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Stoney Discoveries
: Stoney Stories : The Buffalo
Circle
Our summary of "The Buffalo Circle" told by;
Alexander, Asia, Miki
The Stoney hunting party close
to Old Man Playing River is caught by a killer storm. It comes and blows
Running Star away from the group. He tries to make a fire but the wind
is too strong. Running Star sings to the buffalo spirit Ta Taga, to keep
death away. The buffalo come and make a circle around Running Star and
keep him warm all night. They teach him four sacred songs but in the morning
they are gone. There are no tracks. A large group of people come looking
for him. All the others from the hunting party froze to death. Running
Star is thankful for the buffalo and he sings four sacred buffalo songs
to honor Ta Taga.
What did we hear in this story that we have heard in other stories?
- We keep reading about animals
in the stories. We read about mice, buffalo, and horses. We have seen
animals in the Stoney stories and in this story the buffalo were important
because they keep them warm in the winter. The robes and the clothing
is made out of buffalo hides.
- We keep reading the word
sacred in this and all of the stories.
- We keep seeing the number
four in this story (four sacred songs, four sacred buffalo songs). The
other stories that we have read also have the number four. We understand
that four was special because it suggests balance and it is important
in the seasons, in the four directions and the winds.
- The Sore Eye Moon is March
and we have seen that all of the stories start out with a special moon
that tells when the story might have happened.
- In this story there are
spirits. The Buffalo Spirit gave Running Star warmth and he was the
only one to survive. The spirits helped him out.
Why was this story told? We think...
- This story is to help children
understand life and learn about the spirit of the buffalo. The children
should respect the buffalo and then when you need help the spirits might
help you. It would also teach them to be respectful of the spirits and
each other.
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