This Dakota legend tells us about the effect of love and pain on life. While the lack of affection leads us to be passive in the face of destiny, love in return makes us strong and gives us dignity.
Last update: January 28, 2021
This ancient Dakota legend tells of a beautiful young woman who was not very respected by the other villagers in which she lived. She was very shy and obeyed everyone without saying a word in an attempt to earn the respect she did not enjoy.
One day a boy approached her and spoke to her very kindly. She was enchanted by the treatment she had never received in her life. Obviously the young man was also impressed. Over time they fell in love with her until he asked her to marry him. The girl's father did not pay much attention to this request and approved the union without thinking too much about her.
The young man promised her that he would always treat her with kindness and consideration. He also promised her that he would love her forever and that he would do anything to make her happy. Nonetheless, shortly after the wedding, he began to mistreat her. The girl had to endure humiliating words and beatings. No one from the village intervened, so the young woman decided to escape to save herself from this sad fate.
"When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, take care of yourself to make room for it in your life."
-Jean Shinoda Bolen-
A new home
The girl walked through fields and woods. She wanted to get as far away from her husband as possible before he noticed his absence and began looking for her. She kept walking for days until she fell to the ground completely exhausted somewhere far from home.
And there he fell asleep. Suddenly she heard a noise and woke up. In front of her he saw the dreaded wolf leader he had heard about her. It was said to be savage and cruel. However, he just observed it. After a few motionless minutes, she began to approach very slowly. He told her he could live with his people.
At first the young woman was dubious, but something inside told her that she could trust the leader of the wolves. She decided to follow him and they were all very kind and respectful to her.
The strength of affection
The Dakota legend goes on to describe the treatment given to the girl. The wolf leader asked her what she wanted to eat. She replied that her favorite dish was buffalo. The leader of the wolves like that, he sent other wolves to hunt a buffalo so that the girl could eat its meat. After a few hours, the wolves returned with plenty of meat.
The leader of the wolves then asked the girl how she was used to eating this meat. She replied that she liked it boiled. Everyone, therefore, set out in search of the necessary utensils to cook the meat and then to enjoy her food. fully enjoy food. The girl felt more and more confident.
The wolves had treated her so lovingly and respectfully that they taught her to love and respect herself. She joined the group.
One day the leader of the wolves I call her to him. He told her that the humans were about to start a period of buffalo hunting. That if they found them, they would exterminate them. The Dakota legend tells that the leader of the wolves asked her for help to avoid this great catastrophe.
The Dakota legend and the value of gratitude
The girl thought about it and realized that in order to help her new family she had to intercede for them with humans. The next morning he got up very early and began his journey back to his old tribe. He came up to the top of a hill and from there he saw a group of hunters who were following the trail of the buffalo. They saw her too and came up to her. One of her men recognized her and warned the others.
It had been a long time, more than three years. The girl's parents welcomed the news with glee. They had missed her very much. They didn't realize how much they loved her until she was gone. The young woman he asked the hunters to spare the wolves.
To convince them, she told them everything the wolves had done for her. And he also asked to share some of their hunting booty with them. The hunters accepted.
After several days of hunting, the hunters donated part of their hunting booty. The girl climbed to the top of a hill and howled, just like a wolf. She then she walked away. Thousands of wolves approached her to eat the food hunted by humans.
The young woman returned to her native village and everyone saw that she had changed. The shy girl they had known was gone.
