Oral Literature (cont.)
The Story of Red Willow
Nana Bush was a superman of the Chippewa, he performed great deeds and nothing could harm him. Nana bush came to his canoe by the lakeshore one day. He sat down on a log and scratched his head wondering what he was going to do. �I�m hungry,� he thought to himself. �The time has come to eat. We will have ad duck dinner.�
He looked out over the lake and saw many different kinds of ducks and wondered which would taste the best. So Nana bush busied himself and started a roaring fire close to the log he was sitting on. Seeing such a good fire, he said, �One of each of the ducks will I call.� He called to the ducks to fly around over his head in a circle. He told them to close their eyes and fly low enough so that he might touch them, so he could grab them by the feet. But he also warned them that the one who first opened his eyes before being given permission would then have red eyes. And as each of the various kinds passed him, he would grab one and wring its neck. Then he covered it with clay, which was already by his die, and finally stuck its head down in the ashes. Pretty soon he had one of each kind except for one; this was the Hell Diver. But just then it opened one eye and saw Nana bush and that he had grabbed one. He received what was happening. So quickly he called to the rest of the ducks, �He is killing all of us�let us fly away!�
And so the ducks all disappeared, and there was no Mr. Hell Diver in Nana bush�s collection. From this time on the Hell Diver has had a red eye�the only duck with such a one. By now the dicks he had buried in the ashes were great in number. They made a complete circle around his large fire. He had to leave to gather more wood. Upon his return he felt wary and said to himself, �I will lie down here nearby and rest myself.� He lay awhile thinking of the good feed he would have when all the fowl were done�but finally he went to sleep. When he awoke, he thought he had slept many hours, but upon looking at the fire and seeing the way it burned, he knew well he had been asleep only a short time. Quickly he got up and walked around the fire testing the ducks. If the feet of the fowl pulled away with no effort, it was done�but should the feet not pull away, then the fowl was not yet done. Nana bush thought it was not time enough for them to be done, but he tried anyway. Then he went to lie down again. He feared, lest the sleep spirit might keep him too long under its influence and he would not hear if anyone should try to steal the ducks from the fire. But he was so sleepy by this time he had to lie down. As he did so he raised his head and said, �Watching Eye, tell me if anyone comes around.�
Soon he was fast asleep. Yet while he slept, his stomach started growling and he thought he heard his �Watching Eye� calling. So he raised up and looked around, but no one could he see. He fell asleep again. It seemed that within a few minutes his �Watching Eye� called again, but he was so tired that he paid no attention. And while he was heavy in sleep two men came and saw him. After taking all the fowl they put the duck�s feet back in the ashes again, just like Nana bush had left them. And when Nana awoke the two men had the ducks and were gone.
He raised up and was filled with a great hunger. Rising, he stretched and yawned, and though, �Now for a good feast.� He started for the first duck. And so easy did its feet pull out that he said, �Ah ta ya may wee sha minu su inge bah,� meaning, �Cooked a long time and well done.� He went on to the next and the next�then after trying them all he threw the feet into the fire and picked up a stick so that he could dig for the ducks. But he went all around the fire and, to his bewilderment; he could not find one duck. He looked up at the sun and exclaimed: � I slept not so long that they would burn up. Someone has taken them.�
He questioned the �Watching Eye� and all it would do was grunt. Then it said it had tried to waken him, but that Nana bush had turned over and would not wake up. Still Nana bush accused it, so he got a switch and started hitting the �Watching Eye��which was himself. He didn�t think that was enough punishment, so he got another switch off a thorn bush and continued punishing himself. Still he thought this was not enough. He looked at the fire and saw a hot coal. This he went to and sat on, squirming around with pain. But this was not sufficient. He walked along the lakeshore where there was a clump of underbrush. He sat down in it and squirmed just like he did in the fire. When he turned around and looked at the brush, it was all red with the blood from the punishment he had given his �Watching Eye.� And though it was part of him, he being the higher man was not harmed. So this is now the red willow got its name.
