLE FROM Sierra Oaks Publishing Co., 1370 Sierra Oaks Court,

Newcastle, CA 95658-9791.PUB TYPE _ Books (010)

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *American Indian Culture; American Indian History;

American Indian Literature; American Indians; Books;Childrens Literature; ,Cultural Education; ElementarySecondary Education; *Nonformal Education; *OralTradition; *Story Telling; *Tales; Tribes

IDENTIFIERS *Maidu (Tribe)

ABSTRACTThis children's book relates the story of Travis and

Laura and how their grandfather, a Maidu Indian, teaches them abouttheir history and culture through stories. The book stresses theimportance of storytelling as the traditional way of passing .on thehistory of Indian peoples. As part of a school project, Travis tellshis classmates-the Maidu creation story, told to him many times byhis grandfather. The story features Coyote, Eafthmaker; and Robin andtells how they created animals, Flants, and hUman beings. Travis'classmates are very interested and ask him many questions about MaiduIndian culture and history. When his granddaughter Laura visits from,Los Angeles, grandfather also shares Maidu stories with her. Finally,grandfather visits Travis' school and tells the students the story ofbrave Thunder Boy. (LP)

c*** * * **** **** ** ** * **** **** *** ** *** ***** ** * ***** **********n4*** * *******

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made *

* from the original document.*********************************L***1:*********************************

:1111111111074VL_Lars ,w1

CO -

Ul

1 'V "TS , - aka mu

-

.... ,:,.,-.Ic'".."'

J

a/

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOneo al Eemonond Reopen* SAO 101410,14n1

--EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER IERIQ/ne document nee 04144 moroduced

femme, from IM moon or orgonsanuonC414010440

0 SSW ~WS 44Sve been node So urinousreModuceon maw,

42000S O mew Or 00444,0ASSISAISI 1441444116004-meal do A04 44041Isonly rlooromel 4OSC440OEM momon or looney

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

.5i4ephor»tare.; s

/ TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC."

1.4ICOL'

by Lee Ann Smitn-Trafzer and CliffordE. Trafzer

Illustrations by mss CoatesBEST COPY AVAILABLE

Creation of a California Tribe:

Grandfather's Maidu Indian Tales

6y Lee Ann Smith-Trafzer and Clifford E. TrafzerIffustrations 6y Woss Coates

Sierra Oaks Publishing Company1988

3

Other Children's Books by Sierra. Oaks Publishing Company

Grandmother's Christmas Story: A True Quechan Indian StoryA Trip to a Pow WowGrandmother Stories of the NorthwestGrandfather's Origin Story: The Navajo Indian BeginningGrandfather's Story of Navajo Monsters

B, Cs The American Indian WayWhere Indians Live: American Indian Houses

Copyright ©1988

Sierra Oaks Publishing Company1370 Sierra Oaks CourtNewcastle, CA 95658-9791

All rights reservedPrinted in the United States of America

ISBN: 0-940113-18-X

For Dalbert Castro and all Maidu childrenwho learn stories from their elders

5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The stories found here were provijed by two Mai& men, Dal-ben Castro ofAuburn, California, and Tom Young, who gave his oral history to Wotand B. Dixonin 1902 and 1903.

6

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Table of Contents

Travis' School Project

Maidu Creation Story

Grandfather Likes the Story

Learning About Maidu Indians

Laura and Grandfather

Laura Learns About Lizard and Bat

Salt Man

Grandfather in the Classroom

1

5

11

13

23

27

35

39

r

1vf,

. ,

, ./.,fo, `64, Alk id :0 I liC

17NAk.# it66. 4,/ V

6 4. ;

0:;ttt:7.6$:a':,1; : ti:ay.0.,,,t) ;."'>14........._...............11.16:0! ill iit I.

6 6' ' ' 1

. ...t,- , - 4s fivgd 1 ,-...

',, k A" ' 74.1 ,J . 41/ Fr, i

jLetal_V: Z:jr" 4 ..e i . r r,

4rA A. k,..w. I. ,..,-11,

it-%

,fra4trirer..)

Ismordw0 ."o"iii\L

rill....,4_,.

sli?.....

I I

'

1

TRAVIS' SCHOOL PROJECT

Travis could see his grandfather from a distance, as the olderman leaned against a giant oak tree in the front yard. Lookingyounger than his sixty years, Grandfather was a wiry man ofaverage height. His black hair was still untouched by gray.Grandfather was a Maidu Indian who was greatly respected bythe Maidu people. As a tribal historian, Grandfather was thekeeper of their traditions. He was also a teacher of the tribe's pasthere in California. He knew all of the Maidu stories, and he oftenshared them with his children and grandchildren.

The sky above Grandfather's head was deep blue, except forbillowy white clouds forming around the Sierra NevadaMountains. It was a beautiful fall day, but the wind had a touch ofwinter in it. Deep in thought, Travis pulled his jacket closer as hewalked down the road to Grandfather's house. By the time he

9

reached his grandfather, Travis knew exactly what he wanted tosay.

"Hello, Grandfather!" the boy called out as he approached thegate. Grandfather raised his hand to wave in reply.

"Hello, Travis," he responded with his slight accent. "Howwas school today?"

Grandfather was always interested in his grandchildren'sschoolwork, so his question was not a surprise to Travis. But todaythe boy was delighted to hear this familiar question. He explainedto Grandfather that Ms. Smith, his fourth grade teacher atNewcastle Elementary School, had given the class a historyassignment. The children had to write a paper on the history ofCalifornia, and Travis really wanted Grandfather's help on thisproject.

