An old Indian chief sat in his hut on the reservation, smoking a ceremonial pipe and eyeing two U.S. government officials sent to interview him.
"Chief Two Eagles" asked one official, "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress--and the damage he's done."
The Chief nodded in agreement.
The official continued, "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"
The Chief stared at the government officials for over a minute and then calmly replied ........... "When white man found the land, Indians were running it--no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, women did all the work, medicine man free, Indian man spent all day hunting and fishing and all night having sex."
Then the chief leaned back and smiled .... "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that. An old Indian chief sat in his hut on the reservation, smoking a ceremonial pipe and eyeing two U.S. government officials sent to interview him.
"Chief Two Eagles" asked one official, "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress--and the damage he's done."
The Chief nodded in agreement.
The official continued, "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"
The Chief stared at the government officials for over a minute and then calmly replied ........... "When white man found the land, Indians were running it--no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, women did all the work, medicine man free, Indian man spent all day hunting and fishing and all night having sex."
Then the chief leaned back and smiled .... "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that.
" An Animal Totem "
:
Is an important symbolic object used by a person to get in touch with specific
qualities found within an animal which the person needs, connects with, or
feels a deep affinity toward.
You can have several animal guides through out your life. Sometimes an animal
guide will come into your life for a short period of time, and then be
replaced by another depending on the journey or direction you are headed
toward. Your guide will instruct and protect you as you learn how to navigate
through your spiritual and physical life. When you find an animal that speaks
strongly to you or feel you must draw more deeply into your life, you might
fill your environment with images of the animal to let the animal know it's
welcome in your space. Animal guides can help you get back to your Earthly
roots, and reconnect with nature by reminding you that we are all
interconnected. To first do this you need to know what your Animal Totem is.
If You Don't Know:
If you don't know what your Animal Totem is there are several questions you
can ask yourself. All of the questions below are designed to get you thinking
about a prominent animal in your life. There are no right or wrong answers.
Only you can truly know which Animal Totem(s) are right for your journey.
Since we are drawn to that which resonates with us, what animal, bird, or
insect are you drawn to?
When you go to the park, forest, or zoo what animal are you most interested
in seeing?
What animal do you most frequently see when you're out in nature or in the
city?
What animals are you currently interested in learning about?
Which animal do you find most frightening or intriguing?
Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an animal?
Is there a recurring animal in your dreams or do you have one you have never
forgotten?
Still Uncertain?
If you are still uncertain which animal is your totem, here a few exercises you
can do to come closer to the answer. You must not try to force the animal to
come, it can pick up on that energy and be put off. Being patient and doing
the following exercises will draw your animal totem to you.
Ask yourself what animal has played a meaningful part in your world?
If you're unsure, make a list of animals that have drawn your interest or have
left a deep impression on you from paintings, photographs, stories, movies,
carvings, etc.
Which animal shows up in your life most frequently? Keep a journal of the
animals present in your dreams or that you encounter through the day for
the next month. How did the animal behave? Did you interact with the animal?
Find a place where you can be alone to meditate.
Sit quietly and ask your animal to make it's nature known to you.
Feel free to use tools such as incense, smudge, and candles to help you.
Don't give up, sometimes your animal totem is nearby watching to see if you're
serious about connecting with it. Keep doing the above exercises until your
animal totem makes itself known to you.
We fear mistakes more than anything else. Mistakes bring
on ridicule. Mistakes expose the unsure, frail and diffident
hiding within.
Can anyone brag of living a mistake free life? Perhaps if
they were to spend their days on an armchair by the
fireside. A live of doing this is half-lived, wasted and
incomplete.
Fear of making mistakes holds you back from doing many
things. Ultimately too many joys go undiscovered. Regrets
smother you and you become even more fearful. It's a
vicious cycle.
Remember that nobody is above you. Others may know more,
but they have also walked the same path before you.
To get to where they are standing, you may have to make a
mistake or two. So what, why not feel the joy you deserve
and go for it?
Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is
to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. To read less and think less. To try less and
discipline ourselves less. These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are the choices that, once made,
lead to a life of constant apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation.
And the second choice? To do it all! To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book that we possibly can.
