An Sionnach

The Great Flood – Fact or Fiction? Myth, Science or Religious in origin

An-Sionnach — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 20:00:01 +0000

I did a quick link to a post of the Cheyenne telling a story of a great flood that covered the earth over on Facebook. This has led to nice little discussion that I thought would do well as a continued discussion in the blog. Feel free to jump in.

Yellowstone Valley and the Great Flood

“I have heard it told on the Cheyenne Reservation in Montana and the Seminole camps in the Florida Everglades, I have heard it from the Eskimos north of the Arctic Circle and the Indians south of the equator. The legend of the flood is the most universal of all legends. It is told in Asia, Africa, and Europe, in North America and the South Pacific.” Professor Hap Gilliland of Eastern Montana College was the first to record this legend of the great flood.

This is one of the fifteen legends of the flood that he himself recorded in various parts of the world:

He was an old Indian. his face was weather beaten, but his eyes were still bright. I never knew what tribe he was from, though I could guess. Yet others from the tribe whom I talked to later had never heard his story.

We had been talking of the visions of the young men. He sat for a long time, looking out across the Yellowstone Valley through the pouring rain, before he spoke. “They are beginning to come back,” he said.

“Who is coming back?” I asked.

“The animals,” he said. “It has happened before.”

“Tell me about it.’

He thought for a long while before he lifted his hands and his eyes. “The Great Spirit smiled on this land when he made it. There were mountains and plains, forests and grasslands. There were animals of many kinds–and men.”

The old man’s hands moved smoothly, telling the story more clearly than his voice.

The Great Spirit told the people, “These animals are your brothers. Share the land with them. They will give you food and clothing. Live with them and protect them.

“Protect especially the buffalo, for the buffalo will give you food and shelter. The hide of the buffalo will keep you from the cold, from the heat, and from the rain. As long as you have the buffalo, you will never need to suffer.”

For many winters the people lived at peace with the animals and with the land. When they killed a buffalo, they thanked the Great Spirit, and they used every part of the buffalo. It took care of every need.

Then other people came. They did not think of the animals as brothers. They killed, even when they did not need food. They burned and cut the forests, and the animals died. They shot the buffalo and called it sport. They killed the fish in the streams.

When the Great Spirit looked down, he was sad. He let the smoke of the fires lie in the valleys. The people coughed and choked. But still they burned and they killed.

So the Great Spirit sent rains to put out the fires and to destroy the people.

The rains fell, and the waters rose. The people moved from the flooded valleys to the higher land.

Spotted Bear, the medicine man, gathered together his people. He said to them, “The Great Spirit has told us that as long as we have the buffalo we will be safe from heat and cold and rain. But there are no longer any buffalo. Unless we can find buffalo and live at peace with nature, we will all die.”

Still the rains fell, and the waters rose. The people moved from the flooded plains to the hills.

The young men went out and hunted for the buffalo. As they went they put out the fires. They made friends with the animals once more. They cleaned out the streams.

Still the rains fell, and the waters rose. The people moved from the flooded hills to the mountains.

Two young men came to Spotted Bear. “We have found the buffalo,” they said. “There was a cow, a calf, and a great white bull. The cow and the calf climbed up to the safety of the mountains. They should be back when the rain stops. But the bank gave way, and the bull was swept away by the floodwaters. We followed and got him to shore, but he had drowned. We have brought you his hide.”

They unfolded a huge white buffalo skin.

Spotted Bear took the white buffalo hide. “Many people have been drowned,” he said. “Our food has been carried away. But our young people are no longer destroying the world that was created for them. They have found the white buffalo. It will save those who are left.”

Still the rains fell, and the waters rose. The people moved from the flooded mountains to the highest peaks.

Spotted Bear spread the white buffalo skin on the ground. He and the other medicine men scraped it and stretched it, and scraped it and stretched it.

Still the rains fell. Like all rawhide, the buffalo skin stretched when it was wet. Spotted Bear stretched it out over the village. All the people who were left crowded under it.

As the rains fell, the medicine men stretched the buffalo skin across the mountains. Each day they stretched it farther.

Then Spotted Bear tied one corner to the top of the Big Horn Mountains. That side, he fastened to the Pryors. The next corner he tied to the Bear Tooth Mountains. Crossing the Yellowstone Valley, he tied one corner to the Crazy Mountains, and the other to Signal Butte in the Bull Mountains.

The whole Yellowstone Valley was covered by the white buffalo skin. Though the rains still fell above, it did not fall in the Yellowstone Valley.

The waters sank away. Animals from the outside moved into the valley, under the white buffalo skin. The people shared the valley with them.

Still the rains fell above the buffalo skin. The skin stretched and began to sag.

Spotted Bear stood on the Bridger Mountains and raised the west end of the buffalo skin to catch the West Wind. The West Wind rushed in and was caught under the buffalo skin. The wind lifted the skin until it formed a great dome over the valley.

