Myth

Running with the Wind

Barefoot Ken, 1 Comment

The weather station indicated a temperature of 39 F, intermittent rain, and gusty winds.  Not a nice day in the conventional sense, but for those so inclined, a chance to get outdoors and mix it up with nature.  In the back of my mind, I was thinking about the Yurok Indians of Northern California whose warriors would head out into the mountains during the stormy winter months to chase the Thunders, with the goal of demonstrating vigor and determination and, if they impressed the spirits, receiving special powers.

And so, I made my way to the paved trail that runs along the Chicago lakefront, but upon turning north, I found myself in for a rude surprise…

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Running with the Wind

The Long One

Barefoot Ken, 3 Comments

(This is a story from the Yurok Indians of Northern California.  It caught my attention because of its eerie, sad tone.  Please leave a comment if it impacts you, too)

It was at Espeu that he lived who owned the Long One.

He hunted constantly on the cliffs north of Espeu.  There he found it when it was little.  When he saw it, he thought, “It’s pretty.  I shall try to keep it.”  He wanted to see how large it would be when grown.   He brought it to the house and made a box for it and kept it.  At first he did not know what it was.

He was always hunting.  When he killed deer or elk, he fed a small piece of the meat to his pet.  When he came again, he always saw that it had grown.

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The Long One