"You know, Grandfather," Travis said, "most of the kids thinkthat history began with the coming of the Spanish people and themissions." Grandfather nodded his head to show he understood."But that's just not true! You are always telling us about ourhistory, the history of the Maidu people. I want my paper to bedifferent. I want to write about the time when no one lived inCalifornia except the Indians and the animal people."

210

Grandfather smiled his wide, toothy smile. "How can I helpyou, Travis?" he asked.

"I want to use what you have told me about the Maidu peopleto write my paper," Travis explained. "I've written a first draft ofmy paper. I used a story you told me about the creation of the landthe Maidu lived on here in California. Can I read you this story?"

Grandfather nodded his head in agreement. The boyexcitedly pulled out his white lined paper and began to read outloud.

3 Li

. one day Earthmakfr and Coyote came upon another floatingobject . . .

12

2

MAIDU CREATION STORY

People all over the earth have stories to explain the creationof the world. Maidu Indians have creation stories, too, and thesestories are handed down by parents and grandparents to theirchildren. To this very day the Maidu Indians remember thesestories and share them with others.

The Maidu say that long ago the earth was filled with water.The blue water and sky blended together into a magnificent scene,melting together so that it was impossible to say where the waterended and the sky began. Earth Maker and Coyote floated aboutseeing nothing but sky and water. Earth Maker grew tired offloating and wanted to find a place to call his own. This ideaimpressed Coyote.

As Earth Maker and Coyote travelled in the water, they tookturns singing a powerful song:

513

"Little world, where are you? Little world,where are you?"

Over and over they sang this song. Eventually, it occurred tothem that this song was not working. So Earth Maker and Coyotechanged their song. Now they took turns singing:

"My world of great mountains, where areyou? My foggy mountains, where areyou?"

Coyote grew tired and stopped singing these songs. "You cansing those power songs," he said to Earth Maker, "but I'm not goingto sing any more."

Nevertheless, Earth Maker was convinced that one day theywould find a country to call their own. When they did, they wouldarrange the land in a fine way! Meanwhile, they continued to floatin the vast water.

Then one day, the travelers came upon another floatingobject. It looked like a bird's nest. Although it was very small,Earth Maker was convinced that he could transform it into aplace for his country. The nest would have to be stretched and

14

expanded if it were to become a country. Earth Maker thoughtabout this for a long time Then an idea struck him.

"I will take this strong rope," Earth Maker said to Coyote,"and extend it to the west, the north, and the northwest" Then theEarth Maker went to work.

He extended the ropes to the west, the north, and thenorthwest, just as he had told Coyote he would. Then EarthMaker called upon the Robin to pack mud all around the nest. TheRobin happily complied, singing a beautiful song of creation as sheworked. It took many days for the Robin to complete her job, butshe continued to sing until the land was finally made. If you listentoday, the Robin still sings that wonderful creation song.

Earth Maker now asked Coyote to sing his creation song.Coyote sang a powerful song about the land he wanted created.Coyote sang in a loud voice:

"My world, where one will travel by thevalley's edge, by great foggy mountains,by the zigzag paths through range afterrange, I sing of the country I shall travelin. In this world I shall wander."

7 15

This song was so beautiful that Earth Maker joined Coyote inchorus after chorus. Slowly, the Maidu world took_ shape. Theonly problem was that this world was very small.

Earth Maker decided to make the world larger, so he usedhis mighty foot to stretch the earth far to the east, the west, thenorth, and the south. In every direction the earth became larger.The movement and force of the stretching caused the mountainsand the valleys to form. Although the Maidu world was becominglarger, it was not stable, because the earth rested on the various.ropes.

"Now and then," Earth Maker warned, "when the ropesmove back and forth, this earth will shake and tremble." EarthMaker was warning that earthquakes would shake the earth nowand then.

Earth Maker was pleased with his country, but it was alonely land because it was devoid of life. For this reason, he andCoyote created living things. Animals, plants, and human beingswere formed and placed on the land. Coyote decided to paint theearth red, since blood was the life-giving source of humans andanimals. Even today the rocks and soil of Maidu country are alittle bit red in color.

/68

Coy

ote

deci

ded

to p

aint

the

eart

h re

d.

..

17

Earth Maker and Coyote gave to human beings theirseparate lands, languages,. and physical traits. Earth 'Makertraveled in every direction of the world, placing white people in onelocation, black people in another, asians in still another, and so on.Earth Maker finally returned to his home at the center of theearth. This is whire he placed the Maidu people.

When Earth Maker created human beings, he gave themintelligence, wisdom, and the means of survival. But mostimportantly to the Maidu Indians, he instructed them to be kind toone another and to be hospitable to strangers.

People all over the world have their own stories about thebeginnings of this planet, as does each of the Indian tribes inAmerica. This Maidu creation story is just one example of the richvariety of such stories. There are actually many other parts to theMaidu story of creation, but this is the main story about the originsof one California India:a tribe- -the Maidu.

10

3

GR

AN

DFA

TH

ER

LIK

ES

TH

E S

TO

RY

Whe

n T

ravi

s fi

nish

ed r

eadi

ng G

rand

fath

er h

is r

epor

t, he

wai

ted

for

the

olde

r m

an to

spe

ak. T

he M

aidu

peo

ple

teac

h th

eir

child

ren

to r

espe

ct th

eir

elde

rs a

nd to

hav

e pa

tienc

e. G

rand

fath

erga

zed

off

tow

ard

the

Sier

ras,

and

his

min

d se

emed

to b

e m

iles

away

. Fin

ally

he

turn

ed h

is a

ttent

ion

to T

ravi

s."G

rand

son,

" he

sai

d, "

you

have

don

e w

ell."

