Storytime Tapestry Newsletter

The newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world.

Special Treat – Tanja Cilia

September 17, 2007

The Rainbow:  Welcome to Utah

 Tanja Cilia

In the time of the Anasazi, The Ancient Ones, there were five Native American tribes living in Utah – the Ute (who gave their name to the place), Paiute, Navajo, Goshute, and Shoshone.

This story is about a group of Paleo-Indian children of the Southern Paiute Tribe.

They lived in the South-western corner of the area, where the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin meet, and every morning, after their share of the chores in the Wickiups and fields were done, they met in the valley of the spruces and firs, to sing and dance and play.  Sometimes, they made up stories about the Coyote and the Gopher and the Wolf. Sometimes they managed to trap birds, cottontail rabbits and fish from Lake Cusipa, with spears that had points of sharpened obsidian.

Now Pamaklasu, who was usually the leader in all the games, had a brilliant idea for a new one. He told each of his half-a-dozen friends to wear clothes of a particular colour, so that they would have a competition to choose the best one, with The Elders of the Tribe as judges.

Each child would have to say why his colour was the most important one of all.

He put feathers of different colours inside a snakeskin bag, and each child drew out one without allowing the others to see which one it was.

When the time came, they turned up at the shores of the Salt Lake. The Women had already made preparations for the picnic that was to be held at the nearby playa later.  Each family had brought hemp baskets overflowing with food, and there were huge gourds filled with the juices of crushed berries, and pottery jars filled with cool water from the spring.

Pamaklasu had the green feather. “Look!” he said, “You can look all a round you and see that I am the sign of life.  Green is the colour of trees and grass. Men or animals would have nothing to eat without me.”

But Cupenla, whose feather was yellow, laughed.  She said “Oh, how ridiculous you are.  If there had not been the sun, which is yellow like me, there would be no grass.  Yellow is the colour of laughter; even the pears and melons and mangosteen are happy fruits!”

The orange feather had been picked by Tyaminilja.  So she said “What are you talking about?  Oranges and lychees and pumpkins, as well as carrots, mangoes and papayas are all orange, and we all know how nutritious they are.  When I light up the sky at sunrise and sunset, I make the world beautiful!”

Shosagna put his hands on his hips, lifted his head, and huffed “Is that what you think?  The rest of the day, the sky is blue, is it not?  And what about the river, and the lake?  Water gives life, and it is blue, like my feather….”

At this point, Klumuk stamped his feet and in a loud voice declared “You all know nothing.  Red is the colour of the blood that runs in our veins.  It is the colour of fire.  It is the main colour of the warpaint our Braves put on.  I warn you that there is danger so that you are careful not to get hurt… and I am the colour of the beautiful poinsettia, and the poppy from which we make dye for our clothes….”

With a flourish of her purple cloak, and a toss of her long, braided hair, Gertyaxl showed that she wanted to speak next.  “Look at me!  My colour is purple, the colour of Chiefs, who chose it because it is the colour of intelligence, knowledge and power.  I only know of one fruit, star apples and one vegetable, aubergines, that are purple, but it does not matter.  I am the ceremonial colour of choice…”

There was only the timid Qaswuthli left to speak.  In a soft voice, such that everyone had to strain his ears to hear hi he said “I am Indigo, the colour of peace and quiet, stillness and tranquillity, harmony and calm.  As you can see, I allowed everyone to have his say before me, but I do not mind.  I bring friendship.  I represent silence and serenity.”

The Shaman, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, stood up.  “Well done, my children.  Now I want you to join hands and walk across to the water, and wave your feathers.”

They did so, and stood at the edge of the lake, waiting to see what he would say next.

“Look up at the sky!” he exclaimed. 

There, reflected in the clouds, and stretching across the sky, was a wide band made up of the colours that the children were wearing.  It was a Rainbow.  Everyone was amazed at this.

The Shaman told them that this showed how in the world, everyone was important.

 Tanja Cilia

tanjachilja@hotmail.com