tahzi

didn't sleep good last night?

Why?


I don't know I just felt uneasy I guess, something kept waking me up,
I don't know what it was or where it came from it was just there.


Sometimes it's just like that, once a long time ago when this country
was still new to our people, a young Navajo boy left his family, he
was poor and had done some things he was ashamed of, so he left the
country where they lived decided to cross into a new area that he had
not been to before.


Where was this place?


It wasn't really that far off, not too far from here, but a little
further than the places he had known. It is said he left his family
and lived only on small things you could catch on foot. It was a time
when our people wore animal fur for cover and yucca plants were made
into clothes.


They didn't have a Walmart?


No this was a long time before they had Walmarts, and roads and even
any kind of trading posts, everyone walked around on foot. Anyway saw
a mountain far off and went to that country and there found a
beautiful valley where there was tall grass, streams of fresh water
and trees of all kinds. He thought to himself I would like to make
this my home, but there must be someone else who likes this place, it
is too good to be by itself.


What kind of place was this valley?


It was halfway up the mountain, there were mountain flowers, birds,
and the sky was blue, the breeze cool and it didn't get so cold. A
place where you would like to spend the day just being there, a place
you find that you don't want to leave.


Are there places like that, grandfather?


Yes, there are places like that. You will find one some day as you
travel around and you will see what it is like yourself. This young
man was by himself, he didn't have anyone with him, except for a
turkey.


A tahzhi' (turkey)?


Yes, a tahzi', it was a special turkey.


How was it special, grandfather?


It had special powers, it carried with it a special gift. This turkey
was his friend and followed him everywhere, even to this spot on the
mountain. In it's wings it carried the seeds of corn, melon and other
plants that men need so he could start over. It followed him around
and that is why he was there to help him start over with his new life.


Who would think of a turkey as being a friend to someone. There are
funny looking, grandfather. I don't think I would like a turkey
following me around.


This turkey followed him so he would not be lonely, so this turkey
stayed with this young man to keep him company.


Was there anyone else around there with them?


No, the young Navajo searched all over walking in a circle going
outward to see if there were tracks for something to show that other
people were around, because people like places like this so he thought
surely there must be someone around, so he looked closely going out
each day in a bigger circle and found no one.


So he was alone?


Well one night he couldn't sleep like you. He tossed and turned and
couldn't sleep so he got up and looked around. When he sat up he saw
a faint light way up on the mountainside, he saw firelight. Someone
was up there, he could see the light way way up there. He put a forked
stick in the ground and looked through it and went back to sleep. In
the morning he looked through it and saw the spot on the mountain and
went up there to look for it. He left the turkey there and went up to
find the place where he saw the light. He searched all over and didn't
find anything.


What was it?


He didn't know. The next night the same thing happened. He saw the
firelight and to help him find it, he placed a second stick behind the
forked one and lined them so he could see in the morning where on the
mountain it came from.
The next day he went up on the mountain again, to find the place where
the light came from and searched all over the place he had seen and
didn't find anything. He wondered about what he had seen.


What did he see? If he saw a fire then it had to be someone up there.
There had to be people up there, someone was there.


The young Navajo couldn't sleep good, he thought about what he had
seen at night and when nightfall came he saw the light again. This
time he took a stick and lined it up on the mountain, it pointed
straight to the place he saw the light. In the morning he set out
straight for that place he had marked. He went over every rock, tree
and plant looking for the something there.


Did he find anything?


Yes, he found many things there.


What did he find?


In the light of dawn he found a rainbow in the feathers of his pet, he
found that in the light there is also darkness, witchery and
teachings. He found out about life, a wife and some things he had
never known before existed in having a parner, he also lost his
friend, his pet turkey, the loss of black clouds, the sight of
rainbows. He learned that there is treachery in the offer of cornmeal
mush, and meat, that where there is a smile there is also hidden
anger.


He found all these things?


Yes, that is what he saw in the light way up on the mountain.


How come you say it like this to me, I want to tell know how he found
each of these things?


I would tell you, but there are some standing the shadows of those
trees, not too far from here, you can't see them but they are
watching. They want to know these things too.


Where?


Just over there, they would like to travel with us to the mountain top
and like to learn about the dark side, to tell you that coyotes have
beards, that light comes from spaceships, that trees talk and that
they somehow were there.


Are there really people like that grandfather?


Yes, they listen and don't understand what they hear, so maybe we
shouldn't say anything anymore, because it changes shape in the wind
and somehow it beconmes theirs.


Oh, the grand child said, then when will you tell me about such
things. When we are alone my grandchild.


What was the name of the young Navajo man?


He was called, the One who teaches himself, that is what he was
called. He thought he knew nothing but then when he thought about it
he found that maybe there was more to life than what he had seen, so
he needed to listen to himself, to that part that speaks to us and
tells what we should do something and when not to do something.


What was his english name grandfather...


I don't know....


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