SHINING SUN and RUNNING WATER

This short story appears in GETTING REAL... about growing up! on page 41

This is a story about tradition and love. It is a story about Shining Sun and Running Water. They have been supported in their community to grow up and are about to pass through Initiations into manhood and womanhood.

A long time ago, but not that long ago, in a far away land at the Northern tip of the world, where it gets very, very cold, there lived a group of people on a Reservation.

The people were simple tribes-folk struggling to retain remnants of their old and wise ways. Many had left and lived comfortably in houses, working in offices or local factories. They became urban fringe-dwellers, drinking and gambling, with souls and spirits that yearned for the land of their birth and the richness of their ancestors.

The few who stayed on the Reservation lived out their days in mountainous regions. In winter the land wore a dazzling white dress and people huddled around central fireplaces. They maintained their lives, even in the freezing times, in tipis made of skins and furs. Living the old ways, with gratitude in their hearts they sang songs, wove baskets, hunted and gathered. They hunted elk and rabbits and fished when the rivers ran free. A passion for life sparkled in their eyes. Mother Earth nurtured their bodies and Father Sky illuminated their minds. They lived by the movements of the moon and the seasons and by the will of Great Spirit.

On the Northern edge of the Reservation two villages had lived side by side for many generations. Only during Summer Camps did they come together for the Sun Dance. Little was more important to the tribes-people than their children and the growing times they passed through.

The old ways made sure that the young were honoured. They were taught by the elders and prepared for their Journey from child to adult. Celebration, ceremony and ritual marked this special time.

Shining Sun was born only hours after the Spring rains had stopped - hence his name. As he grew up, he lived up to it, singing or humming to himself as he moved around the village, warming the hearts of everyone. He was just a boy, doing what boys do. He did not think of the future and had no idea about his destiny. Life lived and danced through him, adding to all of life a sense of joy and freedom. The world was his playground.

At times Shining Sun and the other boys were allowed to join fathers, uncles and the men of the village. They gathered in circles, telling their stories and sharing knowledge. These were special times that the boys treasured. The men were strong and solid. The boys felt safe knowing they were there.

Things were about to change for Shining Sun and he had no idea what was in store for him. That's how it was with the people. Knowing the power of surprise they did not tell their children what to expect during times of Initiation as they moved quickly from childhood into puberty.

Full moon was the time Shining Sun loved best of all. On warm nights he lay under the stars, staying close to the village. Wolves howled and bears grizzled as night deepened.

Every now and again a teenage boy disappeared - taken by the men from the village. The younger boys didn't know what happened. They noticed that when the boy came back he slept with the single men on the edge of the encampment. He didn't return to his family tipi for many moons.

One morning, just before dawn, Shining Sun heard heavy footsteps outside his family tipi. The flap close to his head was dragged open. Men appeared - looking stern and hard. He was shocked! They were wearing face paint and that worried him. He had no time to think. Before he could blink, he was being dragged away.

His mother stirred as he called out to her. Rushing, she grabbed Shining Sun's foot, screaming, "Stop, stop! Let him go". But the men won the battle for the boy. Putting a sack over his head, they took him away.

Shining Sun, shaking from head to foot, was cold, frightened and confused. What was going on? What will they do to me, he wondered. He had never been so scared in his life. His lip trembled. Afraid, he felt like crying. So cry he did and loudly too. The men took no notice of him. This frightened him even more.

After traveling some distance, the men stopped. They left him in a heap on the Earth. She comforted him. He heard them gathering wood and lighting a fire. Shivering shamelessly by now, he was grateful. A kindly old man took the sack from his head and led him to the fireside. Shining Sun looked around. He saw a circle of men looking very solemnly at him. Alarmed, he realised his father was not one of them.

This was The Council. Silently, they sat for an awfully long time. After what seemed like hours, The Elder Man spoke, "Shining Sun, your time has come. You are showing signs of your coming manhood. We cannot leave you to be spoiled in your mother's tipi. It's your time to stay with the men until your work is done. Great Spirit reveals your fate. We do not know what your Journey holds for you. We wish you courage and bravery."

