Turtle, Partridge and the Wolves
Keno lays his mended net aside. “Mother is about to begin,” Keno tells the family’s younger sons. “Would you like to listen to her story?”
All three scurry to Kmonokwe. Five Autumns finds a warm place in her lap, his head leaning back against her throat. Nine Winters lies on a three-striped blanket beside her, his forehead nudging Kmonokwe’s knee. Shkote sits close at her side.
Kshiwe meets her eyes from across the long house, Kmonokwe, his precious companion. With aching back and backside, he rolls onto a knee, then struggles upright. Carrying his buffalo robe on a shoulder, he crosses to where She-Walks-in-Swirling-Snow and Ten Summers Girl decorate tall, winter moccasins. He holds out a hand to each saying, “Come, Daughters. Mother is ready.”
From a far alcove, the elders Coohcoocheeh and her companion Odawa Mide appear, arm in arm.
“When will Kmonokwe ever start?” Coohcoocheeh whispers, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“You’re just in time,” Kshiwe says as they join the story circle.
“Little ones!” Kmonokwe says with a smile. “Shall I tell how Turtle, Partridge, and the Wolves went hunting?”
“Oh, yes. Please,” says Five Autumns, turning his face against her heart.
All three scurry to Kmonokwe. Five Autumns finds a warm place in her lap, his head leaning back against her throat. Nine Winters lies on a three-striped blanket beside her, his forehead nudging Kmonokwe’s knee. Shkote sits close at her side.
Kshiwe meets her eyes from across the long house, Kmonokwe, his precious companion. With aching back and backside, he rolls onto a knee, then struggles upright. Carrying his buffalo robe on a shoulder, he crosses to where She-Walks-in-Swirling-Snow and Ten Summers Girl decorate tall, winter moccasins. He holds out a hand to each saying, “Come, Daughters. Mother is ready.”
From a far alcove, the elders Coohcoocheeh and her companion Odawa Mide appear, arm in arm.
“When will Kmonokwe ever start?” Coohcoocheeh whispers, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“You’re just in time,” Kshiwe says as they join the story circle.
“Little ones!” Kmonokwe says with a smile. “Shall I tell how Turtle, Partridge, and the Wolves went hunting?”
“Oh, yes. Please,” says Five Autumns, turning his face against her heart.
Long ago, Turtle, Partridge, and a family of Wolves all lived together in the same village. One fall day they decided to go hunting together. They left their village, one following another as the Wolves led, until they reached a place deep in the forest where trees were tall. Pack Mother, She Wolf, told everyone to spread out to walk in a straight line abreast. If anyone spotted game, they must give a bird call and everyone would rush forward to surround the prey. Turtle and Partridge were friends and they were a little afraid of Wolves, so they walked close beside one another at the line’s far right end. When Turtle came to a fallen tree, he was too short to climb over, so Partridge came to grab Turtle’s back foot and toss him to the other side. A little later, Turtle again came to a huge limb lying in his path and Partridge came to throw him over it as well.
Finally, Partridge said, ‘If you can’t climb, go around!’
‘But She Wolf said we must go straight ahead,’ Turtle replied.
‘You figure it out,’ Partridge said, ‘or we’ll leave you behind.’
Since no one would help him, Turtle soon found that rounding each log led him farther away from the line of hunters, and before long he was out of sight, even from his friend Partridge. After a time Turtle came to a stream and beside this stream was a ripe plum tree. Turtle picked luscious, fallen fruit, but he could only stretch high enough to pluck plums from the lowest branch. He carried all the plums he gathered in his cape and went to eat them in sunshine.
Finally, Partridge said, ‘If you can’t climb, go around!’
‘But She Wolf said we must go straight ahead,’ Turtle replied.
‘You figure it out,’ Partridge said, ‘or we’ll leave you behind.’
Since no one would help him, Turtle soon found that rounding each log led him farther away from the line of hunters, and before long he was out of sight, even from his friend Partridge. After a time Turtle came to a stream and beside this stream was a ripe plum tree. Turtle picked luscious, fallen fruit, but he could only stretch high enough to pluck plums from the lowest branch. He carried all the plums he gathered in his cape and went to eat them in sunshine.
Pretty soon, Elk came striding along and he stopped to talk with Turtle.
‘How do you come to have so many lovely plums in your cape?’ Elk asked.
‘Why you can see for yourself. They are from Plum Tree down by the stream.’
‘How did you reach them?’ Elk asked.
‘You have only to stretch out your neck,’ Turtle said, realizing that Elk wasn’t very bright. ‘But an easy way is to do what I did.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I stood back a good way, then I lowered my head and ran to butt Plum Tree as hard as I could. I hurt my head some, I must admit, but it was worth it. A great many ripe plums came down.’
‘That sounds like a good idea.’
So Elk backed up, lowered his head and ran as fast as he could against Plum Tree.
Now, all the children in Kshiwe’s lodge are laughing. Nine Winters sits up beside Kmonokwe and shakes his head at Elk’s foolishness. Kmonokwe continues when everyone is quiet.
Elk was dazed and he fell down in a heap. Turtle quickly took out his knife and leapt onto Elk’s back to cut his throat. Pretty soon Elk’s Spirit flew away, disgusted by how easily he had been tricked. A little later, Partridge came along and found Turtle sitting atop Elk’s body.
“My friend! I did not know you were such a great hunter. How did you kill Elk?”