Tra

vis

smile

d, f

eelin

g bo

th p

leas

ed a

nd r

elie

ved.

He

wa8

happ

y th

at h

e ha

d re

mem

bere

d th

e cr

eatio

n st

ory

accu

rate

ly.

"You

hav

e ca

ptur

ed o

n pa

per

muc

h of

wha

t we

have

taug

htth

roug

h th

e sp

oken

wor

d fo

r ge

nera

tions

."G

rand

fath

er's

fac

ese

emed

to b

righ

ten

with

his

sm

ile. "

Tra

vis,

you

hav

e re

mem

bere

dth

e cr

eatio

n st

ory

wel

l," h

e co

ntin

ued,

pla

cing

his

arm

aro

und

the

boy'

s sh

ould

ers.

"I

hope

you

will

be

able

to s

hare

it w

ith th

e ot

her

child

ren

in y

our

clas

s."

1119

Although Grandfather said nothing more, Travis knew whathe meant. He was pleased with the way his grandson had writtenthe story. But Grandfather believed that it was especiallyimportant to tell the Maidu stories. Telling the stories, discussingthem, and having the stories repeated time and again was thetraditional way of passing on tribal history.

Grandfather and Travis walked together up the path by thelarge oak tree and into the older man's house. Grandfather'sapproval of the paper made Travis feel warm inside. He waslooking forward to the next school day. Perhaps it would even bepossible to tell the Maidu creation story to the rest of the class.Normally Travis would be scared to talk in front of the class, butGrandfather's pride in being a Maidu Indian made Travis proud,too. How nice it would be to share some of the Maidu tribalheritage with his friends at school!

2012

4

LEARNING ABOUT MAIDU INDIANS

Travis had not thought much about his paper on the Maiducreation story since he placed it on the teacher's desk... Then,nearly a week after handing in the story, Ms. Smith announcedthat she had finished reading all of the papers.

"Overall I am very pleased," she said with a smile. "A few ofthe essays are really outstanding. I'm going to read a few of themto you now."

Travis' early interest in this project came rushing back tohim as he listened to Ms. Smith. Despite Grandfather's urging,Travis had not asked Ms. Smith if he could read his story to theclass. Travis was ashamed that he had not followed through withGrandfather's suggestion. Now the boy sat tensely in his seat,hoping that his would be one of the papers read by Ms. Smith.More than anything else, he wanted to be able to tell Grandfatherthat the children in my class had heard the Maidu creation story.

1321

Firs

t, M

s. S

mith

rea

d E

mily

Mar

tinez

' pap

er a

bout

the

Gol

dR

ush.

The

n sh

e re

ad S

teve

Fol

ey's

wor

k ab

out m

oder

n da

ym

ount

ain

men

in C

alif

orni

a. B

oth

of th

e pa

pers

wer

e in

tere

stin

g,fu

ll of

his

tori

cal f

acts

and

fun

ny li

ttle

stor

ies.

As

Tra

vis

liste

ned

toM

s. S

mith

rea

d th

ese

pape

rs, h

e sa

nk s

adly

into

his

cha

ir. P

erha

pshe

had

mis

sed

the

poin

t of

the

assi

gnm

ent!

His

pap

er w

asn'

t abo

utth

is k

ind

of h

isto

ry a

t 'al

l. T

ravi

s w

as s

udde

nly

sure

that

he

wou

ldre

ceiv

e a

faili

ng g

rade

on

this

pro

ject

.Su

dden

ly, M

s. S

mith

was

talk

ing

abou

t Tra

vis.

"Tra

vis

Mol

ma

has

wri

tten

a di

ffer

ent t

ype

of h

isto

ry p

aper

," s

he s

aid.

"H

ech

ose

to s

hare

a p

art o

f hi

s hi

stor

y an

d th

at o

f th

e M

aidu

Ind

ians

.It

is a

n ex

celle

nt r

epor

t."T

ravi

s fe

lt as

thou

gh e

very

pai

r of

eye

s in

the

clas

sroo

m w

asst

arin

g ri

ght a

t him

. Sin

ce h

e w

as r

eally

onl

y an

ave

rage

stu

dent

,T

ravi

s w

asn'

t use

d to

this

kin

d of

atte

ntio

n in

sch

ool.

"The

Mai

du I

ndia

ns li

ved

here

long

bef

ore

anyo

ne e

lse,

" M

s.Sm

ith c

ontin

ued.

"T

ravi

s ha

s w

ritte

n do

wn

wha

t is

calle

d an

ora

lhi

stor

y. I

ndia

ns d

id n

ot w

rite

dow

n th

eir

stor

ies,

but

kep

t the

mal

ive

by p

assi

ng th

em o

n fr

om p

aren

ts a

nd g

rand

pare

nts

toch

ildre

n."

22 14

A hand shot up in the front row. "But what if the kids forgotwhat their parents told them? Then the stories would be lostforever!"

"Well, the grown-ups didn't just tell them a story once. Theywould tell it over and over again, over a long period of time. Then,as the children got older, they would tell the stories back to thegrown-ups. If a child made a mistake, he or she was corrected.Then they would tell the story again later. Isn't that right, Travis?"

Travis felt himself nod his head weakly in agreement."It is a very good way to teach. We do the same thing here at

school. We talk about assignments in class so that you will thinkabout and remember them."

Ms. Smith must have noticed that many of the students werelosing interest, because she immediately began reading the Maiducreation story that Travis had written.