To earn as much as we possibly can. To give and share as much as we possibly can. To strive and produce and
accomplish as much as we possibly can. All of us have the choice.
To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be less or to be nothing at all.
Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our capabilities.
Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can?
Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for doing
less than we could do is to fail in this worthiest of undertakings.
Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results!
And if our results are less than our potential suggests that they should be, then we must strive to become more today than
we were the day before. The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the
world around them as a result of whom and what they have become.
Fate handed the quitter a bump, and he dropped;
The road seemed too rough to go, so he stopped.
He thought of his hurt, and there came to his mind
The easier path he was leaving behind.
Oh, it's all much too hard, said the quitter right then;
I'll stop where I am and not try it again.
He sat by the road and he made up his tale
To tell when men asked why he happened to fail.
A thousand excuses flew up to his tongue,
And these on the thread of his story he strung,
But the truth of the matter he didn't admit;
He never once said, I was frightened and quit.
Whenever the quitter sits down by the road
And drops from the struggle to lighten his load,
He can always recall to his own peace of mind
A string of excuses for falling behind;
But somehow or other he can't think of one
Good reason for battling and going right on.
Oh, when the bump comes and fate hands you a jar,
Don't baby yourself, boy, whoever you are;
Don't pity yourself and talk over your woes;
Don't think up excuses for dodging the blows.
But stick to the battle and see the thing through.
And don't be a quitter, whatever you do.
It's difficult to let go of; a marriage, a child,
a job, an addiction, a business, your home, the past
or your dreams and goals. Letting go is sometimes
necessary for growth, your sanity, peace of mind and
health.
There's fine line between persistence and insistence.
There's a fine line between having faith or being
foolish. Letting go doesn't always mean you gave
up.
Sometimes life doesn't turn right --- it turns left and
you must learn how to regroup or re-invent yourself,
increase your faith and let go of old baggage. I can
remember all too well how I used to try to hold on to
people, the past and even projects and dreams. But
I needed to let go. It didn't mean I gave up. I
matured. I released. I grew to understand the
wisdom of many teachers.
"There are people who can walk away from you.
And, hear me when I tell you this.
When people can walk away from you, let them walk.
I don't want you to try to talk another person into
staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring
about you, coming to see you, staying attached to
you. I mean hang up the phone. When people can
walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is
never tied to anybody that left.
Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others,
It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.
Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them, life is meaningless
Do not let your life slip through your fingers
By living in the past nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
You live all the days of your life.
Do not give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that binds is to each other.
Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Do not shut out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.
In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
To be without hope is to be without purpose.
Do not run through life so fast that you forget
not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
n the beginning all living things - men, animals, plants and trees - spoke the same language and behaved in much the same way. Animals, like people, were organized into tribes. They had chiefs, lived in houses, held councils and ceremonies.
Many animals had characteristics which we would not recognize today. The rabbit, for example, was fierce, bold and cunning, and a great mischief maker. It was through Rabbit's tricks that the deer lost his sharp wolf-like teeth, the buzzard his handsome topknot of feathers and the opossum his long, bushy tail.
Opossum was very proud of his tail which, in those days, was covered with thick black fur. He spent long hours cleaning and brushing it and composing songs about its beauty and vigour. Sometimes, when he walked through the village, he carried his tail erect, like a banner rippling in the breeze. At other times, he swept it low behind him, like a train. It was useful as well as beautiful, for when Opossum lay down to sleep, he tucked it under him to make a soft bed, and in cold weather he folded it over his body to keep himself warm.
Rabbit was very jealous of Opossum's tail. He, too, had once had a long bushy tail but, during the course of a a fight with Bear, he had lost most of it and now had only a short fluffy tuft. The sight of Opossum strutting before the other animals and swirling his tail ostentatiously, filled Rabbit with rage and he made up his mind to play a trick on him at the first opportunity.
At this time, when the animals still lived harmoniously together, each had his appointed station and duty. Thus, Frog was leader in the council and Rabbit, because of his speed, was employed to carry messages and announcements to the others.
As was their custom from time to time, the animals decided to hold a great council to discuss important matters and Rabbit, as usual, was given the task of arranging the gathering and delivering the invitations. Councils were also occasions for feasting and dancing and Rabbit saw a way of bringing about Opossum's downfall.
