The Animals

Animals as Teachers

Our oral traditions speak of a time long ago when our people became lost and confused. As our populations grew, we forgot to come together to perform our ceremonies and express our thanks to the Creator and the natural world. For the first time, our people began to experience death, not just among the aged, but among the young, and as a result, our people were overcome with grief. They were not able to get on with their lives because they were always in a state of mourning. The grief became very disruptive to our communities and the people could no longer come together to solve problems or perform ceremonies. Although many tried, they could not find a way out of the despair. It was at this time that a young man came forward with a solution. He was a very quiet man and had spent most of his time studying and learning about the natural world. When confronted with a difficult situation, he was one of the few who remembered to turn to the Creator and the natural world for answers. Because the Creator had meant for everything to be alive, he reminded the people that we should not be living in despair or fear. When we look at the animals, we see there are different types of animals that we identify by name. Although each has an exclusive duty to perform, they are related as families. There are families of trees, plants, insects, water, animals, and birds. This young man then went on to discuss the relationship between each of the species and suggested that humans can imitate this and form clans. He reasoned that since this is the way it exists in the natural world, it must be the way the Creator meant it to be. His idea to form clans came to him because he was using a good mind and thinking clearly. He was able to find the answer to the people’s dilemma because he remembered to look to the natural world. He clearly understood how the world was interrelated and just as one species could not survive without the others, humans could not survive alone. They needed a family structure.

Even to this day, the good minded young man serves as a role model, and reminds us to turn to the natural world for answers when we are faced with difficult situations. In many ways, it was the animals and birds who taught us some very valuable lessons. They have reminded us that both death and grief are universal among all creatures in the natural world. The animals have also shown us how to love and take care of each other, especially in times of distress. We are reminded that just like the plants, birds and animals, we too are part of families. Although each of us is a unique individual, we have important obligations and responsibilities to our clans.

The clan structure that binds our families, communities, and nations together is based on the animals and birds from the eastern forest. The animal families have certain distinct characteristics and we have learned many things from observing their behaviors. The wolves have taught us how to be loyal, how to work together and how to love and take care of our children and community. Packs of wolves work as a team when hunting and family members patiently take care of the cubs of others. The wolves are also the ones to lead the way since they create the paths in the forest. The turtles have taught us how to be dependable, steady and patient. They are an ancient species and have lived in balance with the natural world for millions of years. They are tough and intelligent and are able to outsmart many larger and stronger predators. The bears have taught us how to live in the forests by showing us which species of plants, berries, and roots are good to eat. They have also taught us about medicine. They are independent and very protective of their children. The deer have taught us how to live together peacefully as a community. They are gentle animals, yet they are observant and constantly watching for danger. As the leader of the animals, they signal warnings to other species when they see, smell, or hear an approaching predator. The beaver has taught us how to live together as a family. They are admired for their hard work, determination, and skills. Their building efforts have played a very important role in creating wetlands and have supported many of the medicine plants with their efforts.

Many of our songs and dances help us to acknowledge and honor the animals. Dancing gives us a means to express our appreciation. Oral tradition tells us that our people learned certain songs and dances from the animals themselves by observing their behavior. For example, the rabbit dance was taught to children who enjoyed watching the frolicking rabbits as they danced. When we sing and dance, our hearts and minds are lifted as we truly enjoy the opportunity to remember our relationship with the animal life.

Many other species of animals have taught us lessons, which Haudenosaunee relate through stories and oral traditions that are too numerous to mention. We have long understood that we share much in common with our animal relatives, including many emotions and characteristics. As related in the story of the founding of the clan systems, we find that it is often the animals who remind us how to be human beings. Activities, such as hunting, trapping, and farming, force us to confront and deal with issues surrounding our own coming death. This is why we are always told that when we take the life of an animal, we most do so regrettably, with compassion, humility, and respect. Even in death, the body of an animal is deserving of respect. It is when we take the life of another being that we come closer to understanding life and death through active, rather than passive partici­pation. We realize that all things come from and eventually return to the earth and take comfort in knowing that one day, our bodies will also return to the embrace of our mother, the earth.