Grandfather would be pleased, Travis thought. The studentswere really listening to the story and seemed to be enjoying it.Most of the children had never before heard a story created byIndians to explain their past. When Ms. Smith finished readingTravis' paper, many of the students raised their hands to askquestions.

"Why did the Maidu Indians have this story?" Melissa asked.

II ,,1:0 :::. Y el'"?

1',/

When ais. Smit finis reading . . y of the students raisedtheir hands . . .

24

Ms. Smith thought for a moment before answering. "That'snot an easy question to answer," she began slowly. "I supposeeveryone, including Indians, look for ways to explain how theearth came to exist. This creation story is the Maidu Indianexplanation." Ms. Smith hesitated, then looked at Travis. "Whatwould you say, Travis?"

Holding onto the back of his chair for support, Travis stood upand faced the class. "My Grandfather has told my brothers, sisters,cousins, and me many Maidu stories," he said. "Grandfather saysthat these stories are the history of the Maidu people. The storiesare literature, too. They tell us about ourselves, and they teach ushow to think and live."

Travis was surprised to find that it was easy to talk to hisclass about Maidu Indian traditions. He explained thatGrandfather had told him that the stories of the Maidu taught thedifference between right and wrong, and between good and bad. Inmany of the stories the Earth Maker teaches the Maidu peoplewhat is good, but Coyote goes the other way. He is often bad, andthe people are taught not to act like Coyote.

At this point Caitlin Riley said, "But I thought history had tocome from something written down. Who wrote down the Maidustories?"

17 25

"Many people believe that Indians had no history until thingswere written down," Travis responded. "But like Ms. Smith said,our way of passing down our stories is reliable, too."

This time Travis' friend Michael had a question. "I'm notsure I know how the Maidu Indians lived. -I mean, what did theyeat and what kind of houses did they live in. Could you tell us,Travis?"

Grandfather had told Travis all about how the MaiduIndians had lived. "The Maidu ate fruits, vegetables, and meat justlike we do today," he said: "Women gathered wild strawberries,blackberries, and currents. The Maidu ate these fruits fresh, butthey also dried them in the sun so they could eat them in winter,too. All they had to do was add some water and they could beeaten."

The Maidu also ate wild lettuce and carrots. They gatheredroots of the tule and camas. These looked and tasted somethinglike potatoes, and had lots of vitamin C.

"Didn't they do any hunting?" one of the boys asked."Sure," Travis said.. "They hunted deer, bear, quail, rabbits,

raccoons, squirrels, geese, and porcupine. The Indians didn't justuse the meat from the animal, though. For example, they used

18 4"

animal skins for blankets and clothing. Porcupine spines wereused for needles and to make jewelry."

One of the students asked if the Maidu lived in tipis likeIndians they had seen on television.

"No," Travis said, shaking his head. "They lived in differentkinds of houses. When the Maidu moved around hunting andgathering food, they built temporary homes made out of logs andbrush mats. When they made their winter homes, they used thesame materials but made their houses larger and warmer.Grandfather told me that the people spent a lot of the wintermonths inside, where they told stories."

In fact, it was during the cold, rainy winter months thatGrandfather's parents and grandparents had told him the MaiduIndian stories. After hearing the stories repeated over and over,Grandfather was abk to learn his lessons very well.

Ms. Smith stood up at her desk. "You know, Travis," she said,"I think you have learned your lessons well, too. Thank you forteaching us so much about the Maidu"Indians."

To Travis' surprise, Ms. Smith began to clap her hands, andthe rest of the class joined in, too! Travis couldn't wait to tell hisgrandfather that the other children had enjoyed hearing theMaidu creation story.

19

27

.74r

During the winter months, Grandfather's parents tote him theMaidu stories . 28

As the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, Ms. Smithcame over to Travis' desk to speak to him. "Please give this note toyour grandfather," she said, handing him a folded piece of paper."I just want him to know how much w enjoyed learning aboutMaidu history. Perhaps he would visit our class one day and sharemore of his stories."

Later Grandfather said he was proud of his grandson forspeaking in class. But everything Travis told his classmates camefrom his grandfather. One day, Travis thought, he would tell thesesame things to his own children.

21 23

vs)

5

LA

UR

A A

ND

GR

AN

DFA

TH

ER

Gra

ndfa

ther

sat

at h

is f

avor

ite c

hair

in h

is s

mal

l, w

ood-

fram

ed h

ouse

. It w

as w

arm

and

qui

et in

the

smal

l but

tidy

livi

ngro

om. G

rand

fath

er s

tare

d th

ough

tful

ly a

t the

blu

e fl

ames

dan

cing

in h

is s

mal

l hea

ting

stov

e. H

e w

as li

sten

ing

for

a kn

ock

on h

isfr

ont d

oor.

Gra

ndfa

ther

was

wai

ting

for

his

daug

hter

, Mar

y, a

ndhi

s gr

andd

augh

ter,

Lau

ra, t

o ar

rive

.N

earl

y a

year

had

pas

sed

sinc

e G

rand

fath

er la

st s

aw M

ary

and

Lau

ra. T

hey

lived

in L

os A

ngel

es, b

ut G

rand

fath

er li

ved

in th

ehe

art o

f M

aidu

Ind

ian

coun

try.

His

hom

e w

as o

n th

e ra

nche

ria

near

Aub

urn,

Cal

ifor

nia.

