Sacred Song of the Hermit Thrush: A Mohawk Story

Long ago, when the Birds had no songs, only Man could sing. When the Good Spirit walked the Earth, he noticed a great silence. He realized the Birds had no songs. He devised a great game and told the Birds that whichever one could fly the highest would receive a very beautiful song. But not all the Birds were honest. In his desire to win the game, the small Hermit Thrush jumped on the back of the great Eagle. The Eagle flew higher than any of the Birds, but when he came back to land, the Good Spirit said the Hermit Thrush had gone the highest, since he was on the Eagle's back. Hermit Thrush was awarded a beautiful song, but in his shame of not being honest, he flew into the deep woods. To this day, you may hear the lovely song of the Hermit Thrush, but you may not ever see him.