January 25, 2009

Dear Obie,
Tell us a story!
Signed, Pete
Kanab, Utah


Dear Pete,
One of my very favorite stories is a Native American legend about Rainbow Crow. Where I live in Salem, Oregon, crows often visit our yard, and my sister, Meeshka, starts chattering at them. It's so funny! She doesn't like crows, and she says they're just big black screeching nuisances! But, after hearing the story of Rainbow Crow, she has started to see them in a different light.

Many view a cardinal as being a far prettier bird than a crow, and most would say the meadowlark has a much nicer voice. But according to many of the histories passed down from the original native people of this continent, Crow once had magnificent rainbow-patterned plumage and a singing voice that would make your heart cry! So what happened to turn that bird into the crows that we see today?

Well, according to legend, there came a time when Creator became angry with the people that lived on the planet and took away summer, leaving the world wrapped in ice and snow. The people were cold, and scared. Hunting was difficult in the deep snow and food was scarce, making the children cry with hunger. Something had to be done.

A wise Medicine Man approached Crow and asked for his help. The people needed someone to appease Creator, and they thought that Crow, with his beautiful plumage and wondrous singing voice, could convince Creator to help them. So Crow flew up, far into the sky, up and up and up, to the place where Creator lived. He sang for Creator, and told him of the suffering of the people on the frozen earth, and Creator took pity. Breaking off a branch from the tallest tree, Creator touched the branch to the sun, causing it to catch on fire. Then Crow was told to take the burning branch to the people and tell them as long as they tended it and always honored Creator by not letting the fire go out, they would never again be cold.

Crow took the burning branch in his beak and flew down to the earth, flying as fast as he could! The smoke from the branch singed his feathers and burned his throat but onward he flew. He took the fire to the people and they were warm again, and there was much celebration. But Crow was forever changed into the bird we see and hear today. He may not be as beautiful as the cardinal or sing like the meadowlark, but he still holds an honored place in many Native American cultures because of the sacrifice he made for the people.

So when you look at a crow in your yard, Pete, and if the sun hits his feathers just right, you can still see a hint of rainbow colors. And, like I tell Meeshka, the crow always reminds me to look beneath the surface at others, and never to judge based on first impressions. Every creature on this planet has special talents and treasures; some are more hidden than others but they are still there. And when Meeshka starts yowling like a laryngitic banshee, I just try and imagine that somewhere in her past one of her ancestors might have saved the human race by singing to appease the gods.

The gods must have been tone-deaf!
Your friend,
Obie

*****

Pete wrote to me from Kanab, Utah, which is the location of the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in America, Best Friends. But don't forget that we have a fantastic no-kill cat shelter right here in Salem, Oregon, called Salem Friends of Felines! They are on Commercial Street just south of Mission, and until you stop in and visit them, you don't know what you're missing! Please drop by, and tell them that Obie sent you!

*****

Remember, folks, I am not a vet! I am a cat! Always talk to your vet before making any medical decisions regarding your cat! Please!