The session started with circle news and a welcome to a new member: Arran.
We played a game of Linked Disease and then Octopus.
We then divided into three groups, each with one adult, and worked on our Animal Dramas.
Pawnee Great Plains - Tegan
Old Man Coyote was going along. It had been quite awhile since he had eaten and was feeling cut in half by hunger. He came to the top of a hill and he saw a big rock.
Old Man Coyote took out his flint knife.
“Grandfather,” Old Man Coyote said to the rock, “I give you this fine knife. Now help me in some way, because I am hungry.”
Then Old Man Coyote went along further. He went over the top of the hill and there at the bottom was a buffalo that had just been killed.
“How lucky I am,” Old Man Coyote said. “But how can I butcher this buffalo without a knife? Now where did I leave my knife?”
Then Old Man Coyote walked back up the hill until he saw the big rock. “You don’t need this knife,” he said to the big rock. Then he picked it up and ran back to where he had left the buffalo. Now, though, where there had been a freshly killed buffalo, there were only buffalo bones and bones were very old and gray. Then, from behind him, Old Man Coyote heard a rumbling noise. He turned around and looked up. The Big Rock was rolling down the hill after him.
GA-DA-RUM, GA-DA-RUM.
Old Man Coyote began to run. He ran and ran, but the stone still rumbling after him.
GA-DA-RUM, GA-DA-RUM.
Old Man Coyote ran until he came to a bear den. “Help me,” he called in to the bears.
The bears looked out and saw what was chasing Old Man Coyote. “We can’t help you against Grandfather Rock, “ they said.
GA-DA-RUM, GA-DA-RUM.
The big rock kept coming and Old Man Coyote kept running. Now he came to a cave where the mountain lions lived and he called out again. “Help me,” Old Man Coyote said. “I am about to be killed!”
The mountain lions looked out and saw what was after Old Man Coyote. “No,” they said, “we can’t help you if you have angered Grandfather Rock.”
GA-DA-RUM, GA-DA-RUM.
The big rock kept rumbling after Old Man Coyote and he kept running. Now he came to the place where a bull buffalo was grazing. “Help me,” Old Man Coyote yelled. “That big rock said it was going to kill all the buffalo. When I tried to stop it, it began to chase me.”
The bull buffalo braced his legs and thrust his head out to stop the rock. But the rock just brushed the bull buffalo aside and left him standing there dazed, with his horns bent and his head pushed back into his shoulders. To this day all buffalo are still like that.
GA-DA-RUM, GA-DA-RUM.
The big rock kept rolling and Old Man Coyote kept running. But Old Man Coyote was getting tired now and the rock was getting closer. Then Old Man Coyote looked up and saw a nighthawk flying overhead. “My friend,” Old Man Coyote yelled up to the nighthawk, “this big rock that is chasing me said you are ugly. It said you have a wide mouth and your eyes are too big and your beak is all pinched up. I told it not to say that and it began to chase me.”
The Nighthawk heard what the Old Man Coyote said and grew angry. He called the other nighthawks. They began to swoop down and strike at the big rock with their beaks. Each time they struck the big rock a piece broke off and stopped rolling.
GA-DA-RUM, GA-DA-RUM.
The rock kept rolling and Old Man Coyote kept running, but now the rock was much smaller. The nighthawks continued to swoop down and break off pieces. Finally the big rock was nothing but small pebbles.
Old Man Coyote came up and looked at the little stones. “My, my,” he said to the nighthawks, “Why did you wide mouthed, big-eyed, pinch-beaked birds do that to my old friend?” Then Old Man Coyote laughed and started on his way again.
Now the nighthawks were very angry at Old Man Coyote. They gathered all the pieces of the big rock and fanned them together with their wings. The next thing Old Man Coyote knew, he heard a familiar sound behind him again.
GA-DA-RUM, GA-DA-RUM.
He tried to run, but he was so tired now he could not get away. The big rock rolled right over him and flattened him out.
The Jade Emperor - TIm
Long ago, in China, the Jade Emperor decided there should be a way of measuring time. On his birthday he told the animals that there was to be a swimming race. The first twelve animals across the fast flowing river would be the winners and they would each have a year of the zodiac named after them.
When this tournament and its rules were announced Rat arrived didn’t think he stood chance against the strong Ox. He realised that he would have to be very clever if he wanted to win the race. The Ox was both large in size and extremely strong. He was confident that he would be the winner. However, the Rat was cunning and light quick and agile in movement so he jumped onto the back of the Ox.
The rat travelled safely across the river on the ox’s back, but, just before they reached the other side, climbed over the ox's head, jumped onto land, and reached the finish line first. The rat had proved its cunning, and the Jade Emperor named the first year after the rat and the second year after the ox.
The rest of the animals battled one another, and this is how the ranking of the twelve animals came to be: (1)Rat, (2)Ox, (3)Tiger, (4)Rabbit, (5)Dragon, (6)Snake, (7)Horse, (8)Ram, (9)Monkey, (10)Rooster, (11)Dog, (12)Pig.
Tiddalik - Debbie
Long ago in the Dreamtime, Tiddalik, the largest frog ever known, awoke one morning with a huge thirst. He started to drink and drank until there was no fresh water left in the world. Soon creatures everywhere were dying and trees were wilting because of the lack of moisture.
All the animals pondered about their terrible plight until a wise old wombat suggested that if Tiddalik could be made to laugh then maybe all the water would flow out of his mouth. This was a good idea the animals agreed.
The animals gathered by Tiddalik's resting place and tried for a long time to make him laugh, but it was in vain. The kookaburra told his funniest story, the kangaroo jumped over the emu and the lizard waddled up and down on two legs making his stomach stick out but Tiddalik was not amused.
Then when the animals were in despair, Nabunum the eel who was driven from his favourite creek by the drought slid up to the unresponsive frog and began to dance. As the dance got faster Nabunum wriggled and twisted himself into all sorts of knots and shapes to the amusement of Tiddalik. Tiddalik's eyes lit up and burst out laughing. As he laughed the water gushed out from his mouth and flowed away to replenish the lakes, swamps and rivers again.
We finished off with a game of Snakes in the Pit.
Leaders: Tegan, Debbie, Tim
