Oklahoma’s
Deer Woman
One
of my favorite pastimes is to attend local powwows here in Oklahoma. Instead of
celebrating the Fourth of July the “American Way” I take my family to a
local powwow to celebrate independence on a more cultural level. The stories and
legends attached to Native America are an amazing piece of history that is
overlooked in the paranormal investigative field. If you were to think about it,
the majority of Native American events in history have some kind of supernatural
link to them. These types of stories intrigue me and I will share one of my
favorite ones told to me by some of the elders of the Cheyenne Arapaho tribe of
Oklahoma.
The legend…
The
story of the deer woman is a universal message that is taught by many tribes.
With all Native American folklore there is a message behind them all. The term
“scared straight” comes to mind when I hear these kinds of stories. This is
what makes them the unique and traditional legends that have stood the test of
time.
While the locals enjoy the powwow at the local stomp grounds the stars
are out, drums are pounding away into the distance. A 20-year-old dancer
is taking a break from the fast and furious footwork. He takes off his head
covering as the sweat flows from his pours. He looks into the field as the
ladies jingle dress dance is taking place he notices a flutter in the field.
Wiping the sweat from his eyes he takes another look and sees that it is a
person dancing around in the field. He gets up from the bleachers and starts to
walk in the direction of the person, paying no attention to anyone else. He gets
closer to the barbed wire fence and focuses into the night sky as he watches
this person dance around in the brush. The person seems to be getting
closer. He
starts to notice a beautiful shawl, crimson and turquoise with yellow spots. It
is a woman dancing in the field, he finds a post within the fence and continues
to watch her in the distance. Every minute that passes she seems to mysteriously
get closer to him. He starts to notice that the woman has beautiful braids and a
headband made of gold, she is a beautiful dancer. He continues to watch
attentively as she dances in the field, she floats like cotton and never a
stumble. Her beauty and her grace intrigue the man, deciding the climb through
the barbwire fence. He is compelled to meet this woman and to find out why she
is alone in the field dancing.He
slides through the fence and notices that she motions her arms as if she is
pulling him closer with an invisible rope. She wants him to meet her; he starts
to run out into the field, all he can hear is the belled anklets adorned to his
fathers’ moccasins. He continues to run into the field and he realizes that
she is out further than he thought. The woman continues to pull him closer and
he finally catches up with her. Her beauty strikes him, eyes of a mature fawn.
Her eyes so dark they are almost black. Her skin is the color of cool caramel
and her hair is braided and thick as horsehair. She smiles at him, he is in
wonderment of this beauty, of who she is and where she is from. For a moment he
recognizes the drums in the background and thinks to himself that the shawl
dancers are still in motion.He
turns and notices that he is very far away from the stomp grounds, the lights
are in the distance, small as the midnight stars. He turns to the woman and sees
that she is not there, he notices her as she is briskly running away from him,
turning back at him smiling a tempting invitation for him to follow her. As he
starts to dash after her in the long brush, in amazement at her grace as she
runs through the obstacles, he watches in amazement.
The
man is growing tired and notices that he is not catching up to her, they are
just going farther out away from the stomp grounds. He gradually stops to take a
breath. As he bends over to rest, he looks to the ground. The man sees what
appear to be the hooves of a deer. He looks up and the woman stands, looking
down on him, she offers her hand to help him up. Tempted yet puzzled, the man
takes her hand and smiles. He stands then pulls her closer to kiss her.The
woman looks at him and a tear runs down her cheek as her eyes change and her
face starts to become distorted as if something was within her, she looks
helpless. The man starts to grab her and scream out to her, who are you! The
woman starts to fight him, clawing his face and thrashing his body. The man is
frightened and confused. The woman starts to push him; he lands on his back
while fighting her off. The woman is too strong; he cannot hold her back from
him. He blacks out for a moment only to see a large doe standing upon his chest
it is a deer! The man is in shock. The mighty doe looks down upon him and shakes
her head and starts to pounce on him violently. The man screams but he can only
hear the distant sounds of the drums rolling in the stomp grounds. He hears a
vague announcement over the loud speaker that he was to get ready for the next
dance. The powerful doe continues to ambush him for what seems to be eternity.
The
man looks up, in great pain as he takes his last breaths before he meets mother
earth. He sees the woman standing before him, half beauty half deer.
She smiles then descends into the trees, leaving him to die alone...
___________________________________________________________________
This
is one of my favorite translations of this story. This version is the one I like
to share with my friends and family. There are many sides of this story. In
fact, each tribe holds a different report with how the men meet the Deer Woman.But,
each story has the same meaning and message.It
has been reported that the message originated when a group of men many years ago
took the purity of an innocent woman from a nearby tribe. They left her in a
field to die after their grisly attack. Rumor is that a sympathetic female deer
lay beside her as the girl took her last breaths, just so she wouldn’t be
alone on her journey back to mother earth.
The
tribes’ men were never punished for the gruesome rape and murder of this
woman. The woman was blessed with the strength of a deer in her next path of
life, the Gods, obviously a female. Allowing her to make peace, gather justice
and provide security for her and the future of other women across the land.
Message
to men from this story is to never allow ones self to be tempted by the flesh.
To treat women with respect and dignity or you perhaps the Deer Woman will visit
you one day.Like
I mentioned above, there are many versions of this story, this just happens to
be my favorite. The messages behind Native American stories are just amazing.
This is a great way to teach about the wrongs and rights of life.
Just
goes to show you that legends are timeless and lessons can be temporary. Perhaps
we should all make our life’s lessons into legends?
By- Tonya Hacker
© 2013
