Grandmother Cedar Tree

(This is a Native American Story from the Sammish people of the Northwest as heard told on the web by Johnny Moses whose traditional name is Walking Medicine.)

Long ago there lived a very large grandmother cedar tree. She was tall and strong, but she was sad and lonely. She felt like she was drowning in her sorrow and loneliness.

The creator felt her sorrow and told the South Wind to carry a baby cedar seed and plant it next to the grandmother, Seedla.

When the baby seed was planted, Seedla’s tears of sorrow become tears of joy. She called the baby cedar tree her grandson.

As the small cedar tree grew he sprouted fresh tender branches that the animals liked to chew and rub against which was not helping him grow. When Seedla saw this, she moved her long branches back and forth to scare the animals away. So the little cedar grew taller and stronger.

But sometimes when North Wind became extra strong, little cedar tree, who was still thin and weak, felt like he would bend and break. When Seedla saw this she would put her long, strong arms around him to protect him from North Wind. Then the little tree grew and grew some more.

Sometimes, the sun came out so strongly it burned the little tree. When Seedla saw this, she would raise her branches high enough to shade her grandson so that he could grow and grow some more.

In time, the little cedar, the grandson, became very tall and straight but he became lonely. When Seedla saw this she used her strong mind to send a call to the birds of the forest to come and perch on her branches and sing to her grandson. And the bird’s came and their songs carried the grandsons’ loneliness away. He felt so good that he grew and grew some more.

Many seasons passed. Grandmother, Seedla, became old and tired. She didn’t want to live any more. Her grandson, who was now very large and tall and strong felt her sorrow and he said to her, “Grandmother, remember when the animals nibbled on me you moved your strong branches to protect me? Grandmother, I have long arms now, I will move them back and forth to scare the animals away like you did.

“And Grandmother, do you not remember when I was small and thin and the North wind blew so strong I thought I would break, you put your arms around me to keep me from breaking? Grandmother, my arms are strong now and I can keep you from bending and breaking.

“And Grandmother, remember when the sun burned my branches you lifted your branches high to shade me? Well, grandmother, I can lift my long arms now to shade you.

“And do you remember how, when I was lonely, you used your strong mind to call the birds to come and sing for me? Grandmother, now my mind is strong and I will call the birds to come sit in my branches and sing for you to make you happy. Grandmother, you took care of me. Now I will take care of you.”

And so it was.

Native American Story from the Sammish people of the Northwest

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