“Chimidyue”
by Rising Star and Growing Oak (aka
Isabelle and Brian Styslinger)
based upon a tale from the Tukuna tribe of South America
Sierra Expedition Princesses
Fall 2003
"Welcome Home!"
"Welcome Home Sierra Expedition!!!"
"For is Jones Gulch not the home of the Sierra Expedition?"
"Is this not the place where our Great Adventure starts each year?"
"Is this not the place where our great leaders have stood and talked to
you for the first time and told the stories which are
carved on our great story stick?"
Is this not the place where we welcome the new Fathers and Princesses
who have joined our Expedition?"
"And is this not the place to where we return at the beginning of each
year to start our Great Adventure over again"
"It is all that - and so I say to you again - WELCOME HOME SIERRA
EXPEDITION,
WELCOME HOME!!!
I want to share with you a story of another great adventure that
happened long ago….but not far away…
On the banks of the xxx [name of nearby river] River, in a clearing in
this forest, there once lived a girl named Chimidyue.
She lived there with her family and relatives.
[Isabelle comes out with a basket and sits down in front of you]
Like the other children, Chimidyue never stepped far into the forest.
She knew how full it was of fierce animals, and how
easy it was to get lost in.
Still, she would listen wide-eyed when the elders told stories about
that other world. And sometimes she would go just a
little way in, gazing among the giant trees and wondering what she
might find farther on.
One day as Chimidyue was making a basket, she looked up and saw a big
monarch butterfly hovering right before her.
Sunlight danced on its shimmering orange wings.
[Isabelle pretends to make a basket and then look up and watch a
butterfly and says…]
“You are the most magical creature in the world,” “I wish I could be
like you.”
The butterfly dipped as if in answer, then flew toward the edge of the
clearing.
[Isabelle sets down her basket and pretends to follow it, imitating its
lazy flight.]
Among the trees she followed the butterfly, swooping and circling and
flapping her arms.
She played like this for a long time, until the butterfly passed
between some trees and disappeared. Suddenly Chimidyue
realized she had gone too far into the forest. There was no path, and
the leaves of the tall trees made a canopy that hid
the sun. She could not tell which way she had come.
[Isabelle stops and looks afraid]
“Mother! Father! Anyone!”
But no one came.
“Oh no,” [I says softly] “How will I find my way back?”
[Isabelle paces back and forth]
Chimidyue wandered anxiously about, hoping to find a path. After a
while she heard a tap-tap-tapping.
[Isabelle listens with her hand to her ear]
“Someone must be working in the forest,”
[Isabelle walks as if going toward the sound and then looks
disappointed]
She followed the sound. But when she got close, she saw it was just a
woodpecker.
[I sadly shakes her head.]
“If only you were human,” she said, “you could show me the way home.”
“Why would I have to be human?” asked the woodpecker indignantly. “I
could show you just as I am!”
[I acts startled but glad to hear it talk and says eagerly…]
“Oh, would you?”
“Can’t you see I’m busy?” said the woodpecker. “You humans are so
conceited, you think everyone else is here to serve
you. But in the forest, a woodpecker is just as important as a human.”
And it flew off.
“I didn’t mean anything bad,” “I just want to go home.”
More uneasy than ever, Chimidyue walked farther. All at once she came
upon a Wood hut, and sitting within it was a
woman weaving a hammock.
“Oh, hello! I’m so glad to find someone here. I was afraid I would die
in the forest!”
But just as she stepped into the hut, the roof began to flap, and the
hut and the woman together rose into the air. Then
Chimidyue saw it was really a bald eagle that had taken a magical form.
It flew to a branch above.
“Don’t you ‘hello’ me!” screeched the bird. “How many of my people have
your relatives hunted and killed? How many
have you cooked and eaten? Don’t you dare ask for my help.” And it too
flew away.
“The animals here all seem to hate me,” [said sorrowfully] “But I can’t
help being a human!”
Chimidyue wandered on, feeling more and more hopeless, and hungry now
as well. Suddenly, some nuts dropped to the
ground. She picked them up and ate greedily. Then more dropped nearby.
