My name is She-Who-Is-Alone. I am a Comanche Indian who lived in Texas a long time ago. When I lived in Texas, only Indians lived here. They call me She-Who-Is-Alone because my parents and the rest of my family died. They died during the drought, when it did not rain for a long time. Texas is very hot in the summer. Without rain, the crops do not grow. Without food, many people get sick and die. The horses and buffalo need water also.

When the drought came, we prayed to the Great Spirits for help. The people played the drums and danced to ask for help. Our leaders prayed also. They said, "Great Spirit, your people are dying. We need rain to grow the berries. We need food so we are strong enough to hunt the buffalo. End this drought. Tell us what we must do so you will send the rain."

One of the leaders said that the Great Spirits wanted us to make a sacrifice. That meant that everyone had to give up their most valuable possession.

I went back to my tipi to think about what I should do. I only had one thing that I loved—it was my little doll. My doll was special because my grandmother made it for me. It was made from buffalo skin. The face was painted with the juice of berries. On its head were beautiful blue feathers from a bird. I did not want to lose my doll. It was the only thing I had left from my family.

I fell asleep in the tipi. When I woke up, it was dark. I knew what I had to do. I picked up my doll and crept out to the fire.

The night was very still. The air was hot. I kissed my doll and said, "O Great Spirit, here is my doll. It is the only thing I have. It is very special. Please send the rain." Then I thought about all of the people who would die without rain, and I threw my doll into the fire.

I watched the fire until it grew cold. Then, I scooped up some ashes and threw them to the Winds.

When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't believe what I saw. The hills were covered with beautiful blue flowers, the same color as my doll's feathers.

Everyone in the village saw the flowers. They knew they were a sign from the Great Spirit. Soon it started to rain and everyone danced. They even changed my name from "She-Who-Is-Alone" to "One-Who-Dearly-Loves-Her-People."

Every spring, the Great Spirit remembers my sacrifice and covers Texas with the beautiful blue flowers. The flowers are called bluebonnets.

The Legend of the Bluebonnet

The Texas fields are covered
With a blanket of deep blue.
But for a little Indian girl,
This would not be true.

Texas land was buried and dry.
Rains just would not come.
Indians danced and prayed for rain,
And beat upon their drums.

The Chief made a proclamation.
He appealed to one and all.
A prized possession must be sacrificed
Before the rains would fall.

The Indian camp was silent,
While each person searched his heart.
But when it came to sacrifice,
With possessions they would not part.

Suddenly a little girl stepped forth,
Holding her blue-clad doll.
She placed it in the roaring fire
and raindrops began to fall.

The rain brought forth the grass,
Among its blades, flowers of blue.
To be a sign for all the time
Of a love so pure and true.

Author Unknown

Nice post!

GREAT!! We need more native posts and poetry!!

awesome..oh the power of the fire and good intentions.

loved it, thanks!

And each year about this time the Bluebonnets bloom without fail.......what a beautiful site they are indeed....

Tossed another one out for you Mikey.

I always love this story, especially when the bluebonnets come on. I keep meaning to sit down and do it up in calligraphy and frame it.

These little flowers are beautiful on their own, but this poem and story you shared make me appreciate them even more. And I think we need more of that in our lives today. A story, a myth, a legend, that paints a more colorful picture of things that so many of us seem to take for granted. Thank you so much for sharing this with us, Equus. You're spirit is truly moved, and you know how important nature and the little things we take for granted are. Please keep doing posts like this. We need a breath of fresh air and to slow down and reset the clock every once in a while. So thank you, Equus, I mean it.

Thanks ya'll. That picture is aboput 2 years old, taken down the road from the place.

I enjoy the myths and stories of areas, and the world. It's so interesting.

how lovely.