Long ago, Nanaboozhoo walked among the Indian people, listening to
their problems and offering assistance to those who were hungry, sick or
cold. As he was walking one day, he
went to the wigwam of an old woman who lived all alone. She only cared for
herself and helped no others in her village.
She was busy building a fire
near her wigwam. The old woman was a picture with her black fur robe, woven cap
of red and apron of light buckskin. She stood by the fire and fanned the
flames.
Now Nanaboozhoo, with his special powers of taking on different
forms, had chosen to be a ragged, hungry old man. His hair was white as new
fallen snow and his beard was long and thick. His body was bent with age and
his face wrinkled by the sun, seemed thin and week. When he appeared the old woman did not recognize him.
The old man said, “please help me, I am hungry and have come from
a long way off. I am week and need some
food. I can hardly go on”. The old woman said, “rest while I make a cake of
corn.” She took some of the cornmeal and put it into the fire to bake.
”Megwetch (thank you) smiled the old man. Soon the old woman went over to the
fire to look at the cake. She was surprised, the cake was so big. She thought
that it would be a little one and she didn’t want to give the old man such a
big cake. Quickly, she put the cake away and told the old man that she would
bake another, for that one had fallen apart. The old man appeared tired and
said he would wait. Then the old woman
took a smaller portion of cornmeal and mixed another cake. When that cake was
backed, it was bigger than the first one. She said to herself,” This is such a
nice cake, Ill have to save it for myself.” She told the old man that the fire
was to hot and the cake had burned up, but she would make another. The old man
said he would wait. This time the old
woman used less cornmeal then the first two times, but when she took the cake
from the fire, it was bigger than ever!
The old woman was upset. She couldn’t understand why each cake was
larger than the one before. She didn’t realize that it was Nanaboozhoo’s magic
that made each cake larger than the other. ”I can’t give away the nicest and
biggest cake I ever backed,” she thought. She looked at the old man and said
firmly,” I have no food for old beggers! Go and don’t bother me any longer!”
Now, Nanaboozhoo’s was angry when he heard this. He rose to his
feet and said,” old woman, you should be kind and good, but you are selfesh.
You can’t be an old woman any longer and live in your nice warm wigwam. You
must go to the woods and hunt for your food in the bark of the trees!”
Nanaboozhoo raised his arms and as he did, the old woman began to get smaller
and smaller. Soon she turned into a little bird. Nanaboozhoo turned her black
robe into shinny black feathers and her buck skin apron changed to white
feathers. The red cap became a bunch of feathers on her head. Soon, black wings
came from each side of her body and she flew into the woods.
Ever since that day, she has lived in the forest. All day long she
runs up and down the trees looking for food. The stiff feathers of her tail
help her to sit on the tree’s trunk while she pecks away with her bill,
drilling holes in the tree’s looking for bugs.
When you hear tapping in the woods, listen and remember that selfish old
woman who had no food to share with a hungry old man. Today she is the redheaded woodpecker.