It t

ook

alm

ost e

ight

hou

rs o

f dr

ivin

g fo

rM

ary

and

Lau

ra to

trav

el f

rom

Los

Ang

eles

to G

rand

fath

er's

hom

e. O

ften

Gra

ndfa

ther

wis

hed

that

Mar

y an

d he

r fa

mily

live

dcl

oser

so

that

he

coul

d vi

sit t

hem

mor

e of

ten.

Mar

y an

d he

r hu

sban

d w

ere

happ

y in

Los

Ang

eles

. The

ybo

th h

ad g

ood

jobs

and

man

y fr

iend

s.B

ut s

omet

imes

Mar

y

23 3

1

became lonely for the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.Sometimes she became homesick for the tall pines and the big oaktrees. In the spring, Mary missed the orange poppies whichcovered the countryside. Most of all, she missed her father. So sheand Laura were driving to Auburn to spend some time withGrandfather.

The low sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires of a cartold Grandfather that his visitors had arrived. As the car drewcloser to the house and the noise of the its engine grew louder,Grandfather walked to the door. He watched the, two bright lightswind their way back to his house. Then Grandfather walkedoutside to greet his daughter and granddaughter.

The next morning, Grandfather rose before sunrise. With acup of steaming coffee in his hand, he left the house and followedan old trail to a plate with a view of the distant mountains.Grandfather watched as the yellow rays of dawn crept over thesnowy Sierras. Silently, Grandfather drew strength from therising sun. He thanked the Creator for another day.

The sound of a footstep behind him startled Grandfather."Good morning, Laura," Grandfather said. "I'm surprised to seeyou up so early!"

24 32

Lau

ra s

mile

d. S

he w

as h

appy

to b

e w

ith h

ergr

andf

athe

rag

ain.

As

they

wal

ked

back

to th

e ho

use,

Gra

ndfa

ther

and

Lau

rata

lked

abo

ut h

er s

choo

l. Sh

e ha

d al

way

s be

en a

goo

dst

uden

t, an

dG

rand

fath

er w

as v

ery

prou

d of

her

. He

aske

d he

r w

hat

she

had

lear

ned

in s

choo

l abo

ut A

mer

ican

Ind

ians

."M

y te

ache

r is

ver

y in

tere

sted

in I

ndia

n cu

lture

," L

aura

said

."H

e of

ten

asks

me

abou

t my

Indi

an h

erita

ge."

Gra

ndfa

ther

was

sur

pris

ed b

ut p

leas

ed. "

Do

you

tell

your

clas

s ab

out t

he M

aidu

peo

ple?

" he

ask

ed.

"I d

on't

know

that

muc

h ab

out t

he M

aidu

s,"

Lau

ra s

aid.

"But

I w

ant t

o le

arn.

" G

rand

fath

er n

odde

d bu

t sai

d no

thin

g."T

ravi

sse

nt m

e a

copy

of

the

pape

r he

wro

te f

or h

is h

isto

rycl

ass.

He

said

that

you

told

him

the

Mai

du c

reat

ion

stor

y."

"Tha

t's tr

ue,"

Gra

ndfa

ther

sai

d."I

sup

pose

that

with

you

livin

g so

far

aw

ay, w

e ju

st h

aven

't ha

d th

e ch

ance

to r

eally

talk

abou

t bei

ng a

Mai

du I

ndia

n."

"Gra

ndfa

ther

, ple

ase

tell

me

som

e of

you

r st

orie

s,"

Lau

rasa

id.

"I r

eally

do

wan

t to

know

mor

e ab

out t

he M

aidu

s an

d ou

rhi

stor

y." "S

ure,

" G

rand

fath

er r

eplie

d."L

ater

, whe

n th

e ch

ores

are

done

and

ther

e is

tim

e to

talk

, I w

ill s

hare

a s

tory

with

you

. But

you

mus

t pro

mis

e to

liste

n ca

refu

lly. T

hat w

ay y

ou c

an te

ll it

to

253

3

your teacher the next time he asks you about your Indian heritage.One day, you might even tell the story to your own children!"

3426

6

LAURA LEARNS ABOUT LIZARD AND BAT

It was mid-afternoon when Grandfather finally announcedhe was ready for storytelling. Laura quickly appeared and satdown near Grandfather. Even Mary settled into a chair to listen,hoping to hear one of her favorite stories.

"The story I want to tell you," Grandfather began, "happeneda long, long time ago. It was a time when all of the animals andpeople spoke the same language. The Maidus and the animalpeople were living here in the foothills." Grandfather paused to seeif Laura was listening, then continued with his story.

One day Lizard and Bat sat talking. They enjoyed talkingabout their beautiful world. They liked the warm days and the coolnights. Even the rain was not so bad, because it brought the talltrees and the beautiful wildflowers. The red sunsets made theperfect ending to the day, Lizard and Bat agreed.

235

Sudd

enly

, a s

urpr

ised

look

cro

ssed

Bat

's f

ace.

Tal

king

abo

utth

e re

d su

nset

s re

min

ded

Bat

that

whe

n th

e pe

ople

mov

ed to

the

foot

hills

, the

y fo

rgot

to b

ring

fir

e w

ith th

em. B

at a

nd L

izar

d ta

lked

and

talk

ed, u

ntil

fina

lly B

at d

ecid

ed o

n a

plan

to b

ring

fir

e to

the

foot

hills

. "Liz

ard,

" B

at s

aid,

"th

e an

imal

peo

ple

livin

g by

the

ocea

n ha

vefi

re. R

un a

s fa

st a

s yo

u ca

n to

the

coas

t and

bri

ng b

ack

som

e fi

refo

r us

." "You

r pl

an is

a g

ood

one,

" L

izar

d sa

id to

Bat

. "I

am a

ver

y fa

stru

nner

. I d

o no

t min

d m

akin

g th

is tr

ip to

the

coas

t. I

will

vis

it th

ean

imal

peo

ple

ther

e an

d br

ing

back

som

e fi

re f

or u

s."

