Another Wondrous Wildlife Week Experience
“In every walk with nature,
One receives far more than he seeks.”
John Muir
My two dogs woke me quite early
They longed for a walk in the wood
They never spotted the newborn deer
But I did, recalling a legend quite good
Long, long ago, when the world was so new
The Great Spirit gave great gifts to the animals
Mother Deer asked Him to give one to her child
“Wakan Tanka, my child is so helpless and small!”
“Mother Deer, do not fret for your tiny helpless child,
I will paint it with white spots, to hide it in the tall grass;
I will also remove its scent, so your enemies cannot smell it,
And your child will now be protected, until it can run very fast.”
I’ve always been captivated by these old Native American legends
And I watched in amazement, as my canines never spotted this fawn
They walked right by this newborn, without ever seeing or smelling it
And I had been blessed with another marvelous experience, this dawn
The Native American Fawn Legend
Wakan Tanka, The Great Spirit, made paint from the earth and the plants. He then painted spots upon the fawn's body so that when she lay very still, her color blended in with her surroundings, and she could not be seen. Then Wakan Tanka breathed upon her, taking away her scent.
"Now," Wakan Tanka said to Mother Deer, "all of your little ones will always be safe if they remain still when they are away from your side. None of your enemies will see your children, or be able to catch their scent."
And so it has been, from that day forward. While a young deer is too small and weak to run very fast, it is covered with spots that blend in with the earth. It has no scent, and it remains very still and close to the earth when its mother is not by its side.
And when the fawn has grown enough to have the great speed that Wakan Tanka also gave to its adult relatives, it then loses these spots that it once needed to survive.
My two dogs woke me quite early,
They longed for a walk in the wood;
They never spotted the newborn deer,
But I did, recalling a legend quite good.
©Spring Sojourn 2011, Mr. Ed
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Anna
Cheers,
Dan
I also think the albino deer are fascinating in that they are safer in the snow during winter, but then in danger again during the other seasons.
Blessings,
Christine
God bless,
Lew