Legend upon the Cane Read Free

spirit’ willing, you will both find your way to
one another once again, thus continuing the sacred bond of the
Caddo. What I ask of you, was done by me, and my father before me.
Now, I am asking this of you. This is the only way to ensure the
lasting of the Caddo.” Both sons sat and thought about what their
father had said. They both looked at each other and silently nodded
to their father and to one another.
    Natchitos looked at his father and said, “We
shall honor your request, Father. It will be done.” Later that
night, Chief Caddo breathed his last.
     
    Both sons did as their father had asked
them. With the efficiency of a military garrison, the entire tribe
had gathered everything and prepared for the long journey.
    Nakahodot gathered his and Calanele’s family
and other tribal families. They numbered about forty-five in all.
Natchitos, in turn, gathered his wife and son, Taima’s extended
family, and the remaining members of the tribe. In all, they
numbered about thirty-five.
    The two brothers stood facing one another.
They clasped their arms together in the tribe’s traditional
way.
    “Are you certain this is the right thing for
us to do? Together, we form a more formidable tribe, do we not?”
Nakahodot asked his brother.
    “We must honor our father in life and in
death,” Natchitos responded. “The ‘great spirit’ will guide us and
give us strength. He will guide us to the proper place for
mourning. We will know when we have found it. Then, mourning will
turn to joy.”
    Natchitos looked at his brother and said, “I
will always think of you, brother. Whenever the sun sets, my
thoughts will be with you.”
    “Go in peace, my brother,” Nakahodot
said.
    With that, both men gathered their tribes
and began their journey. Nakahodot traveled west and Natchitos
traveled east.
     
    Natchitos traveled through the forests and
over the rolling hills on the eastern side of the Sabine River. The
trees were tall and many in number. Occasionally, they would find
open fields with ample grain. They stopped only to rest and
retrieve water from small ponds and streams.
    The sun grew hot as they walked on. On the
third day, they continued to walk through a thick forest of trees.
Soon, they came upon the crest of a hillside. Natchitos stopped to
look out over the view. Below the hill was a narrow river that
winded calmly towards the south. The river stretched as far as he
could see in both directions. They slowly walked down the hill to
the banks of the river. Tall, thick stalks of cane grew along the
banks.
    Natchitos looked at Taima
and then at the rest of the tribe. He nodded to himself. “We have made it, Father. This is the proper place
for our tribe,” he said to
himself.
    Taima put her arm into his. “We should not
walk any longer,” she said to him. “This is the place where we
should stay and make our home.”
    “ Yes, this is where the
‘great spirit’ has been leading us,” Natchitos agreed.
    He turned to the tribe and spoke, “We will
wander no further. We will settle our tribe here.” From that day
forth, the river became known as the ‘waters of the cane’.

Chapter 2
    1701 - Thirteen Years Later
     
    It was early morning in late summer when the
Indian chief made his way up a narrow trail that led to the top of
a small cliff. It was the same trail he had walked each morning,
rain or shine, for over a decade now. The trail was narrow with
tall strands of grass on either side, flowing back and forth in the
breeze. The top of the hill was shaded by large trees and a few
clouds from overhead.
    This day he was weary from two straight
months in the fields trying to salvage what they could from the
corn and bean fields. They were able to save most of the corn and
some of the beans, but the hot sun, with little rain, assured them
of no tobacco or even pumpkins in the fall.
    He sat cross-legged on the
top of the cliff, overlooking the calm river that wandered through
his tribe’s village. Natchitos