Little Deer
Little Deer is a guardian spirit ignored at a cost.
In the old days, man and animal were friends. Animals could talk and the people lived alongside them as friends. However, with time, man began to increase in number and in order to feed this growing population, they turned to hunting animals for food and clothing. A favorite was the deer, for their meat and pelt and it came to the point where only a few remained. Those that survived this massacre then decided to hold council to decide what could be done.
As they were not strong like Bear or aggressive like Wolf, the deer decided that they could not go to war with man. Instead, they decided to teach him humility. It was decided that when a deer was killed, hunters would be taught a song to ask for pardon for killing the deer, thanking it for its life and flesh. Those who did not would be sent crippling rheumatism so that he would never be able to hunt again.
The first the deer told about this was two brothers, known as the strongest and fastest hunters in their village. They were handsome and well-like by all for their skills, and with this brought ignorance. They laughed when the deer told them of the consequences of not asking for their pardon–after all, they needed no permission from their prey to hunt. So they continued to slaughter deer, ignoring the warning.
Now Little Deer, who was very old, but still as swift as a young buck, and could not be wounded by traditional means, followed these brothers. He followed the trail of blood to each kill, gently leaning down to ask the spirit of each deer if the hunters had asked permission for their kill. Each one replied “No.”
Little Deer followed the path of destruction until finally he arrived in the village where the brothers lived. He stole inside, visiting the brothers in their bed and cursing them to suffer for their reckless display.
The next morning the brothers awoke, grabbing their bow and spear and heading into the woods to hunt again. At first, they woke up aching, but attributed it to their hard work of the previous day.
But as they continue to travel through the woods, their bodies began to bend to the point where they could no longer hold themselves upright. When they came upon their first deer, they tried to heft a spear, but they could barely lift it. They then tried to draw their bow, but their fingers had become gnarled and twisted at the knuckles. They returned to the village, defeated. The next day they tried again, and again, until they eventually fell out of favor and had to be cared for by their families. The only thing they could offer to new hunters was the song of pardon, teaching their nephews and their friends how to ask forgiveness for taking a deer’s life.
We must all be mindful of the impact we leave on this world. Our earth is strong and has continued to provide to us, but we must be mindful of the wounds we leave upon it–are they shallow cuts that can heal with time and care or will we cut so deep as to leave a mangled scar as our legacy? We humans can create an imbalance and we should strive to be mindful of the actions we take.