[I walks around and then pretends to eat nuts off the ground]
Chimidyue looked up and saw why. A band of squirrels was feeding in the
trees above, and now and then nuts would fall
from their hands.
“I’ll just follow the squirrels,” [says to herself] “Then at least I
won’t starve.”
[I walks around looking up]
And for the rest of that day she walked along beneath them, eating any
nuts they dropped. But her fears grew fresh as
daylight faded and night came to the forest.
In the deepening darkness, Chimidyue saw the squirels start to climb
down, and she hid herself to watch. To her
amazement, as the squirels reached the ground, each one changed to the
form of a human.
Chimidyue could not help but gasp, and within a moment the squirel
people had surrounded her.
“Why, it’s Chimidyue!” said a squirel man with a friendly voice. “What
are you doing here?”
[I stammers] “I followed a butterfly into the forest, and I can’t find
my way home.”
“You poor girl!” said a squirel woman. “Don’t worry. We’ll bring you
there tomorrow.”
“Oh, thank you!”
Just then a big cougar lept out of the forest and growled at Chimidyue.
Chimidyue’s screamed and ran headlong through the night.
[I screams and runs]
When Chimidyue stopped at last to rest, daylight had begun to filter
through the forest canopy. She sat down among the
trees and began to cry.
[I sobs in her hands]
“I hate this forest!” “Nothing here makes any sense!”
“Are you sure?” asked a tiny voice.
[Wiping her eyes, I looks up]
On a branch was a monarch butterfly, the largest she had ever seen. It
waved at her with brilliant orange wings.
“Oh, butterfly,” “nothing here is what it seems. Everything changes
into something else!”
“Dear Chimidyue,” said the butterfly gently, “that is the way of the
forest. Among your own people, things change slowly
and are mostly what they seem. But your human world is a tiny one. All
around it lies a much larger world, and you can’t
expect it to behave the same.”
“But if I can’t understand the forest,” “how will I ever get home?”
“I will lead you there myself,” said the butterfly.
“Will you?”
“Certainly,” said the butterfly. “Just follow me.”
[I pretends to follow a butterfly]
It wasn’t long till they came to the banks of the xxx River. Then
Chimidyue saw with astonishment that the boat landing of
her people was on the other side.
“I crossed the river without knowing it!” she cried. “But that’s
impossible!”
“Impossible?” said the butterfly.
“I mean,” “I don’t understand how it happened. But now, how will I get
back across?”
“That’s simple,” said the morpho. “I’ll change you to a butterfly.”
Chimidyue felt herself grow smaller, while her arms grew wide and thin.
Soon
she was fluttering and hovering beside the other.
[I pretends to be a butterfly]
“I’m a butterfly!” she cried.
They started across the wide water, their wings glistening in the sun.
“I feel so light and graceful,” said Chimidyue. “I wish this would
never end.”
Before long they reached the landing, where a path to her family’s hut
led into the forest. The instant Chimidyue touched
the ground, she was changed back to human form.
[I pretends her wings are gone]
“I will leave you here,” said the butterfly. “Farewell, Chimidyue.”
“Oh, butterfly,” “take me with you. I want to be a butterfly forever!”
“That would not be right,” said the butterfly. “You belong with your
people, who love you and care for you. But never mind,
Chimidyue. Now that you have been one of us, you will always have
something of the forest within you.”
[I waves good-bye]
“Good-bye, butterfly!”
Then Chimidyue turned home, with a heart that had wings of a butterfly.
She was ready for any adventure life brought to
her!
[I exits]
The Sierra Expedition has some fun adventures planned for this year!
Exciting events we have to look forward to include
Christmas Parade, YMCA sleepover, Summer campout at the beach. ….xxxxx
We are lucky to have some great new members with which to share these
adventures. I would like to introduce …xxxx
And now let’s get on with our Jones Gulch adventure!
Each year when you return to Jones Gulch you will discover that you can
climb further and faster on the climbing wall
That your arrows fly faster and straighter
That you can paddle your canoe better
And that your pumpkin carving and decorating is better
"and so I say to you again –
WELCOME HOME SIERRA EXPEDITION -- WELCOME HOME!!!"
[Fade to black]