The Great Spirit saw that the people were living at peace with the earth. The rains stopped, and the sun shone. As the sun shone on the white buffalo skin, it gleamed with colours of red and yellow and blue.

As the sun shone on the rawhide, it began to shrink. The ends of the dome shrank away until all that was left was one great arch across the valley.

The old man’s voice faded away; but his hands said “Look,” and his arms moved toward the valley.

The rain had stopped and a rainbow arched across the Yellowstone Valley. A buffalo calf and its mother grazed beneath it.

SOURCE

Ira T. Weiss
That can be construed as confirming that the peoples that crossed the Bering Strait are one of the lost tribes of Israel.

But, as we’ve recently seen in Arkansas, floods can happen anywhere in a moments notice. When your whole world is only a hundred miles circumference, a local flood can seem like it has affected the whole world.

Ira, I tend to think you are correct about catastrophic local floods and myth. A culture’s read into such an event is telling of their faith and outlook too. By that I mean does your story emphasize only a negative, vengeful motive; or do you see the force of life winning out over death and destruction.

Ira T. Weiss
My story? Are we talking the biblical or the Cheyenne story? I’m only aware of the Cheyenne story, and that was previous to Todd’s post, never read it or heard it. I think a reference was made in a fantasy novel I read years ago.

Also, keep in mind that both cultures that begat (sorry, couldn’t resist) each story were oral communicators when … See Morethese stories began. This means the stories more than likely changed shape and meaning based on who was telling the story, their life-experiences, what was going on in their culture, etc. As history goes, it is written down by the victors. By the time the stories were written down it may have changed drastically not to mention the fact the translation of the Old Testament may have been changed as it went from Hebrew to Greek to Latin to Arabic or Farsi and back.

And it happens in the modern age to. Look at what is taking place in Texas. They are systematically changing textbooks to fit their expectations, the way they see the “cosmos.” If this movement were to take hold and spread history would change.

Ira T. Weiss
Oh, my story is a combination of Old Testament and any myths from the People of the Longhouse. Iroqois.

Todd Ricker
Personally I think these stories can come in a myriad of ways.

1) By carrying them over from other stories. We see this in many forms. For example, Mithraism, Hinduism and the Ancient Egyptian religion we see a lot of commonality in their faiths. A messiah who is crucified. A virgin birth. His birth at the Winter Solstice Dec 25. The story … See Moreof the flood could be one of these things as well. It was not uncommon for Christians to come and preach to the Indians. So much like the pagan celts they easily could have adopted these stories into their own stories as well.

2) The theory that there was some form of great flood. This could either be localized as you two are mentioning, or a larger scale. Part of our history in North America speaks of the glaciers creating much of the terrain of North America. Long Island moraines believed to be evidence of that. But did the glaciers just pull back, or did they melt. If they melted, this could be easily taken into the context of a great flood, and could explain some of the evidence of ancient marine fossils and sedimentary deposits found in high altitudes. For example, here in Denver there are evidence of marine fossils along the Eastern slope, this does NOT form into a bowl area like a lake, but instead opens up into the Great Plains. In order for water to collect that high all the way to the Appalachias it would have to be an enormous amount of water.

3) The idea that fits in with Ira’s original context that these stories were carried here by indigenous tribes that transplanted here, like in his example the lost tribe of Israel, or other cultures that may have come across the Bearing Strait.

Property #2

An-Sionnach — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:12:42 +0000

OK so I contacted the folks about the hillside land available, and they were cool enough to recommend another bit of land a bit closer to Denver, with a larger property, open rolling terrain, and further away from neighbors. Came to find it was also on the other side of town where my brother in laws camp is as well. Based on his feedback it’s a pretty sweet area. The land has been assessed to $12K and selling for a sweet $6K for 6.65 Acres. Thats a little over 4 football fields with goal zones. Judging from their site, they already have a sale pending in this remote area. Judging from the maps and description access is super easy. Pictures show some great views (photos taken in October). I could attempt to finance this, but honestly to finance 6k for real estate seems a bit ridiculous, the interest alone could at least get a well in for water. I’ll be setting up a time to visit this and the other plot, but honestly this looks like a better deal. Land is easier to build on, wide open views of rolling terrain, 11 mile reservoir right nearby for fishing, nearest neighbors are on the other side of the ridge, antelope roam through the area. What a great spot to just get away.

More info here

Mountain Camp

An-Sionnach — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 05:14:08 +0000

Many years ago the family had access to two camps, one located in Mass, and the other in Maine. Unfortunately the way things panned out after both of my grandfathers passed we no longer had access to them anymore. For years I have always wished we had a getaway spot to go to, unfortunately land, especially in New England is a premium. After moving to the Midwest I learned that land is quite inexpensive, the hard part is that it’s just land, there are not many lakes or streams, you need to tap in a well, and build a place.

