Winter winds
This being the season of the Chinook winds, it only seems fitting to speak of them from the beginning. They are the bones of our beliefs, for without them there is no structure.
I am told I was born on a night when the winter winds blew like no other and the mountains that surrounded our village sang the song of brother wolf. One hundred voices came together, making a sound like no one had ever heard before; and try as many did, they never could see the mountaintops – just white clouds in constant motion year-round. That is why they decided never to go to the mountains or try to climb them.
As I grew and went hunting at the foot of those mountains, I would feel eyes upon me; not just the eyes of one, but the eyes of many. It seemed that they watched everything I did, and at times in my mind I could hear reassuring sounds … sounds that only brother wolf makes. As a young man, I always felt the urge to go up the mountain – not to sit at its feet, but to climb it. Voices seemed to call me, but among all the voices a special one seemed to tell me, ”Patience. It is not time for us to meet yet.” Try as I might to ignore it, my curiosity grew.
On the day of my birth when I was considered a man and a warrior, it was a day much like any other day; but as the sun started to fall, the mountains came alive. The people in my village grew afraid as the voices grew louder. All I could hear were peaceful sounds, like music made from a flute, and one gentle voice calling me to the mountain.
Grabbing my fur robe and bow, I made my way through the snow. The wind stung my face and snow slowed my every step. I could hear my mother calling my name, begging me to come back. But I could not, for the voice that called me was like a mother’s voice, safe and secure. I had to climb the mountain.
As I finally reached the mountain I realized that I no longer felt the cold biting at my skin, so I threw off my robe and took off my moccasins. It was as if my skin was all I needed to keep me warm. As I made my way up the mountain, what began as a true test of strength became like second nature. I felt the strength in my arms and legs. My eyes became the eyes of others, for I could see things I never could before. My body was so warm.
My mind started to think, ”Maybe this is a place to fear. I should stop this and climb down.” But as fast as I thought this, the voice called my name again. It told me not to be afraid and to continue my climb. And I did!
When I finally reached the top, I felt like a bird. I could see all my surroundings: every tree, the rivers, my village below. And the voices I heard finally showed themselves to me.
There I stood in the middle of what seemed to be hundreds of our wolf brothers. They were as white as snow, with eyes of ice as blue as the sky. As I stood among them, I felt no fear and with every howl they made, I heard them speak: ”We have waited a long time for you. Now that you are here, we can leave these grounds to make other journeys. We are free now.”
I could understand them. I asked, ”Why me?”
My answer unfolded before my eyes. ”Look at your feet. Look at your arms,” whispered all the voices; and as I looked down, I saw that my legs and arms were changing to that of the wolf. Before I could answer, I became one of them.
”You are our leader. We sang your song the night you were born. We had to wait for this time in your life to call you here. We are the winter winds, the spirit of life that is ever-roaming. We watch, and when we can we protect all we see. Now we can leave here to watch over others.”
I listened as a human, but I knew in my heart I was to be with the spirits. As all around me sang their song, I also sang and we looked to the sky. Away we ran, singing from many mountaintops, always watching, trying to watch over mankind.
I have sung my story to my mother and she smiles when the season of cold comes, for when it does I come home to her. My name is Chinook. May you come to know me when the Chinook winds come your way. Perhaps as you look to the mountaintops you will see me and my bothers. But know I am watching you in spirit.
Dedicated to my friend Chinook, brother to the wolf.
Lim lim.
Ken ”Rainbow Cougar” Edwards, from the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington state, is an accomplished painter and storyteller. Edwards is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., and a longtime cartoonist for Indian
Country Today.
