How Ana Came to the Land

By Marae Price

(Originally publicshed in Ripples, Fall Equinox 1996)

Long, long ago, before we came to this land, before the First People came to this land, before this land even was, there was the Great Water and there was the Great Fire. These two merged to become one, and they were like drops of amber, like golden honey, like the blood of trees. And from this union came all things. Life was abundant in the Land, and the waters teemed with it. The Sun shone brightly, and Water flowed freely, and the First People settled in this warm and beautiful place, for here all their needs were met. They danced in the sun, and the wind danced on the water and made it sparkle in the sun.

But one day the wind grew cold, and the next day colder still, and colder each day until the trees began to die and the water began to turn to ice. The People were cold and hungry, and in great need. So the Sun gave the People the gift of Fire, that they might survive the cold. But soon it grew so cold that the People could no longer remain on the Land, even with the warmth of Fire, so the Sun led them to a safe place where they would have shelter from the cold.

Meanwhile, the Water became so cold she was in danger of freezing solid, so she slipped through a crack in the rock and sunk down into the depths of the earth, where it was warm and dark. There she rested, warming herself and gathering her strength. Up above all the water had become ice, and the snow fell and fell and fell. The Land was desolate.

At last the Water felt herself strengthened, and she gathered herself and poured herself upward, back to the surface, to the Land, and there she poured forth in her fertile power and breached the ice. The Sun shone warm upon her surface, and kissed her, and they brought forth a daughter, whom they named Ana. And Ana stood upon the Land, and she knew all that had transpired, and her heart was filled with sorrow and compassion for the Land and the children of the Land. She turned to her parents and said, "Oh, Mother, oh, Father, the trees have died, the animals have no food, and the people have been driven away by the cold. What can I do to restore life to the Land?"

Her Father the Sun shone brightly, and his rays melted the ice a bit, revealing a sharp shell. He said, "Daughter, you must take this shell and go to the Great Tree, for there alone is the power of life still abundant. You must tap the Tree and release that power into the Land."

And Ana said, "What is the Great Tree, and where will I find it?"

"The Great Tree grows where the First Union took place," said the Sun. "It holds all the power of that moment of creation. As for finding it, ask your Mother to take you there. Well she knows the way, for each day she waters its roots, just as each day I kiss its branches."

Ana picked up the shell and then turned to her Mother to ask the way, but the Water trembled and said, "I cannot take you there, Daughter. It is too dangerous. The power of the Tree is so great that it would surely overcome you if it were released."

"Mother, I must do this for the life of the Land, and for the People and the other children of the Land. If I do not release this power, I know that they will all die. My life is a small thing to give that they may live and be happy once more."

And the Water was very proud of her daughter, and she honored her bravery. "Very well, my child, come and lie in my arms and I will carry you to the Great Tree." So Ana lay in her Mother's arms and was carried beneath the earth. They moved swiftly beneath the ice and snow, and as they traveled, her Mother sang to Ana this song:

I am the River Mother Water,
I am the River Mother Water;
I flow, I flow, I flow,
I flow, I flow, I flow.

And Ana learned this gift-song from her Mother, and she made it her own.

At last they reached the roots of the Great Tree, and these roots went very deep indeed. Ana found a crack in the earth between two of the roots, and followed it up until she reached the surface. There she stepped forth and beheld a wondrous sight. The Great Tree rose above her, reaching far up into the sky. Its branches were covered with golden leaves. Its roots spread wide as well as deep, and as far as its roots stretched, there was no snow, no ice. The earth was bare and the air almost warm with the power of the Tree. And it was here that the Sun had led the People, and here they huddled around the trunk of the Great Tree, with their small fires and meager belongings.

As Ana stepped forth from the crack in the earth, the People were startled and a little frightened, for to them she appeared quite suddenly. But one old woman stepped forward and asked, "Who are you, Child, and why do you come here?"

"I am Ana," she replied, "the daughter of the Water and the Sun. I have come to bring the life back to the Land." At this the people exclaimed among themselves, some astonished, some grateful, some frightened. The old woman raised her hands for quiet, then spoke again.

"My child, that is impossible. The only power that could break the grip of this cold is the power of the Great Tree itself, and that cannot be released."

"Grandmother," Ana respectfully addressed the old woman, "I have the power to tap the Great Tree and release its power into the Land. I am here to do that very thing."

"But, child, you will be overcome! The power is too great. It will destroy you." The people around the old woman nodded agreement.

"Nevertheless, I will tap the Tree, for if I do not, the Land and the children of the Land will die. Now, take your people to the other side of the clearing, and move as far from the Tree as you can. I will tap this side, so that the power will flow away from you and will not endanger you." So the people moved to the far side of the clearing, and Ana stepped up to the trunk of the Tree, raised the shell high, and slashed the bark.

Immediately a torrent of sap flowed forth with such force that it swept Ana away. The people watched as the flood spread across the land, melting the ice and snow and freeing the water once again. Water and sap mingled and the flood swelled and swelled until it flowed so fiercely it threatened to destroy all in its path. The people felt their newfound hope turning once more to despair as the roaring waters ravaged the Land.

Ana, tumbling about as the waters carried her along, feared for the land more than for herself, for she remembered her Mother’s song and began to sing: "I am the River Mother Water, I flow, I flow, I flow," and as she did so she began to feel herself becoming one with the flood. And as she merged with the water, she found that she was able to calm it, to gentle it, and to convince it to flow as she willed it. At last she had it flowing more slowly, and was able to confine it to a channel it had made for itself in the soft earth. And as she flowed with the water over the land, she sang "I am the River Mother Water" and called to all the little springs and rivulets to join her. And she spread her waters throughout the Land, watering the newly growing trees and plants, offering herself to the animals to come and drink, and making a nice peaceful River for the People to come and dwell beside.

All who drank of her water flowed with her spirit, and all became united as children of the River as well as of the Land. Some of the creatures were so grateful for their newly-restored life that they wished to thank Ana, and so they came to dwell in her waters, swimming and playing for her amusement. So the otter, beaver, and muskrat, the ducks and geese, are her companions to this day. And the People dwelled long by the River, but at last they went away, and other people came and went, and they built dams across her and farms and factories and highways beside her, and they filled her waters with trash and poisons. These people had forgotten the River’s gift of life, and had forgotten that she was their Mother. Although they made her angry and sad, still she loved them as her own, and took pleasure in their play. At last some people came who listened to her and heard her words. They spoke to her and offered her gifts, and honored her as their Mother. And these children she honored in return, and told them the story of how She came to the Land.

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