The

ani

mal

peo

ple

livin

g on

the

coas

t wer

e ha

ppy

to s

eeL

izar

d. T

hey

wel

com

ed h

im w

ith f

ood

and

drin

k. T

hen,

bef

ore

hele

ft, L

izar

d w

as g

iven

a to

rch

to c

arry

the

fire

bac

k to

the

Mai

duco

untr

y. "But

how

will

you

kee

p th

e fi

re f

rom

goi

ng o

ut?"

som

e of

the

anim

al p

eopl

e as

ked

Liz

ard.

"I a

m a

gre

at r

unne

r,"

said

Liz

ard

to th

e an

imal

peo

ple

livin

gon

the

coas

t. "I

will

run

as

fast

as

I ca

n to

rea

ch th

efo

othi

lls b

efor

eth

e fi

re g

oes

out."

"How

will

you

kee

p ot

hers

fro

m s

teal

ing

the

fire

fro

m y

ou?"

Liz

ard

was

ask

ed.

3.6

28

,;

.$ r

r.-

' .,,,Lre.

rrst

Lizard ran so fast that he was sure no one could see him . . .

37

"No one will see me," Lizard laughed. "I am too fast for themto catch me anyway!"

So off Lizard ran, over the hills between San Francisco andthe Sacramento Valley. He was very careful to protect the torch,so the fire would not go out. Lizard ran so fast that he was sure noone could see him. But he was wrong.

Lizard ran right through a. group of Sand Hill Cranes whowere playing a hand game. He was sure they could not see him,because he was so fast. But they did-see Lizard and his torch.

"That fire would be very good for us," said one of the Sand HillCranes. "We should take that fire for ourselves!" The other SandHill Cranes agreed and took off after Lizard.

The Sand Hill Cranes ran after Lizard so fast that theynearly overtook him. Lizard became frightened and tried to runeven faster, but he tripped and fell. The torch fell from Lizard'shand and the fire caught on some nearby grass. Quickly, the grassfire spread across the valley.

The grass fire was so large it could be seen for many miles.Even Bat saw the fire. He thought it was just the flame from thetorch. Bat was so excited that he couldn't wait for Lizard to reachthe foothills. He decided that he wanted to look at the fire up close.Bat caught sight of Lizard and flew down toward his friend.

,-;.,,A,..

.....

Lizard raced to his friend's side and found Bat badly burned . . .

39

Bat drew too close to the fire and his eyes were burned by thehot flames. He was in trouble! He could not see at all! Lizardquickly raced to his friend's side. He found Bat badly burned andall black from the fire. Bat's tail was completely burned off and hiswings were singed almost all the way through.

Worst of all, Bat's eyes were burned. He was nearly blind.Lizard put pitch in Bat's eyes, hoping it would bring back Bat'seyesight, but it didn't help.

"That is why bats can't see well even today, and why bats areblack with paper-thin wings," Grandfather said, bringing his storyto an end. 'That is also why they have such.tiny eyes. What do youthink of my story of Bat and Lizard and their search for fire,Laura?"

He had been watching Laura closely as he told the story. Shehad given her full attention to Grandfather. Even Mary had beencaught up in the tale. Grandfather was pleased at their interest.

"It was wonderful, Grandfather!" Laura said. "Can you tellme another Maidu story?"

Grandfather laughed. "All in one afternoon?" he asked."You'll be here for a few more days. I think there will be plenty oftime for stories, don't you?"

32 4 0

Laura nodded, but she was disappointed. Then, with atwinkle in her eye, she said, "Promise me another story afterdinner then!"

It was Grandfather's turn to nod his head. "I already knowwhich story to tell," he said. "Tonight I'll tell you all about SaltMan."

3341

Coy

ote

poin

ted

to a

whi

te s

hado

wy

man

amon

gth

egr

oup

..

.

42

7

SAL

T M

AN

Din

ner

had

been

eat

en a

nd th

e di

shes

cle

ared

away

whe

nG

rand

fath

er f

inal

ly a

gree

d to

tell

anot

her

stor

y. T

he c

old

nigh

t air

com

bine

d w

ith a

Mar

ch w

ind

to tu

rn th

e lit

tle h

ouse

col

d. A

fter

stok

ing

the

fire

with

woo

d to

war

m th

e liv

ing

room

, Gra

ndfa

ther

settl

ed in

to h

is f

avor

ite c

hair

. He

bega

n th

e st

ory

very

sud

denl

y.C

oyot

e ha

d be

com

e ve

ry h

ungr

y on

e ni

ght.

So h

e w

ent t

o th

eM

aidu

peo

ple

to a

sk f

or th

eir

help

."I

am

ver

y hu

ngry

," C

oyot

e sa

id.

"I w

ould

like

a s

alm

on to

eat.

Will

you

cat

ch a

sal

mon

for

me?

""W

e'll

try,

" sa

id th

e M

aidu

peo

ple,

"bu

t we

may

not

be

able

toca

tch

a sa

lmon

." T

o th

eir

surp

rise

, the

y ca

ught

a ve

ry la

rge

salm

on. T

hey

brou

ght i

t bac

k to

the

foot

hills

and

coo

ked

itov

er a

huge

fir

e. E

very

one

join

ed in

the

cele

brat

ion

exce

pt C

oyot

e. H

est

ood

back

and

wat

ched

whi

leev

eryo

ne e

lse

ate.

