Rabbit on the Moon

One crisp fall evening my four cousins and I visited Anishinabe, our Ojibwa grandmother.  She lived in a small cabin on the edge of a great pine forest.  She lived alone, keeping the old ways and customs of the People. We were thrilled to be spending the night.  The ancient cabin was snug and warm and a lively fire chattered in the field stone fireplace. 

"Come sit by me children and I will tell you a story of the People."  My  grandmother indicated a  pile of furs at her feet.  We were between five and nine years old at the time, and we snuggled into the soft pelts and waited for her to begin.

"This story is only told in the days of the Moon of the Falling Leaves, what the whites call the harvest moon."  She cleared her throat and began rocking to and fro in her bent willow chair.

In the days beyond remembering, when the People lived by their own wills, they were visited by many spirits.  Some spirits were helpful and appreciated the People's Singing. Others were mischievous and inflicted the people with many hardships, but most spirits simply lived in the world with the People.

One day Wabas'so, Rabbit,  came to the village and spoke with a woman.  "See my soft pelt and long ears?  Truly, I must be one of the best creatures on earth.  I can run fast and hide, and I do not eat other creatures but live from the bounty of Mother Earth.  My clan is very large."

"Yes, you are a wonderful creature." said the woman.  "You are gentle and kind and your fur is soft.  You must be one of the best creatures on earth." 

Then Ko'ko-ko'ho, Owl,  flew onto a branch above the woman's head.  He spread his wings wide and clicked his sharp beak. "You must be joking.  A rabbit cannot be one of the greatest creatures on earth.  He has no talons.  He does not hunt.  He has no warrior-like qualities at all!  Now an owl is noble and fierce.  He can fly at night and all small creatures fear him.  Surely an owl is one of the greatest creatures on earth." 

The woman thought for a moment then addressed  Owl. "You are right, a rabbit does not hunt and no one fears a rabbit, but an owl is not kind and does not have soft fur.  Maybe a contest would decide which of you is the greatest."

Owl and Rabbit discussed this for a moment then agreed they would have a contest and the People would gather and decide who was the best.  The date for the contest was to be the autumnal equinox, when neither day nor night were longer.  Neither creature, Rabbit by day, nor Owl by night, would have an advantage. 

On that morning, Rabbit visited the village bringing all of his people.  They hopped from hogan to hogan, and the woman and children of the village delighted in their gentle manner and silky fur.  The rabbits nibbled grass and herbs and stayed near the People until the sun set. 

As soon as night fell, Owl came to the village with his people.  They flew in circles and caught mice, and voles, and other small creatures.  Their wings drummed the air, and their sharp talons flashed in the moonlight.  The People thought they were a magnificent sight.

The next morning Rabbit and Owl went back to find out which was the greatest creature on earth. 



"Is anyone hungry yet?"  Anishinabe grasped the arms of her rocker and pushed herself to her feet.

"Awwww," we all chimed in. 

"How does the story end?" one cousin asked.

"Please tell us who won."  another added.

She turned and walked slowly to the door and put on a worn hand-knit sweater and beckoned for us to follow her outside.  She used the cabin wall for balance, as she led us through a pile of leaves that had drifted across the doorway.  When we reached the middle of the yard she pointed straight up.

"Who do you see up there?"  We strained our eyes trying to see some sign on the flat silvery face of the full moon. 

"Nothing...no...wait."  my cousin Sheila drew an invisible shape in the night sky with her finger. "See, there are his ears, and his face, and down here is his tail."

"It's Rabbit.  Rabbit's on the moon!"  Delighted we all traced the outline of Rabbit.  We were secretly thrilled that Rabbit had won the contest.

"When the woman told Rabbit and Owl that the People had decided that Rabbit was the best of all creatures, Owl became very angry and snatched Rabbit up and flew with him as high as he could fly.  He threw Rabbit into the sky and Rabbit landed on the moon and he's still there today."  Grandmother hugged her arms around herself then turned and headed back to the cabin. "Come inside now.  Dinner is almost ready" 

We hurried back in.  Biscuits were baking in the oven and a thick rabbit stew bubbled on the stove.  We breathed in the smell of sage coming from the cooking pot.  Grandmother ladled out bowls for all of us and we sat cross legged on the floor in the rabbit furs. 

She carefully lowered herself into her rocker and told us, "When we Sing, or when we Pray we honor the things that share our lives.  We give them honor and show them respect and we remember the old stories and try to keep our hearts thankful.'  She dipped her spoon into the hot stew,

"Tonight we honor Rabbit."

Word count: 976