So after seeing a posting from my friend Huw linking to a site called Lands of America I figured I would check it out.

To be honest I was quite surprised by some of the prices for just land. Yes I wouldn’t have a cabin there right away, heck I wouldn’t even have water, but to be quite honest the idea of having a piece of land if my own, something I could pass on, even if to my sister, her kids or to my extended family, meant that I would finally own a piece of America. After a few days of searching I found this. A mountain side plot, protected on both sides from the elements by the ridgeline. 2.5 Acres; Deer, trees, and located in a large valley in the Rockies, located in the middle of nowhere all for $5500. Taxes are only $106 a year, and there is no timeframe to get a structure up. It all seems too reachable, but after talking with people, this is a very real possibility, and very attainable. So I have already contacted the seller, and hoping to set up a time to come out and view the land, if I like it, it all comes down to coming up with the funds.

The fact in the matter is, that at this point, and at my wages, I will probably not ever own a home, at least not without putting myself in debt for the rest of my life and beyond. But the idea of having a place I can go to, a place I can own outright, even if it meant just a simple little cabin with no power for some reason gives me a sense of …

View Larger Map

The spot is located just beyond those trees in the distance before the second ridgeline.

Personally I would prefer the land just above that on the ridge.

Field of Roses

An-Sionnach — Sat, 15 May 2010 01:13:14 +0000

Through dreary skies and torch soil,

I walk aimlessly through this night.

The Olive Tree

Drop Zone – On Hulu

An-Sionnach — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 05:37:23 +0000

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Rosemary’s Milk Steak

An-Sionnach — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:42:50 +0000

So one of the housemates and I had a humunganourmous steak in the freezer the other night. Debating whether or not to just do the steak plain or should we try something new, we opted to experiment a little, and came up with this little idea. And I have to say it came out delicious.

Ingredients:

1 Large steak (should be large enough to quarter in with one of the slices being run through the length of it
1 Bottle of Milk Stout (We went with the Left Hand Milk Stout)
1 Heaping Tablespoon of Fresh Rosemary
1/4 of a lemon
Brown Sugar
Large ziplock bag

Preparation:

Pour your one bottle of stout and tablespoon into the large ziplock bag. Mix well. Place the large steak into the ziplock bag, remove all the air and seal. Place the ziplock bag into cool water to defrost overnight. In the morning place steak back into the fridge.
Cut steak long ways once, then cut each of those in half. Place back into the bag for another 10 minutes. Remove steak and lightly rub brown sugar on both sides until it caramelizes. Rub your lemon onto the grill and cook steak until done.

Serve with vegetables and potatoes.

ENJOY!!
Place the frozen steak (uncut) into a large ziplock bag.

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Website Idea

An-Sionnach — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:35:18 +0000

Alright I have been thinking of putting together a small little resource site for parents, teachers, treatment counselors, and possibly law enforcement pertaining to information relating to gangs. But I need a good name. Any ideas? Maybe a combination of words to make another word. Like GRASP (Gang Rescue and Support Project (Already used)).

Here are some ideas to get you started.

DroppingTheFlag.com

Change: Moving

An-Sionnach — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:11:04 +0000

The lease is finally up. Although I missed the opportunity to move into the condo my sister had on the market, some friends of mine opened up one of their rooms. Much nicer neighborhood, located up in Erie, CO. Saves me $179 in rent alone, shared utilities, and closer (much closer to work). Final day in the drippy drip cave of Westminster, March 31.

Change: Cut down on the acid

An-Sionnach — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:49:01 +0000

It’s true, Acid trips you out, makes you all funky, weird and off balance. It knocks out your immune system, encourages tumor growth( aka Cancer), it makes you sluggish and tired. You may be wondering what the heck I am talking about. I am referring to body pH.

As I mentioned in one of my previous posts things haven’t been so balanced lately. I spend more time focusing on others than myself. I have been sick more, and stressed more. In return I have been eating more poorly. Junk food, processed food, meats, not enough water, lots of sports drinks and soda, add to which, alcohol. All of these adjust your body to be more acidic, which in return brings you to all the things I mentioned above.

So here I am, feeling blaah and I decided to do a bit of research about food, and it all came together. So I quickly ran out to the store and picked up some veggies higher in alkaline. And after the first few well chomped up carrots I already noticed my stomach slightly more settled, the mucous in the back of my throat. I’ll admit it didn’t make an abrupt change, but enough of one that said I have not been eating well at all. Apparently you are suppose to have a 4:1 ratio of alkalines to acids, and I judging from my recent diet am probably close to 1:4, if not lower. No wonder I felt so bleck.

So for my first change, it’s time for a food change. A friend of mine just recently did a veggie only diet for 40 days to help detox. I think I am due, it is Lent after all.

Memories of the Appalachian Trail

An-Sionnach — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:45:02 +0000

Some great memories of one of highlights of my life through 4 guys who filmed their hike on the Appalachian Trail.