The

Mai

du e

njoy

ed th

e ta

ste

of th

e sa

lmon

so m

uch,

they

bega

n to

eat

the

fish

ver

y qu

ickl

y. P

iece

s of

sal

mon

beg

an to

fal

lon

3543

the ground. One c' the elders of the tribe was especially messy. Allaround the ground where he sat there lay large chunks of salmonmeat.

Coyote spoke to the sloppy elder. "See those chunks of salmonyou dropped on the ground?" he asked. The elder nodded. "Pickthem up and eat them. See if they taste good to you."

The elder did as he was told. When he picked up the pieces ofsalmon, he noticed that they had small, white rocks on them. Buthe ate the salmon anyway.

"The meat is very sweet and good," the elder said to Coyote.Coyote pointed to a white, shadowy man among the group.

"That is Salt Man," Coyote explained. "If you like the taste of thesmall, white rocks on the salmon, then you must catch Salt Man."

The Maidus immediately put down their salmon and chasedSalt Man. He was a very fast runner. The Maidu people ran afterSalt Man for several miles. Finally, Salt Man tripped and fell. Hefell down at a place near present-day Lincoln, California. Whenhe hit the ground, Salt Man broke into thousands of pieces.

Grandfather ended the story, saying, "If you go over toLincoln today, you will find the many pieces of Salt Man."

Mary nodded. "I remember the place, Dad," she said. "Wewent there when I was a kid."

36 44

Grandfather looked at Laura. "You see, that's the way withus Maidu," he said. "We have these old stories that explain ourpast, our land, and our ways. This is our history. I hope you willremember these stories about Lizard, Bat, and Salt Man."

Putting his arm around Laura's shoulders, Grandfathersaid, "If you like, you can come with me tomorrow. Travis' schoolis not on vacation. His teacher has invited me to tell a story to theclass."

"I would like that, Grandfather," Laura said as she gave hima good-night kiss. "Thank you for sharing these stories with me. Ilook forward to hearing more stories tomorrow."

"You know, Dad," said Mary after Laura had gone to bed,"Laura has really been looking forward to this trip. Ever sinceTravis sent his paper to her, she's wanted to hear some of yourstories."

"I wonder if she'll remember what she has heard tonight,"Grandfather said.

"I think so," said Mary. "I know I will never forget yourstories." She smiled at Grandfather. "You are the best storyteller Iknow."

3745

911

' ' ' ;yelp gutualyguiv uodn num hog ay; avuo n i pi

8

GRANDFATHER IN THE CLASSROOM

The students became very excited when they saw Travis'grandfather enter the classroom. Ms. Smith stood in front of theroom, trying hard to get everyone's attention. Slowly, silencesettled across the room.

"We are very lucky today to have a special guest," Ms. Smithannounced. "Travis' grandfather is a Maidu Indian elder wholives here in our community. He is a well-known storyteller, andhe is here today to share a Maidu Indian story with you."

Grandfather walked in front of the teacher's desk. Some ofthe students clapped, but others squirmed in their seats. Theywere not sure they wanted to hear Indian stories. Travis andLaura were proud of Grandfather. They thought he was verybrave to speak in front of the class.

"The Maidu people have hundreds of stories," Grandfatherexplained. "As I drove down Indian Hill Road, I tried to decidewhich story I would tell you. Then I heard some thunder in the

394.7

distance. The thunder reminded me of the story of Thunder Boy.It was one of my favorite stories as a child. I'd like to share it withyou today."

Laura looked around the room. She was pleased to see somany students listening to Grandfather. He had captured theirattention with only a few words.

Grandfather explained that the first Maidu Indians lived inmany villages in northern California. Strange things began tohappen in one of the larger villages. People started to disappearwithout explanation. Women would go out to collect firewood orcarry water, and they would not return. Men would go out on ahunt and never return. Even boys and girls began to disappear.

The entire village lived in fear. They needed food and waterand firewood to survive. But every time someone left camp to getwood or to hunt or fetch water, they disappeared.

Finally only an old man and his two grandchildren were leftin the village. They hid in their lodge because they were veryfrightened. But soon they became cold and hungry. The old manannounced that he would go hunt some food. The children beggedhim not to go, but their grandfather would not listen to them.

Of course, the old man never returned from his hunting.The little boy and his older sister were very sad. The winter winds

40 48

began to blow, and the weather became bitterly cold. The childrenwere weak from hunger and numb from the cold.

The little boy finally decided that he must leave the lodge andsearch for firewood. His sister agreed to let him go, but only if hepromised not to wander too far away from the village. The boynodded his head as he left the lodge.

After only a short time, the little boy returned with anarmload of firewood. His sister warned him not to carry so muchwood at one time. She was afraid he would hurt himself. But oneach trip, the little boy returned with a huge log or stump. Hissister was amazed at the mighty strength of her younger brother.

Although his sister warned him of the great danger lurkingin the woods, the little boy was curious. He wondered what hadhappened to his grandfather and the other villagers. One day, hiscuriosity overcame him. The little boy wandered far away fromhis lodge.

All at once, the boy came upon a frightening sight. There ona flat rock in front of him were the villagers. They lay in lifelessforms on the rock, frozen in time. A spell had fallen other theIndians, as though someone or something unseen had control overthem.

4149

. . . the s t r o n g e r and m o r e s k i l l f u l the b oy became . . .

