Sunset

The sun’s silhouette reflected shafts of light caught between the deep green valley and the misty morning twilight. The sunrise was cascading a red and orange tapestry on a colossal canvas of blue and white. Separate rays of light were breaking through and the sunrise was just starting to peak out over the cliff. It was an explosion caught and sealed in time and motion. Bald Eagle sat observing all of this beauty with a sense of reverential awe and wonder. For centuries his tribe had lived in this beautiful land free, free to hunt the buffalo, free to be proud, noble and independent, but primarily free. There were always some tribal rivalries and border disputes, but many of the tribes were interdependent. Gradually they were being confronted by a European force that threatened their way of life, freedom and very survival as a people. He had been to this place before, many miles from his tribe. Often he came here to be alone, and enjoy the wild isolated splendor of the scenery. There were two black slate cliffs with a stream of crystal clear water running between them. The waterfalls shot out in a cataclysm of white, unbounded fury. It then fell a great distance. At certain times the sun’s refractive rays would form a rainbow in the fall’s misty aurora. It then smashed into the banks of stone and formed a large pool of water. Then a stream flowed on as a tributary to the Illinois River. Tall pine trees shot heavenward like giant green arrows. Some of the trees had fallen, storm-tossed across the stream. Chestnuts, maples and oaks contrasted in the pines with dogwoods. Wildflowers were blooming in colors from white to deep purple. Most of his tribe’s troubles were settled, yet there had been various uprisings. Thunder Cloud’s Crow Nation was at war with Bald Eagle’s father, One Eye. One Eye was a half-brother to Black Dog, the Kaskaskia Chief. The real problem seemed to have started when Bald Eagle fell in love with Thunder Cloud’s daughter, Morning Star. One Eye would never agree to a marriage after the Crow had ransacked his village. The most unusual thing about Bald Eagle, for an Indian, was that he had blue eyes. He first saw Morning Star while he was hunting. She was filling water skins by a stream. She had long, black hair and was wearing a color beaded buckskin dress. The Indian snuck up close to her. When she saw him she was startled. As she was starting to run she dropped one of her water skins. Bald Eagle picked it up and handed it back to her. Then she was no longer afraid. They began to communicate in Indian sign and soon could comprehend the differences of two distinct dialects. Each day as they met there secretly, their excitement grew. They both began to feel such happiness to just simply be together. Then on the last day they met, Bald Eagle explained to Morning Star that he had to help his tribe on a buffalo hunt. They were both disappointed about leaving one another. Yet she assured him that she understood the importance of the hunt to the tribe. For the first time, Bald Eagle put his arms around Morning Star and rubbed noses with her. He then took his arm band off of his left arm and wrapped it around her right arm. Then he assured her that he would be back for her. There was an Iroquois Prophet whose Indian name translated to Handsome Lake. He was captured by settlers and taken by ship to Europe. In Europe, he was converted to belief in Christianity and then was returned to North America. When the ship landed, he was allowed to go back to the Iroquois. Handsome Lake then returned with a large force of Iroquois and massacred the settlers. However, he still maintained a belief in Christianity. Handsome Lake was then instrumental in creating a movement that compromised Indian spiritual beliefs with Christianity. The Indians began to refer to Christianity as the Great White Spirit. The vast numbers of Algonquians were basically interdependent and more peaceful before the onslaught of Europeans. The main proof of the fact was that before the Europeans had arrived, there was no Iroquois league. The Mohawk Chief, Hiawatha, formed the Iroquois league with noble intentions. He felt that if they were unified, they would be more able to keep a lasting peace with settlers. The Mohicans then became confederate with the Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, and, later, the Tuscarora. The Mohawk River runs from the Hudson Bay to the Great Lakes. The Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence River, the Hudson Bay, and the Canadian border is some of the most beautiful land on earth. When this huge migration occurred, settlers were understandably eager to obtain land. There was only one problem, all of North America belonged to Native Americans. It was theirs by birthright; they had the sole and prior claim. The pro-British Iroquois and the pro-French Algonquians then became involved in the French and Indian War. This resulted in victory for the British and Iroquois. Chapter Two In the mid-seventeen hundreds, John A. Douglas quit his job in Pennsylvania, sold his home and property, and started west with his wife Sarah. It was an age of excitement and enthusiasm. Land was there for the taking.