The humans

They were the people. They had come to be, by the Great Spirit who had made and brought them here to this place; to live in it, and to respect it, and all the things that were in it.
Life for them was not easy; but hard work and vigilance, always provided what was necessary for the tribe to live and prosper.
Since the introduction of the horse by Spanish, in the fifteen hundreds, the plains Indians had taken on new ways of hunting, and there was much more interaction between the tribes.
Though the many tribes spoke different dialects, there was one type of language that was spoken by all; Plains Indian Sign language.
At this moment the chiefs of the two tribes were gathered in the great tepee discussing items of great importance. War between the tribes was infrequent, though the stealing of horses was not. If the chiefs were not careful, impetuous young warriors would threaten the peace by crossing into other territory, and steal the horses of another tribe.
This meeting, however, did not involve horses. There were two who were soon to be bound in marriage, and there was much to discuss. The tribe would lose a warrior, and there was the matter of dowry to discuss. The young man had three horses and three fine buffalo robes. The bride’s father wanted four horses and a new fine bow with many arrows. The sacred piece pipe was passed among all the men, for this was in all their interest.
A compromise was finally made by the father, for four horses and one buffalo robe.
Now were plans for the dance to take place. Women began to prepare the choicest foods. A great fire was built as the men adorned themselves in their finest robes and painted their faces with meaningful signs for the occasion. The women also came out with beautiful dresses made from the softest of doe skins.
As the drum began to beat, they formed a great circle, moving in rhythm as they circled the fire. As the evening progressed, maidens would take the hand of young warriors they fancied.
Then with abruptness the drumbeats stopped; the great chief of the village wished to speak. “This is a great day for our two tribes. We are now bound by the joining of our people. Let none of us speak evil of them, and let us not treat them in a way that causes them to speak evil of us. We are one people now, let this not be easily forgotten.”
“Shawnoch (man who stands by a tree) is a fine warrior and much respected by all the elders. It is of some sorrow to have him leave us. (The groom always went to the brides’ village) We know that he will be a blessing to your village for he knows the way of the Great Spirit and follows his ways,” this all being interpret by the chiefs’ son.
Then the brides’ father stood and replied. “We know that they will bear us many fine sons, and we will treat them as gifts from the great spirit, to be cherished as long as the grass grows and the sun gives us light for our way. Your son will be respected by our elders, for we can see he is a great man in his ways and in his spirit.”
When they entered the special tepee of union, all knew that this would be a good thing for both villages.