Reading Diary B: Tejas Legends

Native American Unit: Tejas Legends

Why Hummingbirds Drink Only Dew

·      Hummingbirds only drink dew, not water. Why?

·      Hummingbird and blue heron owned a lake together

·      Big lake and hummingbird hovered over cool water

·      Habit of gambling

·      Bet on who could get to the other side faster

·      It got dark and the hummingbird couldn’t fly at night

·      Hummingbirds had to stop but the blue heron could fly through the night

·      Since the hummingbird lost the race, he could never drink from the lake or any other lake or river ever again

·      That’s why he can only drink the dew

The Maiden Who Loved a Star

·      Indian girl that wen into the desert to find a purple ripe prickly pear

·      Set off for home at night and watched the stars

·      Bright stars and thought one was winking at her

·      Home of handsome sky dweller?

·      She did it again and the sky winking at her again so she knew

·      She visited him for seven days

·      She couldn’t visit him, he couldn’t visit her

·      Full of love but sad because she couldn’t be with her love

·      She wanted to die so she cold live with her love in the sky

·      Visited an old witch woman in her tribe

·      Wouldn’t give her a way to die because she said life was too great

·      Changed her into a form that would allow her to live in the desert under her love

·      Old witch turned her into a tree

·      The star in the sky fell out of the sky and turned into blossoms on the tree

·      Now they can be together

·      This is how this bush, the purple sage, came to the desert

Old Quanah’s Gift

·      Love of blankets with beauty and color with form

·      Quanah was a brave warrior that took pride in bow and arrow

·      Stayed at home with the women in the tribe because he got hit by a poison arrow

·      Hurt him to not do anything

·      Began to make blankets

·      Searched for different things to make as dyes

·      Each one was different

·      Others came to try to imitate his blanket making

·      No one could compare to his blankets

·      Famous blankets with magic touch

·      Worked on one blanket for years and years

·      Wouldn’t tell anyone what it was or who it was going to until it was done

·      He began to die but he finished the blanket

·      Everyone was sad because there would never be another blanket maker like him

·      Blanket is done. For the most worthy in the tribe.  Man who has done most for the people. Children will see he importance of being a good member

·      Couldn’t agree on one person

·      The chief made it clear that Quanah himself should have the blanket

·      Buried in the ground with him

·      Gave a new flower to the world

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