THE STORY OF LITTLE BEAVER AND LITTLE FOX 

 

Once there were two Indian boys Little Beaver and Little Fox that were very good friends. They explored, fished, and hunted together. They were both great athletes and well-liked by all in their tribe.

In their Village there was also a young girl, Morning Dove,  that they both began to like and compete for. One of the boys, out of jealousy, told the Morning Dove that the other boy had done something very bad which would disgrace him and his family. This was completely untrue.  Afterwards, the boy felt very ashamed of what he had done. He told Morning Dove that he had lied and then he apologized to his friend, Little Fox for what he had said.

 

But, as he walked around the village, he could hear others repeating the false words he had spoken about his friend. Very troubled by this, he went to the tribal medicine man, Crow for advice.

 

'How can I undo this terrible thing I have done?', he asked.

 

The wise man told him, 'Shoot 3 ducks and 3 geese, this will help feed Squaw Little Feather whose husband passed away last winter.  Pull off all their feathers and put them in a leather bag. Bring me the bag and the birds.'

 

The boy did this. He gave the birds to the wise man, and the wise man said, 'Now, take the bag of feathers to the top of the great mountain, open it, and shake out all the feathers. Then, return here.'

 

The boy climbed the mountain, released all the feathers into the wind, and returned to the wise man.

 

The wise man said, 'Now, go back up the mountain and pick up every single feather no matter how small that you released and put them back in your bag.'

 

The boy replied, 'But, that is not possible. The feathers have blown far away. I can never recover all of them.'

 

The wise man said, 'So it is with your words.'

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At school you have boys and girls together learning social skills.  At recess and lunch you make bonds and friendships. You strive to be the best you can be, at math or science and learn to be polite to others.. 

Your time is an exciting time. But it can also be a serious time. When you feel hurt or angry and you say things that make you feel better that is untrue about someone, that can be serious.

As the Indian boy learned,  feathers tossed in the wind are impossible to take back, so it is with your words at school, with family and friends.

The moral is this, you must think about the impact of your words before you say them. You cannot take back something you've said.