Turtle explained, but then he said, ‘We don’t have to share this meat with She Wolf’s pack. Let us hide away and live easy until spring.’
And that is what Partridge and Turtle did – they hid the meat and themselves high up in a hollow tree.
‘How do you come to have so many lovely plums in your cape?’ Elk asked.
‘Why you can see for yourself. They are from Plum Tree down by the stream.’
‘How did you reach them?’ Elk asked.
‘You have only to stretch out your neck,’ Turtle said, realizing that Elk wasn’t very bright. ‘But an easy way is to do what I did.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I stood back a good way, then I lowered my head and ran to butt Plum Tree as hard as I could. I hurt my head some, I must admit, but it was worth it. A great many ripe plums came down.’
‘That sounds like a good idea.’
So Elk backed up, lowered his head and ran as fast as he could against Plum Tree.
Now, all the children in Kshiwe’s lodge are laughing. Nine Winters sits up beside Kmonokwe and shakes his head at Elk’s foolishness. Kmonokwe continues when everyone is quiet.
Elk was dazed and he fell down in a heap. Turtle quickly took out his knife and leapt onto Elk’s back to cut his throat. Pretty soon Elk’s Spirit flew away, disgusted by how easily he had been tricked. A little later, Partridge came along and found Turtle sitting atop Elk’s body.
“My friend! I did not know you were such a great hunter. How did you kill Elk?”
Turtle explained, but then he said, ‘We don’t have to share this meat with She Wolf’s pack. Let us hide away and live easy until spring.’
And that is what Partridge and Turtle did – they hid the meat and themselves high up in a hollow tree.
After finding no game, the Wolves returned to their village alone, supposing Partridge and Turtle had met with some misfortune.
The Wolves spent a very hungry winter indeed.
Now when spring came and snows were melting, She Wolf decided to go hunting again for her pack was weak from starvation. As they wandered through the forest, they came to that same stream, and beneath a hollow tree, they found Elk’s bones.
Partridge had told Turtle they must bury the bones as they ate, but Turtle was careless and just tossed them out onto the ground below.
‘Turtle and Partridge have tricked us,’ She Wolf said. ‘They have killed Elk and hidden from us so they would not have to share. Chop down this tree with your tomahawks, my children, and we will punish these rascals.’
And so the Wolves cut the tree down, and when it fell upon the ground, Partridge flew away in terror. But Turtle was not fast enough and he was caught.
‘To punish you,’ one Wolf said, ‘we’ll bash your head with a rock.’
Around Kshiwe’s fireside, little ones throw furs over their heads to hide from vengeful Wolves. Kmonokwe goes on when the youngest peeks out.
But Turtle just pulled his head inside his shell and laughed at Wolves holding rocks.
“Well, then,” another Wolf said. ‘We’ll cut you into little pieces with our knives.’
But Turtle only pulled his head and legs deeper inside his shell and laughed some more.
Finally, a third Wolf had an idea. ‘We’ll throw you in the stream to drown.’
Then Turtle began to cry out and moan. ‘No, no, please. Not that!’
She Wolf snapped up Turtle in her jaws, carried him away and dropped him into the stream.
The Wolves spent a very hungry winter indeed.
Now when spring came and snows were melting, She Wolf decided to go hunting again for her pack was weak from starvation. As they wandered through the forest, they came to that same stream, and beneath a hollow tree, they found Elk’s bones.
Partridge had told Turtle they must bury the bones as they ate, but Turtle was careless and just tossed them out onto the ground below.
‘Turtle and Partridge have tricked us,’ She Wolf said. ‘They have killed Elk and hidden from us so they would not have to share. Chop down this tree with your tomahawks, my children, and we will punish these rascals.’
And so the Wolves cut the tree down, and when it fell upon the ground, Partridge flew away in terror. But Turtle was not fast enough and he was caught.
‘To punish you,’ one Wolf said, ‘we’ll bash your head with a rock.’
Around Kshiwe’s fireside, little ones throw furs over their heads to hide from vengeful Wolves. Kmonokwe goes on when the youngest peeks out.
But Turtle just pulled his head inside his shell and laughed at Wolves holding rocks.
“Well, then,” another Wolf said. ‘We’ll cut you into little pieces with our knives.’
But Turtle only pulled his head and legs deeper inside his shell and laughed some more.
Finally, a third Wolf had an idea. ‘We’ll throw you in the stream to drown.’
Then Turtle began to cry out and moan. ‘No, no, please. Not that!’
She Wolf snapped up Turtle in her jaws, carried him away and dropped him into the stream.
Inside Kshiwe’s winter lodge, little children are wide-eyed, but the older ones, Ten Summers Girl, Shkote and Nine Winters laugh and roll about.
As Turtle floated away, he did not forget to wave goodbye to his former friends.
‘What did you forget?’ Turtle called. ‘Goodbye! Goodbye!’
“And now you know,” Kmonokwe said as the story ended, “why Partridge lives out on the prairie and Turtle lives in swamps and rivers, both far from She Wolf’s jaws.”
As Turtle floated away, he did not forget to wave goodbye to his former friends.
‘What did you forget?’ Turtle called. ‘Goodbye! Goodbye!’
“And now you know,” Kmonokwe said as the story ended, “why Partridge lives out on the prairie and Turtle lives in swamps and rivers, both far from She Wolf’s jaws.”