When Rabbit arrived with the news of the meeting, Opossum was sitting by the door of his lodge engaged in his favourite occupation - grooming his tail.
'I come to call you to the great council tomorrow, brother Opossum,' said Rabbit. 'Will you attend and join in the dance ?'
'Only if I am given a special seat,' replied the conceited Opossum, carefully smoothing some untidy hairs at the tip of his tail. 'After all,' he went on, grinning maliciously at Rabbit, 'I have such a beautiful long tail that I ought to sit where everyone can see and admire it.'
Rabbit was almost beside himself with fury, but he pretended not to notice the jibe and said, 'But of course, brother Opossum! I will personally see to it that you have the best seat in the council lodge, and I will also send someone to dress your tail specially for the dance.'
Opossum was delighted by this suggestion and Rabbit left him singing the praises of his tail even more loudly than usual.
Next, Rabbit called on the cricket, whom Indians call the barber, because of his fame as an expert hair-cutter. Cricket listened with growing amazement as Rabbit recounted his conversation with Opossum. Like all the other animals, he found Opossum's vanity and arrogance very tiresome.
He began to protest, but Rabbit held up a paw and said, 'Wait a moment. I have a plan and I need your help. Listen...', and he dropped his voice as he told Cricket what he wanted him to do.
Early next morning Cricket presented himself at Opossum's door and said that he had been sent by Rabbit to prepare the famous tail for the council that evening. Opossum made himself comfortable on the floor and stretched out his tail. Cricket began to comb it gently.
'I will wrap this red cord round your tail as I comb it,' he explained, 'so that it will remain smooth and neat for the dance tonight.'
Opossum found Cricket's ministrations so soothing that he fell asleep, awakening just as Cricket was tying the final knot in the red cord which now completely swathed his tail.
'I will keep it bound up until the very last moment,' thought Opossum gleefully. 'How envious the others will be when I finally reveal it in all its beauty!'
That evening, his tail still tightly wrapped in the red cord, Opossum marched into the council lodge and was led to his special seat by a strangely obsequious Rabbit.
Soon it was time for the dancing to take place. The drums and rattles began to sound. Opossum stood up, loosened the cord from his tail and stepped proudly into the centre of the dance floor. He began to sing.
'Look at my beautiful tail!' he sang as he circled the floor. 'See how it sweeps the ground!'
There was a great shout from the audience and some of the animals began to applaud. 'How they admire me!' though Opossum and he continued dancing and singing loudly. 'See how my tail gleams in the firelight!'
Again everyone shouted and cheered. Opossum began to have just the merest suspicion that all was not quite as it should be. Was there possibly a hint of mockery in their voices ? He dismissed such an absurd idea and continued dancing.
'My tail is stronger than the eagle's, more lustrous than the raven's!'
At this the animals shrieked so loudly that Opossum stopped in his tracks and looked at them. To his astonishment and chagrin they were all convulsed with laughter, some leaning weakly on their neighbour's shoulders, others rolling on the ground in their mirth. Several were pointing at his tail.
Bewildered, Opossum looked down and saw to his horror that his tail, his beautiful, thick, glossy tail, was now balk and scaly like that of a lizard. Nothing remained of its former glory. While pretending to comb it, the wily Cricket had snipped off every single lair.
Opossum was so overcome with shame and confusion that he could not utter a sound. Instead he rolled over helplessly on his back, grimmacing with embarrasment, just as opossums still do today, when taken by surprise.
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" A Wise Old Indian Chief "
An old Indian chief sat in his hut on the reservation, smoking a ceremonial pipe and eyeing two U.S. government officials sent to interview him.
"Chief Two Eagles" asked one official, "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress--and the damage he's done."
The Chief nodded in agreement.
The official continued, "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"
The Chief stared at the government officials for over a minute and then calmly replied ........... "When white man found the land, Indians were running it--no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, women did all the work, medicine man free, Indian man spent all day hunting and fishing and all night having sex."
Then the chief leaned back and smiled .... "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that. An old Indian chief sat in his hut on the reservation, smoking a ceremonial pipe and eyeing two U.S. government officials sent to interview him.