Shining Sun felt anything but brave. He felt even smaller than the ant crawling across his foot. Childhood's freedom ebbed from his soul. With dread, he knew this was serious men's business. The men camped together in the forest over the next few days. Shining Sun was not allowed to eat. He sensed he was being prepared - for what, he did not know.

Early in the mornings, the young, fit men shook him awake. Ordering him to follow, they began running, running, running! He followed, sweating and panting. Days later, when he dipped himself naked into the stinging water of the river, he noticed that muscles were developing on his body. He was seeing himself becoming a man. If his reckoning was right he had walked on the Earth for more than fourteen years.

After many night skies, Shining Sun was led once again to The Council. They informed him that this was his last night with them. At dawn the next day he was to face his fate.

It was time for the men to share with Shining Sun some of what they had learned about becoming a man. They told him of the changes happening to him physically and in other ways. They told him that his male organ gets bigger, that hair covers his body and his voice breaks. The men told him of joining with woman and warned him to be aware of the preciousness of his seed. Not to waste it thoughtlessly. They told him men who waste their seed, waste their life force. When men do not feel love and respect in joining they dishonour all of Creation. They said that to love a woman and share his body with her body is a sacred act of Great Spirit's love.

Teaching him their law they reminded him that any action, word or deed affects the next seven generations. He was told that when the first seed of his manhood landed on the Earth, his Soul's purpose is activated. The reason for his Earth Walk is set in motion and he now walks the Mother as a man.

The men shared stories of their challenges as they had changed themselves into men from boys. They said some boys never truly become men. They stay immature until they go back to Great Spirit. They instructed him to thank his ancestors at this Initiation time and to be grateful to the men-folk of his village.

They said that guidance from the Elders is necessary at this time. That after his Initiation the people would call him a man and expect him to be the man he was becoming. This was serious men's business indeed. That night there was a great deal for Shining Sun to consider.

His sleep was half-awake of dream images of his ancestors and the webs they weave through life. Riding on horseback, hunting buffalo, celebrating the coming of Spring and gathering in for Winter. His ancestors felt close.

Next morning, before another soul stirred, he was fully awake, expectant!

The oldest man came for him and Shining Sun followed. Without speaking, they traveled a great distance into the wilderness. Walking for most of the day, every so often the old man stopped and listened. Passing through forests and fast flowing rivers they came to the foot of a mountain. The old man once again looked for signs. Spirit whispers. Something! Out of nowhere an Eagle flew past them. This was the omen - the old man smiled, "Shining Sun, Son of Dark Cloud, you have been blessed on your Journey by the winged ones. Great Spirit has sent you Eagle. Stay here alone, without food or water and cry to Great Spirit for your Vision. You will know when your time is done. I leave you to your fate."

Wandering the wilderness for days and nights, following the signs Great Spirit sent him, Shining Sun battled with himself. Night Owl, his only witness, watched over him. Sleeping little, his demons haunted him. Nature spirits tested him! Who knows what creatures visited him in the dark nights that followed? Who knows what visions he saw? What messages and understanding about his life he received from Great Spirit? What knowing of his purpose came to his heart? These things are personal to a boy becoming man.

One intense night of dreaming, he fought with death! He wrestled with the darkness of the Spirit world and after facing his symbolic death, woke up to find himself alive! Shining Sun knew his quest was almost over. He was changed and had come to know himself. He sat with resolve, strong and fully alert. Waiting! Before noon he saw dust rising in the distance. Running Elk, his oldest brother, appeared on a black stallion. He hauled the weakened Shining Sun onto the horse's back. Without words, flying with the wind at their backs, they headed back to camp. Shining Sun held on, half asleep. All that night and the following day he slept. We leave him close to his dreams and the truth of his Vision.

We follow another weaving thread, in another place, about the same time.

