As Retold and illustrated by Bob Neeley

Long ago person -kwāday dān tg’inchi’- tells this story:

Three Indian sisters are walking along the water. It just says “water,” it could be anywhere. It was wintertime. They were walking along the water and then the younger sister -nildaedze- stepped on a large block and then the block of ice floated away and the two sisters couldn’t do anything.

It drifted farther away along the water and the two sisters couldn’t see them anymore because they were that far away. That one Indian girl was singing Indian songs and praying. Then she saw what looked like a canoe or a boat with some people in it paddling towards her. It was Indian men in a kayak. They paddled it to her and saved her. 

This story is spiritual -ufene. What this means is in our life we have struggles. And when something happens that breaks us someone along the way will come along to help us out, and we live and work together in our life struggles. When you go through life you’re not alone and then other people will follow your footsteps. Walk in a sacred way.

When you’re walking down the path of life there’s two trails. One is black, burnt ashes, and the other is a trail of green life full of food and good things. The other trail is bad- burnt black ashes. If you walk on that trail, you’ll do stupid things. So walk on the good trail of life, the green trail full of food and everything. 

Tsin'aen Ne’k’eltaeni

For more of Bob Neeley’s artwork, visit Living off the Land: Pen and Ink by Bob Neeley.