"Chief Two Eagles" asked one official, "You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress--and the damage he's done."
The Chief nodded in agreement.
The official continued, "Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?"
The Chief stared at the government officials for over a minute and then calmly replied ........... "When white man found the land, Indians were running it--no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, women did all the work, medicine man free, Indian man spent all day hunting and fishing and all night having sex."
Then the chief leaned back and smiled .... "Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that.
" An Animal Totem "
:
Is an important symbolic object used by a person to get in touch with specific
qualities found within an animal which the person needs, connects with, or
feels a deep affinity toward.
You can have several animal guides through out your life. Sometimes an animal
guide will come into your life for a short period of time, and then be
replaced by another depending on the journey or direction you are headed
toward. Your guide will instruct and protect you as you learn how to navigate
through your spiritual and physical life. When you find an animal that speaks
strongly to you or feel you must draw more deeply into your life, you might
fill your environment with images of the animal to let the animal know it's
welcome in your space. Animal guides can help you get back to your Earthly
roots, and reconnect with nature by reminding you that we are all
interconnected. To first do this you need to know what your Animal Totem is.
If You Don't Know:
If you don't know what your Animal Totem is there are several questions you
can ask yourself. All of the questions below are designed to get you thinking
about a prominent animal in your life. There are no right or wrong answers.
Only you can truly know which Animal Totem(s) are right for your journey.
Since we are drawn to that which resonates with us, what animal, bird, or
insect are you drawn to?
When you go to the park, forest, or zoo what animal are you most interested
in seeing?
What animal do you most frequently see when you're out in nature or in the
city?
What animals are you currently interested in learning about?
Which animal do you find most frightening or intriguing?
Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an animal?
Is there a recurring animal in your dreams or do you have one you have never
forgotten?
Still Uncertain?
If you are still uncertain which animal is your totem, here a few exercises you
can do to come closer to the answer. You must not try to force the animal to
come, it can pick up on that energy and be put off. Being patient and doing
the following exercises will draw your animal totem to you.
Ask yourself what animal has played a meaningful part in your world?
If you're unsure, make a list of animals that have drawn your interest or have
left a deep impression on you from paintings, photographs, stories, movies,
carvings, etc.
Which animal shows up in your life most frequently? Keep a journal of the
animals present in your dreams or that you encounter through the day for
the next month. How did the animal behave? Did you interact with the animal?
Find a place where you can be alone to meditate.
Sit quietly and ask your animal to make it's nature known to you.
Feel free to use tools such as incense, smudge, and candles to help you.
Don't give up, sometimes your animal totem is nearby watching to see if you're
serious about connecting with it. Keep doing the above exercises until your
animal totem makes itself known to you.
" FEARING MISTAKES "
We fear mistakes more than anything else. Mistakes bring
on ridicule. Mistakes expose the unsure, frail and diffident
hiding within.
Can anyone brag of living a mistake free life? Perhaps if
they were to spend their days on an armchair by the
fireside. A live of doing this is half-lived, wasted and
incomplete.
Fear of making mistakes holds you back from doing many
things. Ultimately too many joys go undiscovered. Regrets
smother you and you become even more fearful. It's a
vicious cycle.
Remember that nobody is above you. Others may know more,
but they have also walked the same path before you.
To get to where they are standing, you may have to make a
mistake or two. So what, why not feel the joy you deserve
and go for it?
" THE TWO CHOICES WE FACE "
Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is
to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. To read less and think less. To try less and
discipline ourselves less. These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are the choices that, once made,
lead to a life of constant apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation.
And the second choice? To do it all! To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book that we possibly can.
To earn as much as we possibly can. To give and share as much as we possibly can. To strive and produce and
accomplish as much as we possibly can. All of us have the choice.
To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be less or to be nothing at all.
Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our capabilities.
Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can?
Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for doing
less than we could do is to fail in this worthiest of undertakings.
Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results!
And if our results are less than our potential suggests that they should be, then we must strive to become more today than
we were the day before. The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the
world around them as a result of whom and what they have become.
