A Bride for the Morning Star

The Blackfoot Indians are indigenous people who live in the Northern Great Plains of America and parts of Canada. Once a nomadic tribe, they now mostly live on reservations. They’re known as Blackfoot because of the dark-coloured moccasins they wear. Here’s a tale of theirs from long ago.

It was an especially hot summer night and Feather Woman, a beautiful young girl, and her sister liked to sleep among the tall prairie grass near their lodge. Feather Woman awoke at dawn and gazed at the still dark sky above. The morning star was just rising and the maiden looked longingly and sighed. ‘Look at that sparkling star, dear sister! So beautiful and bright, it adorns this darkened dawn like a precious jewel. If I were to marry, it would only be to that star.’

Her sister looked at her as if she were out of her mind and laughed loudly. ‘You’re mad! How can anyone marry a star in the sky?’

Of course, no one took her seriously but the young girl kept gazing at the morning star every day. One morning, she went down to the river to fetch some water. On the river bank stood a handsome youth, resplendent in silver. Seeing her, he smiled. ‘Don’t you recognize me, Feather Woman? I’m the morning star you keep gazing at every morning! I’ve come to take you home with me!’

Feather Woman thought she would faint. Was this real? Overcome by shyness, she did not know what to say. The glowing youth took a yellow feather from his head and placed it in her right hand, while in the other, he gave her a branch of juniper to hold. ‘And now, close your lovely eyes!’ he whispered in her ear and she did.

When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself in Sky Land in front a lodge. (A lodge or teepee is what the Blackfoot people call their homes made of buffalo hide and held together with poles.) It was the dwelling of his parents, Father Sun and Mother Moon. As it was day already, Father Sun was away at work, shining down brightly from a cloudless summer sky. Mother Moon was home and welcomed the girl warmly. She took her inside and dressed her in a robe made of soft buckskin.

In the evening, Father Sun returned home. He was gentle and kind. ‘Welcome, dear girl! You’re our daughter now,’ he said. And that was how Feather Woman got married to Morning Star. They lived happily together in Sky Land and, before long, a son was born to them. They named the child (a bit unimaginatively, perhaps) Star Boy.

One day, Mother Moon gave Feather Woman a root digger and told her to go about digging up roots. ‘Dig up all the roots that you may find but don’t touch that great big turnip that grows near our lodge,’ instructed Mother Moon. ‘Not that one, dear! For great unhappiness would befall us all if you do.’

So Feather Woman went about with her root digger, collecting different roots to cook for dinner. She left the big turnip alone. Every day she would go out and get roots while the great big turnip stood there, right next to their lodge. One day, her curiosity got the better of her. What is with this big fat turnip? Maybe I should just see if I can dig around it a little, she thought. Placing her infant son carefully on the ground beside her, she set to work with her root digger, digging all around the giant turnip. As she did, the root digger got stuck to side of the turnip. Feather Woman struggled to draw it out but it wouldn’t budge!

But determined she was, to get to the bottom of the mystery. Overhead flew a couple of big cranes and she called out to them. ‘Help me pull this turnip out!’ The cranes began to sing a magical song and the great big turnip was uprooted. Where the turnip had been now lay a very large hole and Feather Woman looked down through it. And what did she see down below? The camp of her tribe—the Blackfoots! It was evening down there and smoke was spiralling up from the teepees and children’s laughter could be heard. She could also the hear women singing cheerfully as they worked and her heart was filled with longing for home. Her beautiful face was soon covered with tears and, gathering her infant son in her arms, she rushed back to their lodge.

As soon as he saw her tear-stained face, Morning Star asked her sadly, ‘What have you done, my dearest? You’ve gone and uprooted that great turnip, haven’t you?’ Father Sun and Mother Moon looked pained too. ‘Now you have no choice but to return to earth at once! You’ve disobeyed us,’ said Father Sun, who looked troubled.

With great sadness, Morning Star took his wife’s hand and led her out of the lodge. He took her to the place where the spider man of Sky Land lived. Placing Star Boy upon her shoulder, he tearfully bid her farewell. ‘You have to go down now, my dearest wife . . . And you can never come back!’

The spider man took them to the hole where the great turnip had once stood. He wove a web from there, using which Feather Woman and her son descended down to earth. All of the Blackfoot people saw them drop down like a falling star and watched in wonder.

When they realised it was Feather Woman who had returned, they welcomed her with great happiness. Her parents and sister embraced her. Everyone loved little Star Boy too, who gurgled happily.

Feather Woman spent the rest of her life unhappily with her people, looking longingly skyward, wishing she could go back to Morning Star again. But sadly for her, she never did.