The Red Cloud chief., 1922-11-16
Indian
Lodge Tales
By
Ford G.. Prick
THE WORLD OF SUN AND
BLUE SKY

NIoN WHEN tne NuNuJoS tiiilocu
~ from the world OF darkness into
the world Of moon and stars they
were very happy, and for many years
they flourished and prospered under
the guidance and leadership OF the
great chief, CHS hil.E-Go.
All the warriors and the elders
Of the tribe, who had lived In dark
ness for many years, rejoiced mt the
new twilight they had found. n
were content to rest I'm this world In
peace and happiness. They planted
their crops and fished in the streams
and hunted in the mountains and val
leys. and reared their families In the
light of the moon and the stars.
But Is so happened that years
passed, and the elders of the tribe
died, and the younger men became
leaders-and they were discontented
and unhappy, and they began to seek
about for new worlds and new
streams and new forests.
There was in this world OF twilight
n great lake, and In the center OF II
lake was "a great lily that grew IN
grew until no man could see the top
and only the Wilderness OF the moon
light on It's enormous petals was re-
flected for the tribesmen to see. The
Navajos watched the lily, and saw 1t
grow, and they were curious, but none
among them was brave enough to
swim the lake or climb the lily stalk.
But finally there came n young man
as chief, the great grandson Of CHS
Chil-E-Go, and he was very brave II
very venturesome. Seeing the sad
ness and discomfort of his people In
the land Of twilight and shadow, his
heart was sore oppressed and he de-
termined to find Il new world where
happiness would come to everyone.
SO for days he prayed to the Great
Father for advice, md in his prayers
came the vision of a new world where
there was great light and warmth,
and where there were days and nights
"A land of green fields n wooded
hills.
So, bidding his people wait for him,
he jumped into the lake and swan
to the great lily stem, and this he
tItcIeu anu liz uool tiocNu o'hAiiN
him. And inside the lily stalk he
found a great hall leading upward
and upward, andxhis he climbed. For
days and days he continued to climb.
But finally one day he looked up
and saw light, and so he pushed on
upward and upward, until he stepped
out from the lily stalk into q lily
blossom.
The lily blossom lay in the middle
OF u great lake, and the lake was
situated in n new wOrld-a world or
sunshine and green trees. There 1t
was that the Navajo chieftain first
saw the sun, and when he saw the
great father Of fire he was frightened
and amazed, and he fell o. his face
and worshiped it, and gave thanks for
the new world which he had found.
When he arose and swan to the
shore he found a world Of happiness
and content warmed by the rays Of
the father sun, where birds sang. and
animals played In the fields, and flow
ers bloomed and everything was gay.
Then like his great grandfather he
remembered his own people, and tax.
ing food from the trees and the
streams he went back through the lily
stalk to the land Of twilight, and
there he called the tribesmen about
him and told Of the discovery he had
made. Many Of the people believed
him, but some did not, and there was
much discussion. But finally the tribe
decided to divide, and those who were
brave and strong started for the new
world. but those who were weak or
old, or afraid. remained behind in
the world Of twilight.
So the young chief and his party
started out, and they climbed the lily
stalk and came into the world Of sun
shine and warmth, and like their chief
they fell on their faces and thanked
the Father Sun for the new world
which he had given them.
So 1t was that the Navajos came in
to the world of sunshine which they
know today-and when they had come
here then they planted their crops,
and built their homes, and tended
their herds ever as they do unto this
day.
But those who were weak and
afraid. and who had remained behind
were lost forever-for when the tribe
had assembled to the new world then
the great lily dried up and disap-
peared. and where II had grown there
was only a mammoth mountain, shut
ting off forever the road to the land
Of twilight.