" The Quitter "
Fate handed the quitter a bump, and he dropped;
The road seemed too rough to go, so he stopped.
He thought of his hurt, and there came to his mind
The easier path he was leaving behind.
Oh, it's all much too hard, said the quitter right then;
I'll stop where I am and not try it again.
He sat by the road and he made up his tale
To tell when men asked why he happened to fail.
A thousand excuses flew up to his tongue,
And these on the thread of his story he strung,
But the truth of the matter he didn't admit;
He never once said, I was frightened and quit.
Whenever the quitter sits down by the road
And drops from the struggle to lighten his load,
He can always recall to his own peace of mind
A string of excuses for falling behind;
But somehow or other he can't think of one
Good reason for battling and going right on.
Oh, when the bump comes and fate hands you a jar,
Don't baby yourself, boy, whoever you are;
Don't pity yourself and talk over your woes;
Don't think up excuses for dodging the blows.
But stick to the battle and see the thing through.
And don't be a quitter, whatever you do.
" LETTING GO "
It's difficult to let go of; a marriage, a child,
a job, an addiction, a business, your home, the past
or your dreams and goals. Letting go is sometimes
necessary for growth, your sanity, peace of mind and
health.
There's fine line between persistence and insistence.
There's a fine line between having faith or being
foolish. Letting go doesn't always mean you gave
up.
Sometimes life doesn't turn right --- it turns left and
you must learn how to regroup or re-invent yourself,
increase your faith and let go of old baggage. I can
remember all too well how I used to try to hold on to
people, the past and even projects and dreams. But
I needed to let go. It didn't mean I gave up. I
matured. I released. I grew to understand the
wisdom of many teachers.
"There are people who can walk away from you.
And, hear me when I tell you this.
When people can walk away from you, let them walk.
I don't want you to try to talk another person into
staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring
about you, coming to see you, staying attached to
you. I mean hang up the phone. When people can
walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is
never tied to anybody that left.
" A TRUCKERS LAST DISPATCH "
I write this poem,
For truckers alone.
As they hear there loved ones,
On the other end of the phone.
They carry there goods,
To a preset goal.
Don't care what they carry,
Only know they must roll.
White line fever,
I hear it's been called.
When some poor, tired driver,
To sleep has been lulled.
Pushing to fast and hard,
Whachting and following the line
Hoping that when he gets home,
That all will be fine.
But now it has him,
In it's horrible grip.
Could this be the end,
Or even his last trip.
His wheels hit the gravel,
He jerks awake.
Tries to regain control.
His foot on the brakes.
Then he thinks to himself,
About his family waiting at home.
And wonders what drove him,
To endless roam.
He looks to the heaveans,
Please don't let me die.
A truckers last dispatch,
To his dispatcher in the sky.
Written By
Edmond Lonewolf
Copyright © Lonewolf Inc2009 All rights reserved.
" THE JOURNEY OF LIFE "
Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others,
It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.
Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them, life is meaningless
Do not let your life slip through your fingers
By living in the past nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
You live all the days of your life.
Do not give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that binds is to each other.
Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Do not shut out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.
In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Do not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
To be without hope is to be without purpose.
Do not run through life so fast that you forget
not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
" WHY A OPOSSUM TAIL IS BARE "
n the beginning all living things - men, animals, plants and trees - spoke the same language and behaved in much the same way. Animals, like people, were organized into tribes. They had chiefs, lived in houses, held councils and ceremonies.
Many animals had characteristics which we would not recognize today. The rabbit, for example, was fierce, bold and cunning, and a great mischief maker. It was through Rabbit's tricks that the deer lost his sharp wolf-like teeth, the buzzard his handsome topknot of feathers and the opossum his long, bushy tail.
Opossum was very proud of his tail which, in those days, was covered with thick black fur. He spent long hours cleaning and brushing it and composing songs about its beauty and vigour. Sometimes, when he walked through the village, he carried his tail erect, like a banner rippling in the breeze. At other times, he swept it low behind him, like a train. It was useful as well as beautiful, for when Opossum lay down to sleep, he tucked it under him to make a soft bed, and in cold weather he folded it over his body to keep himself warm.
