"Why the Birch Tree Wears the Slashes in its Bark", Analysis and Final Thoughts by Caitlin Margitan

Why the Birch Tree Wears the Slashes in its Bark

This version of the legend comes from Frank Linderman's 1915 collection Indian Why Stories.

It was a hot day, and Old-man was trying to sleep, but the heat made him sick. He wandered to a hilltop for air; but there was no air. Then he went down to the river and found no relief. He travelled to the timberlands, and there the heat was great, although he found plenty of shade. The travelling made him warmer, of course, but he wouldn't stay still.

 

"By and by he called to the winds to blow, and they commenced. First they didn't blow very hard, because they were afraid they might make Old-man angry, but he kept crying:

 

"'Blow harder -- harder -- harder! Blow worse than ever you blew before, and send this heat away from the world.'

 

"So, of course, the winds did blow harder -- harder than they ever had blown before.

 

"'Bend and break, Fir-Tree!' cried Old-man, and the Fir-Tree did bend and break. 'Bend and break, Pine-Tree!' and the Pine-Tree did bend and break. 'Bend and break, Spruce-Tree!' and the Spruce-Tree did bend and break. 'Bend and break, O Birch-Tree!' and the Birch-Tree did bend, but it wouldn't break -- no, sir! -- it wouldn't break!

 

"'Ho! Birch-Tree, won't you mind me? Bend and break! I tell you,' but all the Birch-Tree would do was to bend.

 

"It bent to the ground; it bent double to please Old-man, but it would not break.

 

"'Blow harder, wind!' cried Old-man, 'blow harder and break the Birch-Tree.' The wind tried to blow harder, but it couldn't, and that made the thing worse, because Old-man was so angry he went crazy. 'Break! I tell you -- break!' screamed Old-man to the Birch-Tree.

 

"'I won't break,' replied the Birch; 'I shall never break for any wind. I will bend, but I shall never, never break.'

 

"'You won't, hey?' cried Old-man, and he rushed at the Birch-Tree with his hunting-knife. He grabbed the top of the Birch because it was touching the ground, and began slashing the bark of the Birch-Tree with the knife. All up and down the trunk of the tree Old-man slashed, until the Birch was covered with the knife slashes.

 

"'There! that is for not minding me. That will do you good! As long as time lasts you shall always look like that, Birch-Tree; always be marked as one who will not mind its maker. Yes, and all the Birch-Trees in the world shall have the same marks forever.' They do, too. You have seen them and have wondered why the Birch-Tree is so queerly marked. Now you know.

Source: Linderman, Frank. "Why the Birch Tree Wears the Slashes in its Bark." Archived American Indian Legends. Native Languages of the Americas. 9 Dec 2008 .

 

Analysis:

            I choose this story for my last post because it demonstrates how specific creation stories can be in terms of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge they provide.  The story on the surface discusses the insanity of an old man, but with a closer look gives a description of the important components of one of the species in the Black Foot tribe’s bio-region.  From an outsider’s perspective one can see from reading creation stories and looking at the contents cultural and subsistence value in tribes members’ physical lives it becomes evident that all that is discussed in creations stories explains the value of the elements of the environment in terms of those species individual existence, the use for subsistence they provide, and their importance in terms of spirituality.  Creation stories show organisms’ existence for themselves separate from their uses in the lives of the humans that share their land. In the story above the Birch-Tree says "'I won't break,' replied the Birch; 'I shall never break for any wind. I will bend, but I shall never, never break.'(Linderman)  This quote reflects on the flexibility of the Birch-Tree designed for survival in extreme weather.  The Black Foot do not just recognize that the tree will not break they understand why.  Scientists are always trying to understand why, and they would say that the Birch-Tree has a higher tolerance for wind because the wind blows strongly in the regions where it resides.  Therefore there is no real difference in these two explanations messages accept for that of the indigenous society provides more.   In the creation story there is also a representation of how to identify the Birch-Tree; they identify it be the scares that the old man gave it when it would not break.  This element alludes to the Black Foot’s skill at ethno-botany in the sense that they can separate the Birch-Tree from the other kinds of trees with its exterior appearance as well as its interior ability.

            When the story gives the explanation of how those exterior markings got there it is more then just a description of the tree’s markings, but an explanation of the Black Foot’s spiritual connection to the tree.  This story provides original instructions of how to treat the tree, and use its attributes within subsistence without harming its attributes designed for itself.  The only element of TEK that the story leaves out, but implies is how the tree can help in term of subsistence.  In the story one see that a tree with wood that bends, but not breaks would be good to use in the construction of a canoe or a basket.  Most would not be flexible enough and strong enough to fulfill those tasks, but the Birch-tree provides bark that is capable of those two things among others. 

In all three of my posts now I have addressed what I can gather about the TEK found in the creation stories of indigenous tribes across the US, but until now I have not acknowledged that to truly understand what these stories provide one has to learn from the tribal elders of that community.  To often anthropologists give an etic viewpoint and claim to understand the ecologic knowledge and actions of other communities.  What I have expressed comes from my knowledge gained from reading about these different tribes lifestyles, reading their creation stories, and what I learned about native communities and their environmental  knowledge in my class at the University of Washington, environmental anthropology, Anthro 210.  I would rather this knowledge be shared by a member of the emic community so that misinterpretations are not made.  I want to learn myself from those individuals as well, but we must recognize that they must be willing to share that knowledge first.  The TEK of a community is sacred and cannot/should not be taken as general knowledge by the rest of global society.  If that were done it would be an example of exoticism of native knowledge, and degrade their culture.