FOLKLORE
THE LEGEND OF POOR COW & HIS SHADOW
Sweat lodge, preparing for a ceremony, photo copyright 2010 Denise Alvarado, All rights reserved worldwide
Storytelling is a means of teaching. In the African-derived traditions there are the patakis. For those in Native traditions, there are the medicine stories. As medicine people we learn these stories and share them in the appropriate times. When someone comes to us for advice, sometimes it is best to not give an answer but to provide some advice - often in the form of a story - that provokes thought and introspection. That way the person is directed to look inwards and to the Ancestors for the answers rather than outwards.
Storytelling is a powerful and engaging way of teaching various topics and skills. It can help students to connect with the content, to develop their imagination and creativity, and to improve their communication and listening abilities. For example, storytelling can be used to teach history by narrating the events and perspectives of different people and cultures, or to teach science by explaining the concepts and phenomena through stories and analogies. Storytelling can also foster critical thinking, empathy, and cultural awareness.
A medicine story is a type of narrative that shares the wisdom and teachings of Indigenous cultures. Medicine stories often feature animals, plants, spirits, or ancestors as characters who teach important lessons about life, healing, and balance. Medicine stories are not just entertainment, they are a way of passing on knowledge and values from one generation to the next.
And now, let me share with you a medicine story.
Poor Cow felt very sorry for everyone in his camp. He saw Many-Horses, who had a broken leg and he said, "Oh poor Many-Horses, how will he get through the winter with a broken leg?" Then he saw Amy White Buffalo, who could have no children and he said, "Oh poor Amy White Buffalo, what will become of her if she cannot bear children?" And so Poor Cow was sad for everyone and felt pain for them all. He was the ultimate empath and intuitive. Then one day he noticed that he had lost his Shadow. He went to the medicine chief of the camp and asked him, "Oh Great Chief, I am sad for I have lost my shadow. What shall I do?" The Great Chief said, "Poor Cow, that is very sad. Why don't you go into the sweat lodge and find your shadow?"
And that's what Poor Cow did. He went into the medicine lodge, found his shadow, and died.
Lesson: Never walk in the shadow of a sorcerer or you will die. There are many ways to die. There comes a time when you have to own your own shadow. Poor Cow lost his shadow because he was weak. He feared too much for himself and others. He couldn't own his own power let alone his own shadow. He wanted to fix others so he didn't have to focus on fixing himself. When he entered the sweat lodge, which is a symbol of sacredness, his physical self merged with his spirit and he was healed. He died to what he had always been - a weak and divided person. He emerged from the sweat lodge a new man.
Labels: medicine stories, medicine story, native american, patakis, shadow, sorcerer, sweat lodge, traditions
And that's what Poor Cow did. He went into the medicine lodge, found his shadow, and died.
Lesson: Never walk in the shadow of a sorcerer or you will die. There are many ways to die. There comes a time when you have to own your own shadow. Poor Cow lost his shadow because he was weak. He feared too much for himself and others. He couldn't own his own power let alone his own shadow. He wanted to fix others so he didn't have to focus on fixing himself. When he entered the sweat lodge, which is a symbol of sacredness, his physical self merged with his spirit and he was healed. He died to what he had always been - a weak and divided person. He emerged from the sweat lodge a new man.
Labels: medicine stories, medicine story, native american, patakis, shadow, sorcerer, sweat lodge, traditions
