As ranch-raised children will do – having wide-open space and lots of time, and horses on which they transport themselves to the far corners of the land, cousins Trey and Duncan thought they had the whole ranch pretty much surveyed. One day, riding in an area not fully explored, the boys spotted a small, rounded mound that called to their curiosity. Dismounting, and looking around the mound, Trey found a couple of arrowheads; Duncan came up with a rock with a smooth hollowing out. Their appetite for adventure whetted, they rode back to the ranch buildings for some digging tools, to dig into the mound to see if something were covered up there. Before they could ride away from the ranch house the dinner gong sounded.
At the dinner table Milly asked Trey, “What are you and Duncan so wound up about? You’re so fidgety I wonder how your fork finds your mouth?” John added his question, “You boys have been down to the back side of the pasture. I suspect you found that old Indian mound, right?”
“Dad! You gave away our secret! We wanted to see if there is any Indian stuff in there, and surprise everybody. Some surprise it’ll be now.”
John: “That mound was there when Grandpa started this ranch, before I was born, and no one has chosen to disturb it. Anything still there would have to be well preserved. Besides, they probably left some old medicine man there to guard it. When he died, they buried him nearby and his spirit is still there. If you go to digging it up, you boys will come running in here some night white-faced and your tail between your legs, thinking for sure there’s spirits chasing you.” “Aww Dad, we know there’s no such things as ghosts and spirits. Besides, the Indians all went to reservations a long time ago.” “Mark my word Son, those Indian medicine men, they call’em Shamans. They make some powerful medicine. And they’re particular about guarding the spirits of those who’ve died. If y’all take it apart – and I’m sure you two will – do it carefully and don’t break any old pots or stuff. Now make sure you’ve done all your chores in the meantime. Y’all go do the last check of the barns and pens, and make sure all the horses have hay and are put up for the night.”
The next morning after breakfast, and after their chores were done Trey and Duncan took off like a couple of scalded cats, anxious to explore.
Running Deer was about to be fifteen years of age. He was schooled in the use of the bow and arrow, could skin a rabbit and make a fire to cook it, and was developing tracking skills. Entering into puberty, Indian boys were expected to grow in manly pursuits, quickly and excitedly. A major step was to go alone, when the moon was full, prepared to “live off the land,” and reach out to the spirits to determine their calling – their life’s purpose. The “aloneness” was in order to remove distractions; additionally, the boy would erect a small tent so that they could burn a certain set of herbs, like incense, which would cause the individual to see visions and have out-of-body experiences. When the boy reached that stage, a spirit would speak to him and set out his life’s purpose. They were not to return home until the spirits told them so. To not observe this séance would be grounds for banishment from the tribe.
When the full moon waned, Running Deer returned home. His father, Standing Bear, greeted him and immediately observed changes in his son: he carried himself with a new bearing, forceful and with confidence. Addressing his father, he said “Father, I am a man now. I have seen the White Wolf and it spoke to me. I am no longer Running Deer, I am now “The Wolf Who Hunts.” I am a man now; I may no longer live in your tent. Until I have a wife of my own, your women must construct a tent for me. It may be next to yours if you wish, and it must be large enough for my wife and me.
“I have seen who I want for my wife. Please speak to the father of the one called ‘Flower,’ her name is ‘First Flower of Spring.’ If he gives her to me, I shall have twelve moons to assemble a suitable dowry.”
“It shall be done, Wolf Who Hunts. But first tell me what the White Wolf said to you.”
“Father, I cannot tell anyone but you; I must prove myself first, so that I will not appear foolish nor proud. The Wolf spoke to me in my spirit but it was as plain as when you speak to me.”
“The Wolf told me that I have a dual purpose – that I will be a chieftain and a shaman. I will be given the bravery and leadership qualities of a chieftain, the wisdom and knowledge of a shaman. This will not be immediate – I must prove myself along the way. And when I have children and grandchildren, I shall lead the tribe.”
“You speak well, my son. As the spirits guide me, I shall walk with you, with advice when desired and assistance when needed. Now I go and speak to Flower’s father. You shall lead the next raid on our enemies’ camp: they have many horses. You and those who go with you may enrich our tribe, and you’ll be collecting a dowry for Flower.”
Leaving the ranch headquarters, Trey and Duncan tied their shovels on behind their saddle and left in a cloud of dust, to explore the Indian mound. Digging carefully, they began to make a hole, a window, in one side of the mound rather than tear it down. With the window large enough to reach through, using one of their mother’s hand mirrors, they angled the mirror to reflect sunshine to the interior of the mound, then with a long stick they rattled around the inside. When no varmints or snakes came buzzing out, they decided the mound had been put together where none could crawl in. With that reassurance, they took turns reaching in to see what might be recovered.
