HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT

Hi dear friends and followers today we again visit the stories the Iroquois tell their children

Have you ever asked your mother or father or mother wonderful questions, like what makes the wind to blow, or why the stars shine? Apparently there was an Iroquois child who had a query about the turkey buzzard. Here is one reply to it.

HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT

It was a long, long time ago, when the Earth was very young. Trees and flowers were growing everywhere, but there were no birds. One morning the Great Spirit drew back the blanket from the door of his wigwam in the sky. He looked upon the Earth and smiled, for he saw that his work was good.

“Today,” thought he, “I will make big butterflies, to fly in and out among the beautiful trees and flowers of the Earth and they shall sing as they fly.

Then the Great Spirit spoke and the tree tops were full of birds, - but they had no feathers.

All day he watched them fly and listened to their songs. But their naked bodies and long legs did not please him. Before the sun had set he had made suits of every size and color to cover them.

That night, as the birds hid their heads under their wings, the Great Spirit spoke to them. He told them about the feathered suits he had made for them, and where these suits could be found.

A council was called the next day by the birds. They chose Gah gah go wah, the Turkey Buzzard, to go get the suits. He could fly over a long trail and not be tired.

The birds told him that if he would go, he might have first choice of the suits of feathers, but he must try on no suit of feathers more than once.

Turkey Buzzard promised and set out toward the setting sun. Twice the sun set and three times it rose, before he found the feathered suits. There were many of them, and they were very beautiful. He could not make up his mind which one he would like the best to wear.

Then he remembered he could try on each suit of feathers only once. So he began to put them on.

The feathers of the first suit were too long. They trailed the ground as he walked. Neither could he fly well in them. Turkey Buzzard laid that suit aside.

The next suit shone like gold. The feathers were a beautiful yellow. Turkey Buzzard put it on and strutted up and down the forest.

“Oh, how handsome I am!” he said. “But I must not keep this, for if I did, I should shine so like the face of the Great Spirit, that all of the other birds would see me.”

And he slipped off the suit of yellow feathers as quickly as he could.

A third suit was of pure white feathers. Turkey Buzzard thought it looked very beautiful and it was a perfect fit.
“But it will get dirty too soon,” he said. “I will not choose this.”

And this, too, was laid aside.

There were not enough feathers in the fourth suit. Turkey Buzzard shivered with cold. It was not warm enough. He would not have it.

There were too many feathers and too many pieces in the fifth suit. It took too much time to put it on. Turkey Buzzard did not want that.

So he went from one suit to another, trying on and taking off. Always he had some new fault to find. Something was wrong with each one. Nothing quite pleased him. No suit was just right.

At last there was but one suit left. It was not pretty. It was a plain, dull color, - and very short of feathers at the neck and head. Turkey Buzzard put it on. He did not like it. It did not fit him well: It was cut too low in the neck. Turkey Buzzard thought it was the homeliest suit of them all. But it was the last suit, so he kept it on.
Then Gah gah go wah, the Turkey Buzzard, gathered up the suits and flew back to the bird lodge. He still wore the plain, dull-colored suit.

The birds again called a council. Each was told to select a suit from those Gah gah go wah had brought, and put it on. This they did.
Then the birds in their beautiful feathered suits began to walk and fly about the Turkey Buzzard and to make fun of his plain, dull dress.

But Gah gah go wah held his head high. He walked proudly among the birds. He looked with scorn on their beautiful suits. After a time he spoke.

He said, “Gah gah go wah, the Turkey Buzzard, does not want your suits. He had the pick of them all. He likes his own suit best.”

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✿ڰۣ❤ With love from The Fairy Lady ❤ڰۣ✿