50

.A

s th

e bo

y st

ared

. at h

is .f

rien

ds a

nd f

amily

mem

bers

, ast

rang

er a

ppro

ache

d.' H

is, r

iam

e w

as L

izar

d M

an. H

e lo

oked

angr

y an

d m

ean.

"Wha

t are

you

doi

ng h

ere?

" L

izar

d M

an d

eman

ded.

"Not

hing

at a

ll,"

repl

ied

the

boy.

' "Pe

rhap

s yo

u ar

e lo

okin

g fo

r a

figh

t," s

aid

Liz

ard

Man

.T

he b

oy a

nsw

ered

Liz

ard

Man

in a

cal

m v

oice

."I

did

not

com

e he

re f

or a

fig

ht,"

he

said

."I

nam

e to

fin

d m

y fr

iend

s an

dre

lativ

es. B

ut I

will

fig

ht'y

ou-i

fyou

insi

st o

n a

battl

e."

Liz

ard

Man

ioun

eed

en th

e bo

y an

d th

e tw

o be

gan

to w

rest

le.

At f

irst

Liz

ard

Man

see

med

to b

ewin

ning

the

figh

t. B

ut th

e lo

nger

they

fou

ght,

the

stro

nger

, and

' mor

e sk

illfu

l the

boy

bec

ame.

Fina

lly h

e de

feat

ed L

izar

d M

an.

Dur

ing

the

stru

ggle

, the

1cL

y ha

d fo

und

his

pow

er. H

e w

asab

le to

unl

ock

Ilza

rd M

a/1.

s ;s

pell

over

the

peop

le. B

efor

e th

eyw

oke

up, t

he b

oy r

aced

bac

kito

hid

sis

ter.

.She

hel

ped

him

cle

an h

isw

ound

s as

the

boy

expl

aine

d w

hat h

ad ta

ken

plac

e.."

I m

ust l

eave

you

now

," th

e.bo

y sa

id to

his

sis

ter.

"I

mus

t go

toth

e V

alle

y A

bove

the

Ear

th."

t!

"But

why

mus

t you

leav

e?"

aske

d th

e si

ster

, sho

cked

at h

isw

ords

.:

51.

"Do you hear?" Grandfather asked. 7t is Thunder Man sendingyou his greeting."

52

"I c

anno

t say

," a

nsw

ered

the

boy,

"ex

cept

to te

ll yo

u th

at th

eV

alle

y A

bove

the

Ear

th is

my

new

hom

e, B

ut I

will

alw

ays

rem

ain

clos

e by

you

."H

is s

iste

r be

gan

to c

ry. S

he d

id n

ot w

ant h

er b

roth

er to

leav

e.Sh

e w

as a

frai

d-sh

e w

ould

nev

er s

ee h

im a

gain

."W

hen

I re

ach

my

new

hom

e,"

he s

aid,

"I

will

let y

ou k

now

Iha

ve s

afel

y ar

rive

d."

With

that

the

boy

was

gon

e.W

hen

the

villa

gers

ret

urne

d to

thei

r ca

mp,

the

girl

told

them

wha

t had

hap

pene

d. A

s th

e pe

ople

gaz

ed u

p at

the

sky,

clo

uds

form

ed o

ver

the

mou

ntai

ns. T

hen,

for

the

firs

t tim

e, th

ey h

eard

'th

e ro

ar o

f th

unde

r. T

he th

unde

r ro

ared

aga

in a

nd a

gain

. The

nth

e pe

ople

und

erst

ood

that

the

boy

had

been

cal

led

to th

e sk

y to

beco

me

Thu

nder

Boy

."T

hund

er B

oy e

vent

ually

gre

w in

toa

man

," G

rand

fath

ersa

id.

"Tod

ay h

e is

kno

wn

as T

hund

er M

an. H

e st

ill r

oars

over

head

, som

etim

es d

ista

nt a

nd s

omet

imes

loud

and

cra

shin

g."

As

Gra

ndfa

ther

spo

ke, t

he r

umbl

e of

dis

tant

thun

der

coul

d be

hear

d. "

Do

you

hear

?" G

rand

fath

er a

sked

with

a sm

ile.

"It i

sT

hund

er M

an s

endi

ng y

ou h

is g

reet

ing.

I th

ink

he e

njoy

edou

rst

ory.

" From

the

look

s on

the

face

s of

the

child

ren,

they

see

med

toag

ree!

4553

A stirring story unfolds as Grandfather shares with Travis, Laura,and the students of Newcastle Elementary School a series of Maidu Indiantales. Travis relates to his classmates the Maidu creation story, told to himmany times by Grandfather, which features Coyote, Earthmaker, andRobin. Grandfather then shares Maidu stories with his granddaughter,Laura who is an urban Indian. Finally, Travis' classmates at NewcastleSchool learn about Thunder Boy. Join the many colorful characters fromthe Maidu Indian past in this delightful book.

Lee Ann Smith-Trafzer holds the B. A. and at A. degrees in 9-fistory fromWashington State University. She is a professional writer and attorney. CliffordE. Trafzer is Professor and Chair of Ethnic Studies at the 'University of California,fiver side, and an award-winning author of several books on Native Americans.

Ross Coates is Professor of Art at Washington State University, where he and hiswife, Marilyn Lysohir, create their art. The noted artist also illustratedGrandmother's Christmas Story, Grandmother Stories of the Northwest,and Grandfather's Monster Stories, also produced by Sierra Oaks PublishingCompany.

ISBN: 0-940113-18-X

'1 belong to the Earth out of which I came." Toohoolhoolzote (Nez Perce)This Sierra Oaks Book is printed on recycled paper

Sierra Oaks Publishing Company1988

D4