The first item out was what had been a richly-decorated deerskin vest; followed by a finely made bow with a small quiver of arrows. The bow and arrows appeared to be brittle – the wood and the rawhide string had dried out completely. The arrows were still mounted with arrowheads made of flint. One of the boys pulled out a leather bag – a Morral bag for carrying personal items and stuff. Inside the bag were chipping tools for making arrowheads, a Bowie knife stamped “U S ARMY,” and a necklace made of wolf fangs strung on rawhide, and miscellany. Trey and Duncan gathered everything and again made it back to the ranch house just as the supper bell was rung. They spread everything out on the dining room floor and were excitedly describing their day and their findings. They decided they could take turns wearing the fang necklace until they could eventually make their own.
As they were laughing and talking and wallowing in the glory of being explorers and archeologists, Trey’s Dad John commented, “Boys, I know you’d like to keep those things and show them off to your friends but taking those to school would likely result in their loss or destruction. Let’s consider donating them to a museum, or to that new college over to Alpine. Sul Ross State Teachers’ College, they call it. They would probably put it all on display with other Indian artifacts; might even put your names on the display as the persons who found them and donated them to the College. And you’ll get a lot more personal satisfaction knowing they are seen and enjoyed by many more people than your fellow students.
“By the way, one of the old timers out here told me about a tribe of Indians who saw a spirit in a white wolf. One of their bucks faced the white wolf while in the spirit and was told that he would be a great chieftain and a shaman. Apparently, it came to pass in just that way! The young man was at birth named Running Deer but at adulthood his name was changed to “Wolf That Hunts” and was the last great chieftain before the Indians were forced onto reservations.”
The Proving Ground
Standing Bear had given two horses to Running Deer, now called Wolf That Hunts, to get him started in the business of raiding, attacking and stealing. Several young bucks asked to go with Wolf That Hunts, on his first venture where he was to be the leader; a few of his own age range and some older. Wolf That Hunts took only one of his horses, knowing that if something happened to it, he could steal another. As they neared the enemy encampment, Wolf That Hunts took one other man with him, and on foot crept through some trees and undergrowth, to spy on the other camp.
Returning to the group, Wolf said “we will camp here overnight and in the morning sunlight we will rush their camp; three of us will drive their horses away while the rest of us discourage any warriors from pursuing. We will drive the horses, following the creek to the point where the bees’ nest is in the hollow tree, then trail to where the Sun arises from its rest in the night. In two suns we will return to Our People. Tonight, we must have no fires in the night, and we must keep our horses quiet. At the hour before the Sun rises from the dark, we will gather above their herd, ready to leave them afoot!”
As the Sun was at its brightest just above the Eastern horizon, Wolf That Hunts led his warriors into the enemies’ camp with the Sun at their backs, saving their war whoops until they were among the tepees, the surprise complete. Three of the attackers headed for the horse herd, cutting loose those which were tied, and with much noise the herd bolted. The main body of the attackers rode through the camp, among the early risers, striking down any who mounted a resistance, and freeing the horses which were staked nearby. In a matter of minutes the raid was complete, the attackers herding some fifty horses ahead of them, and leaving several defenders incapable of following. One of the attackers was slightly injured by being struck with a tomahawk as he rode through the camp.
Two days later Wolf That Hunts arrived at their home encampment, riding proudly in the vanguard of horses and men. The tribe turned out to welcome home the young man that has proved himself to be a man and a leader. As leader of the event, Wolf That Hunts selected ten of the horses for himself, five of which would be offered to the father of First Flower of Spring as a dowry. Her father accepted the dowry, and both fathers and the tribe’s Shaman smoked a pipe and declared Wolf and Flower to be man and wife.
Flower immediately moved her meager belongings into the tent which had been constructed for them by Standing Bear’s wives, and the pair were not seen for a couple days, but a white wolf was seen lying at the entrance to the tent, as if on guard. If anyone appeared to be approaching the tent, the wolf bared his fangs and growled, a low rumbling sound. On the third day, as Wolf That Hunts was exiting the tent, the white wolf appeared to just fade away. The tribal members immediately realized Wolf That Hunts would have supernatural powers as a shaman.
By Lee Weaver
You can read more of Lee’s work at: https://www.tumbleweeds-weaver.com/
