One day in the long ago, two young Indian girls were lying on the grass outside their tepee
on a warm summer evening. They were looking up into the sky, describing star-pictures formed
by their imaginations.
"That is a pretty star. I like that one," said First Girl.
"I like that one best of all--over there," Second Girl pointed.
First Girl pointed to the brightest star in the sky and said, "I like the brightest one best of all.
That is the one I want to marry."
That evening they agreed to go out the next day to gather wood.
Next morning they started for the timbered area. On their way they saw a porcupine climb a tree.
"I'll climb the tree and pull him down," said First Girl.
She climbed but could not reach the porcupine.
Every time she stretched her hand for him, the porcupine climbed a little higher.
Then the tree started growing taller. Second Girl below called to her friend, "Please come down,
the tree is growing taller!"
"No," said First Girl as the porcupine climbed higher and the tree grew taller.
Second Girl could see what was happening, so she ran back to the camp and told her people.
They rushed to the tree, but First Girl had completely disappeared!
The tree continued to grow higher and higher. Finally, First Girl reached another land.
She stepped off the tree branch and walked upon the sky! Before long she met a kindly looking middle-aged man who spoke to her.
First Girl began to cry.
"Whatever is the matter? Only last night I heard you wish that you could marry me.
I am the Brightest-Star," he said.
First Girl was pleased to meet Brightest-Star and became happy again when she got her wish and married him. He told her that she could dig roots with the other star-women, but to beware of a certain kind of white turnip with a great green top.
This kind she must never dig.
To do so was "against the medicine"--against the rules of the Sky-Chief.
Every day First Girl dug roots. Her curiosity about the strange white turnip became so intense
that she decided to dig up one of them.
It took her a long, long time.
When she finally pulled out the root, a huge hole was left.
She looked into the hole and far, far below she saw the camp of her own people.
Everything and everyone was very small, but she could see lodges and people walking.
Instantly she became homesick to see her own people again.
How could she ever get down from the sky? She realized it was a long, long way down to earth.
Then her eyes fell upon the long tough grass growing near her.
Could she braid it into a long rope?
She decided to try, every day pulling more long grass and braiding more rope.
One time her husband Brightest-Star asked, "What is it that keeps you outdoors so much of the time?"
"I walk a great distance and that makes me tired.
I need to sit down and rest before I can start back home."
At last she finished making her strong rope, thinking by now it must be long enough.
She tied one end of the rope to a log that she rolled across the top of the hole as an anchor.
She let down the rope. It looked as though it touched the ground.
She lowered herself into the hole, holding onto the braided rope.
It seemed to take a long time as she slowly lowered herself until she came to the end of the rope.
But it did not touch the earth!
For a long while she hung on dangling in midair and calling uselessly for help.
When she could hold on no longer, she fell to the ground and broke into many pieces.
Although she died, her unborn son did not die, because he was made of star-stone and did not break.
A meadowlark saw what happened and took the falling-star baby to her nest.
There the lark kept him with her own baby birds.
When they were older, Falling-Star crept out of the nest with the little birds.
The stronger the birds grew, the stronger grew Falling-Star.
Soon all of them could crawl and run.
The young birds practiced their flying while Falling-Star ran after them.
Then the young birds could fly anywhere they wished,
while Falling-Star ran faster and faster to keep up with them.
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zina : As the wind blows, as the eagle soars,
as the wolf runs, such are the ways nature,
from them we must learn, freedom.
