The temperature falls and we hit zero, as we are lucky to sit inside our homes where we have the warmth and food that we need to keep us happy. When looking outside and seeing the frozen air, ground and all in its surroundings we tend to forget that there are creatures of the land that need a little help here and there to keep them going. Sometimes it hard for mother natures animals to find what they need to survive or just to get by and leaving out bird seed when they can’t find their regular meal helps tie them over. I know woodpeckers are noisy but still it was nice to see that he had found some seed to keep him happy. What you do and give in life comes back to you in multiple rewards, so be good to nature and each other and help where you can, as one day you will need help and who is to say that the woodpecker here won’t be the one to help you.

               THE STORY OF THE FIRST WOODPECKER.

A story often told to children when a gathering takes place and one can hear the woodpecker pecking away at trees. In the days of long ago the Great Spirit came down from the sky and talked with men. Once as he went up and down the earth, he came to the wigwam of a woman. He went into the wigwam and sat down by the fire, but he looked like an old man, and the woman did not know who he was. I have fasted for many days, said the Great Spirit to the woman. Will you share with me some food? The woman made a very little cake and put it on the fire. You can have this cake, she said, if you will wait for it to bake. I will wait, he said. So the woman got busy and mixed up a cake. When the cake was done, the woman stood and looked at it. She thought this is very large. I thought I made a small cake. She pondered and decided that she will not give him such a large cake to eat. So she put it away and made a small one. If you will wait, I will give you this when it is done baking, she said and, the Great Spirit once again said, I will wait. When the second cake was done it was larger than the first one. It is so large that she decided to keep it for a feast. So she says to her guest once again, I will not give you this cake, but if you will wait, I will make you another one. I will wait, said the Great Spirit again. Then the woman made another cake. It was smaller than the others had been at first, but when she went to the fire for it, she found it the largest of all. She did not know that the Great Spirit’s magic had made each cake larger. This was a wonder to her but again she didn’t want to give away the largest cake of all. So she said to her guest, I have no food for you. Go to the forest and look there for your food. You can find it in the bark of the trees, if you will. The Great Spirit becomes angry when he heard the words of the woman. He rose up from where he sat and threw back his cloak. A woman must be good and gentle, he said, and you are cruel. You shall no longer be a woman and live in a wigwam. You shall go out into the forest and hunt for your food in the bark of trees. The Great Spirit stamped his foot on the earth, and the woman grew smaller and smaller. Wings started from her body and feathers grew upon her. With a loud cry she rose from the earth and flew away to the forest. And to this day all woodpeckers live in the forest and hunt for their food in the bark of trees. It doesn’t pay to be greedy, it is best to always help those that are in need of help and be kind to all.

Reference: Oral story tellers - Leonard Beardy, Lillian Sinclair