As the mountain snows melted and Spring came to the other village, we meet Running Water. Pretty as a picture, with pink cheeks and shining black hair. She is a girl of intelligence and maturity for her thirteen years. For almost a year she has been listening to the stories of the grey-haired ones as they gently prepare her for her changes.

Her changing body looks strange to her. Plumper, she also has two small peaks where her chest had been flat and a thin clump of hair where there was none before. Although she knows what to expect, she is also a little afraid.

"The Mystery is a powerful place to be!" Aunt Howling Wolf told her: "Women gotta trust in the Mystery. Great Spirit's wisdom is wondrous. But as a woman you gotta be prepared to let go, get out of your head and stop tryin' to control things. 'Cos you can't, your body won't let you. The Mystery moves in you! It takes over and the moon will pull at you and your belly calls you home. But you gotta let go and listen to what she's tellin' you."

Running Water had a sense she knew what her Aunt meant but at the same time she had no idea. It was a funny sort of in-between place to be. What she did know was that things were moving in her. She was crying a lot and losing her temper. This shocked her. When her emotions took over, the older women looked knowingly at each other, for they could read the signs. They had seen it all before and experienced it themselves. They lovingly watched and waited, for they knew her time was almost upon her.

Running Water was told, "Your body sheds the lining of your womb when you bleed." She thought that was strange! She expected to see the redness from between her legs leave her body and was curious to find out what it felt like.

The women told her to watch carefully. They said, "Usually a special dream comes just before your first body bleed. Great Spirit sends you a vision. It shows you the reason for your Earth Walk."

When she considered it, Running Water decided it was good to be a girl. Not only because of her blood but also because she could give birth. She had a natural connection to the Mystery. At least she didn't have to go into the wilderness like the boys! She could stay by the hearth and drink warm teas from the herbs and bushes that grew close by.

The weather was warming up! Emotionally she was scattered like the wind. The signs were obvious. The women felt her movement in their waters. She had a queer feeling in her belly and could tell by the way the women looked at her that at any minute her flood gates could open and the blood pour out over everything. The women told her it doesn't happen like this but that is what she feared. She stayed in the Moon-Lodge that night. The Moon-Lodge was a resting-place for all the women at their Moon-time. They looked after one another with great care. They welcomed the Mystery of their women's bodies and knew they were full of power.

And she dreamt! She entered a magical garden grove of beautiful flowers which were being fed by a Red River. She saw a beautiful woman wearing a deerskin dress and raven black hair hanging to her waist.

Behind the woman sat the biggest Eagle she had ever seen. It was as tall as she was. Running Water gazed at the dark brownness of the woman before her and when she looked closely into her beautiful face she recognised something, "I am you, as woman. You will travel far, shining your love and light and singing a song of freedom to the women of the Earth. Your message to woman is of beauty, harmony and powerful relationship to HER Self.

You teach about HER sacred union with man. Eagle is your guardian, revealing the higher purpose of the challenges you face. Your service opens the hearts of many and your Journey is long."

The image faded and Running Water stirred in her sleep. The first light of dawn, alive with birdsong, woke her from her dreaming. She became aware of an unfamiliar trickling, a warmth between her legs. She knew she was embarking on her Journey to womanhood.

The women in the Moon-Lodge stirred. They prepared a warm hyssop bath for her and brought a red garment in honour of her first blood. Going about their business, they sang sweet songs of the Journey from girl to woman and told stories from Running Water's life.

We leave Running Water resting in the Moon-Lodge and we move forward.

Her family planned to announce at Summer Camp that Running Water's Journey into womanhood had begun. Other villages were invited to come and celebrate her. The men would go on the biggest hunt of the year. There was much to be done.

Over the next two moons, Running Water was being prepared. As soon as the river warmed up, she was tied with a long rope to a log on the bank and thrown into the water. To strengthen her body she had to swim against the current for many hours When she complained that this was too long, the women said, "Tut-tut, tut! Running Water, you are to travel far. If you give birth your body must be strong."