Animals and Medicine

In the story of the good hunter, we are reminded about the need to maintain good relations with our animal relatives. The story talks about a young chief who was a very good hunter. He was always kind, compassionate, and generous with the animals. When he hunted, he always killed his prey as quickly as possible and never took advantage of them. He would never kill a doe with a fawn or an animal that was exhausted. Before he hunted, he always burned tobacco and asked for permission to hunt. In doing so, he acknowledged the animals and showed them the respect that they deserved. He was always thinking of his animal friends and would leave scraps for the meat eaters, honey for the bears, corn for the birds, and entrails for the water animals. The story goes on to tell us that this young man was left for dead, presumably killed by an enemy. When his animal friends came across his dead body, they were stricken with grief over the loss of such a good man. In their love and compassion for this man, they worked to create a very powerful medicine, made from the flowers, barks, and leaves of rare plants. To this mixture of plants, each member of the animal and bird kingdom shared its own personal healing medicine. They created a medicine that was so powerful that it could help humans who were severely injured or gravely ill by giving them back the breath of life. To this day, we are thankful to have this medicine and are so fortunate that this young chief was kind and compassionate toward the animals and birds. This story also reminds us about the strength of a medicine that was born out of both unity and love.

There are many other examples of medicines that are associated with animals. Many Native cultures, including the Haudenosaunee, consider bears to be sacred because of their wisdom and their associ­ation with medicine. Haudenosaunee oral tradition explains why many healers are of the bear clan. We are told that long ago, when the Creator visited our people disguised as an old man with tattered clothes, it was a Clanmother of the bear clan who showed kindness and compassion toward the stranger. Because she remem­bered the Creator’s original instructions, her children were rewarded with the knowledge of medicine. We see that it is true to this day and are reminded of the story whenever visitors come to the Longhouse and sit with the bear clan. The story also tells us that it is only when we have a good mind and a kind heart that we will be able to find wisdom and peace.

There are many other examples in our oral history that discuss the relationship between animals and medicine. We are told that occasionally, a young person would be adopted by another group of people such as the buffalo and while living with them, would learn their songs, dances, ceremonies, and medicine. When this person returned to his village, he would share this knowledge with a small group of people. Certain animals were considered so sacred and respected that their songs and dances became incorporated into medicine societies of which only a select group of individuals are knowledgeable. To this day, these medicine societies are called upon to heal sick individuals within our community. Sometimes when an individual offends an animal in some way, perhaps by tormenting an animal or cruelly allowing it to suffer, he or she may become sick. Sometimes, it is not an individual, who suffers but a member of his or her family, perhaps a small child, that becomes ill. The sick individual will need to seek the help of the medicine society responsible for that animal. Our traditions remind us that if we are to have a healthy mind, body, and spirit, then we must be very careful to maintain good relations with our animal relatives.

Animals and Prophesies

As discussed earlier, animals not only can show us medicine, but they can help us find solutions to our problems. To this day, animals send us messages but very few people pay attention to what they are telling us. For example, the loss of mink, otter, eagles, hawks, owls, wolves, bears, buffalo, bees, and other indicator species from our territories has warned us that our environment is not healthy. The presence of high levels of environmental toxicants in the bodies of turtles has warned us about the pollution of the earth that we depend on for our survival. Not only can animals tell us about the current health of the planet but they can also send us warnings about what our future will hold.

We are told in prophesies that a time will come when humans will take the earth for granted and start abusing Creation. As a result of their disrespect, humans will upset the balance of the natural world. When this happens, the ancient turtle who is supporting the earth will begin to shake. We were also warned that when the animals begin to leave the earth to return to the Creator’s land, our communities would be subjected to unrest, sickness, and death. We were also told that if we maintained a good relationship with the natural world, remained true to our way of life and if we were strong in our spirituality, this period would only be a transition.

Continued next week