There once lived among the Seneca a young hunter named Little Water. He knew the forest and the animals so well that he could always find food for his people. But he never took more than was needed and he always gave thanks.
Often he went into the woods and did not hunt at all. Among his people it was said that he had a special gift -- he could talk with the animals. He never tired of learning from them for there was always more to know. Wolf was his special friend. Sometimes Wolf seemed to know what Little Water was thinking without a word passing between them.
One summer, Little Water was away from the village for such a long time, the leaves started to change their colors. That meant he was needed at home to help with the harvest, but he did not mind for it was a happy time of year. When the corn and other vegetables were safely stored for the winter, there would be a festival with drums, dancing and a great feast.
Little Water said goodbye to Wolf and hurried home. But as he approached the village he was puzzled by the silence. No one was in the cornfields. No children played by the lakeshore. No smoke came from the cooking fires in the longhouses.
Then, at the water's edge, Little Water was relieved to see his grandfather. Stone Owl was also the medicine man of the village and the people depended on him for wisdom and confidence, as well as for his medicine. But now he sat, bent over and staring at the ground, as if he did not know what to do.
"What's the matter, Grandfather?", Little Water called. "Where is everyone?"
Stone Owl looked up and tried to smile. "I was coming to look for you, Little Water," he said. "A terrible sickness has come over the village. My medicine does not cure it. Everyone is too weak to work. If we do not die from the sickness, we will starve this winter. There is no one to harvest the corn. We need your help."
"I will work the fields by myself," Little Water offered.
"No," said Stone Owl. "We need you for something else. It is said that the animals know a cure for this sicknesss. Go back to the forest. Ask for their help."
The gentle autumn weather turned violent just as little Water began his search. Rain poured down in blinding sheets and the wind blew wet leaves from the trees. Little Water tried calling the animals but they could not hear him over the sound of the wind and the rain.
Towards evening, just when Little Water was hoping the rain would stop, it got worse. The sky was split by lightning and wind drove the rain against his face like pine needles. Little Water stumbled on, almost blind. He did not see the cliff in front of him.
The storm passed. When the moon came out it cast a soft light over the forest. In the shadows below the cliff Little Water lay against the rock where he had fallen.
Wolf, out on a night hunt, was the first animal to come across Little Water. "Wake up, my friend," Wolf said, and licked Little Water's face. But Little Water showed no sight of life. Wolf raised his head to the sky and let forth a howl for help that rang through the night.
"Come, my brothers," cried Wolf. "Our friend Little Water needs us."
The moon shone brighter and lit the paths and waters leading to Wolf.
Many traveled all night to reach Wolf. Bear arrived at dawn and helped Wolf move Little Water to a more comfortable spot. Deer, Hawk, and Turtle watched, worried about their friend. Otter, the last to arrive, adked what had happened.
"Little Water was searching for us when he fell," Wolf told them. "His people are sick. They need our help to get well."
"We must do what we can," said Bear.
Turtle agreed. "Little Water has always shown us kindness and respect."
"Each of us must give a part of ourselves," said Otter. "We must tell him of our secret medicines."
As he lay unconcious, Little Water saw the animals moving over him in a great dance of life. He learned the secrets that would save his people.
Deer, who lost his antlers every winter and grew new ones every spring, was the first to speak. "The antlers of the deer will begin the renewal of life," he said.
Then it was Bear's turn: "The claws of the bear will give strength."
"The feathers of the hawk will grant peace," Hawk said.
"The shell of the turtle will make the music," Turtle said.
Otter spoke next. "The skin of the otter will make a medicing bag to hold the magic. Wear it around your neck."
Wolf was the last to speak, as they all swirled around Little Water. "I will give you my song. When you hear me sing to Grandmother Moon, you will know we are watching over you."
In the morning, Little Water awoke just in time to see the animals leaving. At first he was confused, trying to remember what had happened. Then he saw Wolf sitting beside him.
"They have told you all they know," Wolf said. "They have shown you what you must do. Now I will take you back to your village."
"Will I remember it all?" Little Water asked.
"Yes," said Wolf. "Once it is known, it is never forgotten."
Wolf accompanied Little Water back to the village. In the silence, Little Water wondered if his grandfather, too, had fallen ill. Then as he got closer to the longhouses, Stone Owl appeared.
Little Water ran to him. "Grandfather, the animals have shown me how to cure our people. I have their secrets."
Together, Little Water and Stone Owl called for everyone to come to the doors of their longhouses. Those too weak to walk were helped out. Then Little Water told the people about the secret fige of each animal that would make them well, about the songs they must sing and the dances they must perform. As they began to recover, they sang louder and danced faster, feeling their strength return. Soon they were well enough to bring in the corn, beans and squash, and the harvest festival began.
Little Water knew his people would always be grateful to the animals. And when Grandmother Moon shone her brightest, he listened for the distant call of his friend Wolf.
The legend of Little Walter illustrates the high regard held by Native Americans for the natural world around them. Not only did they rely on certain animals for food, clothing and shelter but for their medicines as well.
The Seneca were the westernmost and largest tribe of the Iroquois Confederacy, or The Five Nations, a political organization so admired it is said to have influenced the writers of the American Constitution. Established by Hiawatha in the early part of the 16th century, the Confederacy comprised the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca nations. Each tribe was completely self-governing in local matters while conceding power for all external affairs to a central authority. (In the late 18th century, the Confederacy would become The Six Nations when the Tuscarora, a southern Iroquois tribe, migrated north and settled in the region.)
The Seneca inhabited parts of what is now northwestern New York. At one time, their reach spread into southern Ontario but histilities with Ojibway tribes in the late 17th century forced them south of the Great Lakes again. Ancestors of the Seneca and other tribes of the Confederacy can be traced in the region to 500 BC and possibly as far back as 4000 BC. They were both farmers and hunters, with the women doing most of the farming and harvesting of corn, beans and squash while the men were responsible for hunting and trading with neighboring tribes.
The Seneca continue to live in northwestern New York and the Little Water Society still exists among the tribes of the Confederacy, showing us the relevancy of the legend to this day. The other tribes of The Six Nations occupy a large area stretching from southern Ontario and the Finger Lakes region of New York in the west to Montreal, Quebec, in the east.
Sources of information: Indians of the United States by Clark Wissler; The Indians of Canada by Diamond Jenness; The Canadian Encyclopedia, Volume III.
Little Water and the gift of the animals is a retelling of "The Grateful animals, a legend of the Little Water Society" from Legends of the Longhouse by J.J. Cornplanter, published by Iroqrafts Ltd.