Today as I was driving on a country road, I saw something I thought was dead in the middle of the road. I stopped to at least do the creature the final dignity of removing it from the road so it wouldn’t have to suffer in death the same indignity of being smashed a hundred times more...As I came upon the animal, I saw it was a huge snapping turtle, who raised its head and gave me warning to leave it alone. The poor creature could not make the noise it should to scare me. I did not want to find out how much strength was still in those jaws, but did want to pick it up and place it in the field. So, apologizing for any pain I might be causing, I took a firm hold on its big tail and carried it into the bean field.

I spent about five minutes with turtle, saying, "This is your island, isn’t it? Look at the technology man has created, and now what this has done to you. We put the roads through your country, then we invented farm machines and vehicles to run on them. You could not know the danger of being on the roadway. You die today too soon, needlessly and painfully. I am so sorry for you. I love you so much. You are one of Creator’s children on this earth as I am. We need our animal friends to balance out life upon this earth. Man has ruined many of the places that you live. Perhaps someday this will all go away, and the world will be as it was when man first was on this earth with the animals, when all things were in proper order and balance...Ghost Dance wishes for a dying brother turtle in a lonely place, with no one of his kind to comfort him and ask the Great Spirit to help him now die with some dignity and be blessed to walk the Spirit Road in renewed body in a better place for all of eternal future."

Having said all these things, I drove down the road after I said my goodbye to my friend and brother. Somehow, this was not enough. I had not offered any tobacco for his spirit, nor any incense to please his ancestors that they might be there to welcome him on the spirit road, and take him kindly in…

I turned myself around, took up my tobacco, ambria incense and sweetgrass, and went back to turtle in the field. I offered some tobacco and told him what it was for. I put out some ambria and said, "Perhaps when you smell this in the spirit world, you will

remember me, and I hope it pleases your ancestors as well." Then I burned the sweetgrass to honor our father who made us, and asked him to send turtle’s guardian spirit and his ancestors to help him on the Spirit Road. As I talked, I cried unashamed, for I was trying to do my best to attend my friend who was dying. We looked each other in the eye, and I said, "I wish you could understand what I am saying. Perhaps some day we shall be able to understand one another’s language. That would be nice. I want to see you in the Spirit World for I want to see you whole and happy once again."

As I talked on and on, turtle made less warnings for me to go away. I felt maybe Creator has given animals more understanding of the human animal than we can know. If we could not converse in words, I hope that feelings were understood, especially things of the spirit. By the looks from turtle’s eyes, I think they were...

As I was almost home, I thought, I should have placed turtle facing south on the spirit road. Then it hit me—I had inadvertently laid him exactly that way. I know from that, I had much help from the spirit world—what I forgot, they did for me so no mistakes were made. How fortunate I be…

Perhaps someday I’ll lie crushed and broken in the middle of the road, too weak to call for help, with no one of my kind or kin with me, no one to ease my pain and calm my fears so that I may die in peace with knowledge that I am loved. Perhaps upon that day in time, turtle will be sent to pray-speak for me and comfort me in my final hour in a lone and dreary place.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page