Rabbit was very jealous of Opossum's tail. He, too, had once had a long bushy tail but, during the course of a a fight with Bear, he had lost most of it and now had only a short fluffy tuft. The sight of Opossum strutting before the other animals and swirling his tail ostentatiously, filled Rabbit with rage and he made up his mind to play a trick on him at the first opportunity.
At this time, when the animals still lived harmoniously together, each had his appointed station and duty. Thus, Frog was leader in the council and Rabbit, because of his speed, was employed to carry messages and announcements to the others.
As was their custom from time to time, the animals decided to hold a great council to discuss important matters and Rabbit, as usual, was given the task of arranging the gathering and delivering the invitations. Councils were also occasions for feasting and dancing and Rabbit saw a way of bringing about Opossum's downfall.
When Rabbit arrived with the news of the meeting, Opossum was sitting by the door of his lodge engaged in his favourite occupation - grooming his tail.
'I come to call you to the great council tomorrow, brother Opossum,' said Rabbit. 'Will you attend and join in the dance ?'
'Only if I am given a special seat,' replied the conceited Opossum, carefully smoothing some untidy hairs at the tip of his tail. 'After all,' he went on, grinning maliciously at Rabbit, 'I have such a beautiful long tail that I ought to sit where everyone can see and admire it.'
Rabbit was almost beside himself with fury, but he pretended not to notice the jibe and said, 'But of course, brother Opossum! I will personally see to it that you have the best seat in the council lodge, and I will also send someone to dress your tail specially for the dance.'
Opossum was delighted by this suggestion and Rabbit left him singing the praises of his tail even more loudly than usual.
Next, Rabbit called on the cricket, whom Indians call the barber, because of his fame as an expert hair-cutter. Cricket listened with growing amazement as Rabbit recounted his conversation with Opossum. Like all the other animals, he found Opossum's vanity and arrogance very tiresome.
He began to protest, but Rabbit held up a paw and said, 'Wait a moment. I have a plan and I need your help. Listen...', and he dropped his voice as he told Cricket what he wanted him to do.
Early next morning Cricket presented himself at Opossum's door and said that he had been sent by Rabbit to prepare the famous tail for the council that evening. Opossum made himself comfortable on the floor and stretched out his tail. Cricket began to comb it gently.
'I will wrap this red cord round your tail as I comb it,' he explained, 'so that it will remain smooth and neat for the dance tonight.'
Opossum found Cricket's ministrations so soothing that he fell asleep, awakening just as Cricket was tying the final knot in the red cord which now completely swathed his tail.
'I will keep it bound up until the very last moment,' thought Opossum gleefully. 'How envious the others will be when I finally reveal it in all its beauty!'
That evening, his tail still tightly wrapped in the red cord, Opossum marched into the council lodge and was led to his special seat by a strangely obsequious Rabbit.
Soon it was time for the dancing to take place. The drums and rattles began to sound. Opossum stood up, loosened the cord from his tail and stepped proudly into the centre of the dance floor. He began to sing.
'Look at my beautiful tail!' he sang as he circled the floor. 'See how it sweeps the ground!'
There was a great shout from the audience and some of the animals began to applaud. 'How they admire me!' though Opossum and he continued dancing and singing loudly. 'See how my tail gleams in the firelight!'
Again everyone shouted and cheered. Opossum began to have just the merest suspicion that all was not quite as it should be. Was there possibly a hint of mockery in their voices ? He dismissed such an absurd idea and continued dancing.
'My tail is stronger than the eagle's, more lustrous than the raven's!'
At this the animals shrieked so loudly that Opossum stopped in his tracks and looked at them. To his astonishment and chagrin they were all convulsed with laughter, some leaning weakly on their neighbour's shoulders, others rolling on the ground in their mirth. Several were pointing at his tail.
Bewildered, Opossum looked down and saw to his horror that his tail, his beautiful, thick, glossy tail, was now balk and scaly like that of a lizard. Nothing remained of its former glory. While pretending to comb it, the wily Cricket had snipped off every single lair.
Opossum was so overcome with shame and confusion that he could not utter a sound. Instead he rolled over helplessly on his back, grimmacing with embarrasment, just as opossums still do today, when taken by surprise.
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