A deerskin dress was beaded ready for the celebration. Three moons after her first blood, people gathered from many villages. Amidst great excitement, Running Water was once again sent to the Moon-Lodge to prepare herself for the Ritual. She missed the fun and games.

We leave her there for now.

We find Shining Sun staying in the men's tent at Summer Camp. It's been a long walk from his village. He has grown up since his Vision Quest in the wilderness. When he looks closely he sees wispy hair on his face. It makes him laugh!

He was with the men at the ceremonies! The men stood still - their backs straight. They looked fierce! They were present, attentive to everything that went on around them. No day-dreaming! Relaxed, yet fully alert! Shining Sun felt strange being with them, but also excited.

Imagine being there now. Campfires and lots to eat with old friends. The women sitting on the ground nursing their babies. The old folks on logs have the best view! Everyone else chatting and making themselves comfortable. Children running wild as they always do.

The men - what a sight!

Shining Sun could feel their power adding to his own strength, as he stood with them.

The Ceremonies took hours. Late in the afternoon Running Water, wrapped in a blanket, was presented to the circle. Her mother announced that her Initiation was about to begin - she was to face the river. An old grey one took her to the dugout canoe on the river. They rowed downstream for some time.

Running Water prayed to Great Spirit for strength. She knew this was one of her greatest challenges. It seemed they had gone downstream for miles when the old woman finally nodded. Running Water knew what to do. She took off the blanket and dived into the water. She swam upstream, harder and harder. She faced the current that could have swept her away. Now grateful for the hours of training, she thought, "I can make it if I keep going strong." Nearer and nearer she could see the fires burning and people cheered her on. Her body trembled from head to foot as she crawled onto the shore. The roaring cheer almost deafened her. Someone brought her a blanket and led her to the fire. Weak at the knees and shivering she looked around at the people. They were cheering, hollering and feeling very proud of her. She glowed!

Her father said, "A girl went down the river Ð a woman came back!" The crowd erupted! People moved towards her, bringing gifts in honour and celebration. Some of the gifts were for when she had her own tipi. For now she had passed through an Initiation gateway and could marry when she was ready.

Poor Shining Sun, standing stock still for all that time with the men. When he first saw Running Water his temperature shot up. He turned bright red. He felt a stirring in his loins! This was the first time anything like this had happened to him! He was sure everyone had noticed!

He could not take his eyes off her. Her eyes were bright and her heart was open - radiant! He wished he could die. But he could not take his eyes off her, not even to miss a single blink. As she thanked people, he caught her eye. He blushed to the roots of his hair and back again. Did she notice?

We move forward in the story.

During the next season, Shining Sun sat under a crop of overhanging rocks close to Running Water's village. He could not forget her! He went to this place seeking stillness and for comfort. He was moving away from all that had been familiar and safe to him.

Another day, Running Water walked in the woods. She found a crop of overhanging rocks. There was a special feel about the place. She sat for hours and yearned to give the love of her open heart.

For the rest of that Summer both Shining Sun and Running Water went to that special place to be alone and dream.

They never once met!

Winter set in. Tipis were covered in snow. People stayed close to their own hearths, resting and preparing for the turning tide of Spring. Shining Sun looked forward to being out in the wilds, dreaming of Running Water.

Running Water yearned expectantly, for the new life of Spring.

Both imagined their special place.

It was their destiny to meet and meet they did! How long did that take? We leave that in the hands of time and the Great Mystery. Ending the story where we began.

A long time ago, but not that long ago, in a far away land at the Northern tip of the world, there lived a boy who was becoming a man and only a whisper away, a girl who was becoming a woman...

Nature waited to celebrate their meeting!

As a young person, you are on your Journey from boy to man, girl to woman. In most modern cultures the old ones no longer take boys into the wilderness or girls into the Moon-Lodge. Sometimes they don't tell you about the changes you can expect or about growing up. You can find out for yourself. Or if you are lucky, a grey-haired one might cross your path!