One Drum by Richard Wagamese

Author:Richard Wagamese
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Rites, ceremonies, Canada, Ojibwa, philosophy, Healing, Native peoples, Ojibway
ISBN: 9781771622301
Publisher: Douglas and McIntyre (2013) Ltd.
Published: 2019-10-18T16:00:00+00:00

Zoongide'ewin:

Courage

Ernestina was a field mouse with a reputation for having a troublesome curiosity. Unlike other mice who were content to mosey around using their whiskers as their guides, Ernestina wanted more. She wanted to see the world. She wanted to go beyond what her nose could tell her and use her eyes to determine things. The other mice did not understand such a way of life. They had grown up as all mice do, with an understanding of who they were and who they were created to be. To consider acting unlike a field mouse was odd and uncomfortable to them. But they loved Ernestina and stood by her despite her rampant curiosity, which they were sure would lead her to trouble.

Mice are notoriously shy. When someone new or different comes along they’re willing to hide behind a root or a stone and allow the newcomer to pass so they can inspect and evaluate them. Their tiny whiskers work overtime trying to judge the intent of the new creature. But Ernestina would instead dash out to investigate and would sometimes just barely miss the snap of the jaws of a fox or the hard clack of an owl’s talons. She’d sit and quiver in breathless excitement over these encounters.

“You’re not behaving wisely,” the older mice would tell her. “Our way is caution. If you go beyond that we may not be able to help you.”

“But I want to see what exists in the world,” Ernestina said. “I want to have experiences.”

“Experience is a good thing. Done in a safe mousy fashion it allows you to grow in mousy knowledge. But dashing out into the open might spell the end of you,” they told her.

Ernestina’s heart, though, was an open one. She loved the smell of the wind and the sound of the grasses when it blew from the west. She loved the sight of the creatures who passed the meadow where her band of mice lived. She had a particular fondness for the taste of the varied plants she found on her solitary rambles to the edges of their territory. To Ernestina, the world was a place of sensation and she wanted to experience it as fully as she could. So she used her eyes to lead her around.

Now, a field mouse’s whiskers and keen sense of smell are what lead them to food. But Ernestina wanted these senses to lead her to new visions instead, things neither she nor any other mouse had ever seen before.

“There are Teachings we have not known,” she said to her best friend, Philomena. “As wise as the old mice are, there is a whole world out there and it’s filled with Teachings and songs and knowledge that we can’t get within the borders of our meadow.”

“You’re talking dangerously,” Philomena said. “No mouse has ever dared wander beyond our borders.”

“And no mouse has ever become more,” Ernestina said.

“What more is there?”

“That’s what I intend to find out.”

So Ernestina began to explore. Every day she inched a few feet beyond the borders of the mouse meadow.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.