A long time ago, In the Time of the Beginning, it was told this way:

In the Time of the Beginning, things were different than they are today.

The Creator had many helpers. Each one was responsible for certain things.

There were Four Protectors, one for each of the Four Directions of Creation. The Protectors were known as Grandfathers. The Grandfather of the East was responsible for Springtime, Childhood, the Mineral Kingdom, Grandfather Sun, and the things of the Spirit. His colour was yellow.

The Grandfather of the South was responsible for Summertime, Adolescence, the Plant Kingdom, fire, Grandmother Moon and the emotions of the People. His colour was red.

The Grandfather of the West was responsible for Autumn, growth and maturity, water, Mother Earth, the Animal Kingdom and the physical aspects of the People. His colour was black.

The Grandfather of the North was responsible for Winter, the Elders of the People, fulfilment and completion and wisdom, Wind (Air), the Stars and the mental aspects of the People. His colour was White, (sometimes blue).

The Creator has one other special helper: the Thunderbird. He was a huge bird, with feathers of many colours. As he flew through the air and his wings moved, thunderclaps sounded through Father Sky.

The Thunders called the rains which Mother Earth needed to begin her yearly cycle of growth and rebirth after the long winters sleep.

In summer, the Thunderbird brought the warm rains that Plant-Kind needed to continue to grow and mature so that the People would have food at harvest time to see them through Winters long and cold times. The people stored the food so that they would not go hungry, for it was hard to hunt in the dead of Winter. Mother Earth covered herself with a blanket of white and slept, preparing herself for the coming of Spring-time and the continuous work she must do at that time. Then the cycle would begin again.

The Thunderbird had feathers of many beautiful colours, all the colours of the Rainbow. Sometimes, he would scream loudly as he flew through the sky. Then the sky would become bright as Lightening streaked towards the earth below. Occasionally, it sparked fires in the forests below.

When the People saw the Thunderbird flying through Father Sky, they smiled, and left offerings of Sacred Tobacco, giving thanks to Thunderbird for bringing the life-giving rains to Mother Earth, and to the Great Spirit for his goodness.

Thunderbird would occasionally visit the Elders of the People in their Dreams, bringing messages from the World of Spirit and the Four Protectors who lived there with the Great Spirit. Dreams were very important to the People. Messages brought by Thunderbird were seen as having great importance.

For many, many years, Thunderbird was content to fly through Father Sky, bringing the Thunders, and the rains, sending lightening streaking down to Mother Earth, and bringing special messages from the Great Spirit to the People.

There came a day though, when Thunderbird began to feel discontent. He felt his role was more important than that of anyone else. Without him, he felt, Mother Earth could not grow and renew herself in her yearly cycle of growth and rebirth. Without him, the food would die for lack of water, and the People would have no food to survive. The animals would perish of thirst. He was important! He was the bringer of water, and everyone knew that water was the source of continued life for all things that existed upon Mother Earth. He was as important as the Creator. He could do what he wished!

So, Thunderbird stopped his flights through Grandfather Sky. Thunders no longer sounded, and rains did not come. Lightening was no longer seen lighting up the skies. Plant-Kinds could not grown. Hunger came to visit the villages of the Peoples. The Elders no longer received the wisdom and guidance they longed for in their Dreams.

The Ongwhehonwhe People called a council. They all agreed that the Creator must deal with this and help them. An Elder build a Sacred Fire, and began to fast and pray. He neither ate nor slept for four days.

On the fourth day, his Spirit left his body and travelled upwards through the seven levels of existence above Mother Earth, and entered the Spirit World. At last, he stood before the Sacred Fire amongst the Four Protectors and the Great Spirit. Each Protector sat in his own Direction.

The Elder explained them that Thunderbird had ceased his journeys, and that the rains no longer came. The Creator summoned the Thunderbird to come to the Sacred Fire, and the Council. Thunderbird refused. He had decided that he was so important that he no longer had to listen to anyone but himself. He began to fly away, up through the seven levels, and heading away from Mother Earth.

Four times the Creator summoned Thunderbird to the Council. Thunderbird continued to ignore him and fly away.

Creator spoke, and his voice was louder than the Thunders:

"No one is more powerful than I. I created all that exists, here and all places in the Universe. All Four Directions, Kingdoms, all places that exist, and all that lives within."

"Since you feel that you are more powerful than all of my other helpers, I will divide that power. You will become two beings: male and female. Never again will you be complete or whole. One half of you will always take on Human form and live among the People, to learn humility. The other will continue in Spirit form as Thunderbird. Never again will both of you be human or spirit at the same time. Always, each will seek the other, looking for its other half. Always, incomplete and forever alone."

So saying, Creator sent a great bolt of fire streaking through the distance until it his Thunderbird as he tried to fly away. He fell, screaming, fire blazing, Thunders sounding, all the way down through the seven levels of existence, until he hit the earth with a huge noise. He fell so hard, that a great cavern was created, miles deep into the soil and rock of Mother Earth. Fires raged, scorching and melting the rocks beneath the surface of the land.

Many days later, the fires cooled. Seven days following, the People who watched saw a Thunderbird rise from the ashes of the cavern and take to the skies. It was not as large as before, nor as brightly coloured. But when its wings flapped, the Thunders echoed. The rains soon followed. Everything began to grow again. Hunger left the villages. People said prayers of thanksgiving, and made offerings of Tobacco.

No-one was watching, many days later, when a young woman of remarkable beauty climbed out over the edge of the grand cavern that now existed. She seemed bewildered and somewhat lost. Eventually, she found a home among the People, living out her life alone. Often she was observed watching the Thunderbird fly through Grandfather Sky, crying tears of sadness as if her heart would break.

So it is today, that Thunderbird still seeks his other half. It is the Way of the People that when someone who is of extraordinary beauty and chooses not to marry, or is enamoured of the Storms that follow the flight of the Thunderbird, to speak of the Thunderbird Twins, and leave an offering of Tobacco.

And today, Thunderbird still seeks his human-form self. Occasionally, when he thinks that he has found him or her, he may fly to close, and so it is that some people are struck by lightening when they stray to close to the Thunders that follow his flights.

But Thunderbird has never found his human-form self, to this day.

KiiskeeN’tum – She Who Remembers