Week 9 Storytelling: The Destruction of Man

                                                     The Destruction of Man

Since the dawn of man all the world and its creatures have ever seen is destruction. My name is Chuchip, but the humans refer to me as the Giant Elk. The people of this land tell stories to their children of how horrible a monster I am. They tell their children that I eat any human that crosses my path, because I am a savage beast controlling the southern lands under my tyranny. However, in my dying breaths I will let you know the truth of what has happened on this earth today.

(Ancient Forest found on Pinterest)

I remember a time when all animals lived in harmony and the cycle of life was perfect, but then one day a tribe of humans arrived to our beautiful land. These people brought with them a wave of destruction, famine, and death. I called a council meeting with the other greats: Mahpee, the Great Eagle of the West, Uzumati, the Fearless Bear of the North, and Kanuna the Wise Bullfrog of the East. The council came to the decision that we must protect our land and we declared war upon the human race.

One day I raided a village to the west of the great river Bimisi when I noticed a small child following me. I could not bring myself to kill the young hunter and I led him into the depths of my land. In this land I knew the young hunter would see the peace that was present without his species and hoped that he would finally understand why I have done the things I have. I laid in the field to rest and saw the young hunter hiding in the shadows.

(Giant Elk found on Pinterest)

Although many creatures loved me throughout my rule, there were those that could not wait until my rule ended. One of those creatures was the gopher, because I banished him and his species to live below ground for the rest of their days after they attempted to incite rebellion in my kingdom. The gophers had caused the death of many creatures and initiated a war that still continues between the carnivores that sided with the gopher and the herbivores that sided with me. You see this when the carnivores hunt down the herbivores.

(Wolf eating Elk found on Pinterest)

I napped in the field and I felt something pull at the hairs on my chest and I looked down to see what it was. I saw the gopher pulling some hair from my chest with his small daughter and he asked to take some so that his children would not freeze in the tunnels throughout the night. I pitied him, allowed him to have some of my fur and went back to sleep, but while laying my head on the floor I realized the young hunter had left and I believed that he finally understood the peace found in the animal world.

Suddenly, a deep burning sensation and large jolts of pain in my chest awakened me. I looked down and saw that the young hunter had used the gopher’s hole to position himself below my heart to slay me. I ran as fast as I could, but I could not keep my head held high and as a result I tore the earth and created the mountain ranges in the west. I now lie in what will be known as the Great Salt Plains and upon my death this land surrounding me will never be fertile again. I tell my fellow creatures of the world and send the warning that the human species is one bent on the destruction of the world. One day they will take too much from this land and will feel the fury of our mother earth.

(Symbolic Photo of Man Vs. Earth found on Pinterest)

Author’s Note: For this story I used The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle, but the original Apache tale focused around a boy that had killed a Giant Elk and Great Eagle that mercilessly killed people throughout the land. This tale focused on a young hero and how he proved himself to his tribe by destroying these creatures that ravaged the land. I decided to place a twist on this tale and give the Giant Elk the voice to speak out with his dying breath about the injustices he witnessed and his reasoning for the violence. I believe that this gives the story another perspective that many may not even consider. I believe that this is a plausible tale in the eyes of the Giant Elk, because we have all seen what our species has done to this planet in the short time we have been on this planet. Our constant growth and technological advancement has caused global warming by such a large increase in carbon emissions, we have caused countless extinctions for such petty things as the ivory found in the tusk of white rhinos, and we constantly destroy the habitats of animals so that we can expand for our own. Hopefully this story will cause people to think about the things they do on our planet and be more conscientious of their actions.

Bibliography: The Attack on the Giant Elk and the Great Eagle in Tales of the North American Indians by Stith Thompson (1929).