Miriam Moore reads TheWalkingPeople:ANativeAmericanOralHistory, by Paula Underwood.

236-41

230-35

The People begin the talk together about two young men who were always curious about the People and their experiences before they had joined the People.

The Two Strong Men laugh at what women might invite two such old men to sit with them at the fire.  They gain the Wester Ocean, and learn the path for a whole people, counting day-distance, their awareness bringing them to the flat grassland where their people might be.  They had much on the mind, planning the path by walking many directions, marking the way for many circles of seasons.&...

Two Strong Brothers began a long search for  possibility between these never-ending mountains. moving West, South, and southwest.

We walk south, and two strong young men decide, and are allowed by the People, to go south, traveling for many years, to find the way through these never-ending mountains, seeking a way West to edge of ocean.

A quiet humming is heard among the People, She of Ten Winters stood. We listen and appreciate the words of our progeny, spoken by this one.  The danger of  oceans running fast is before us, and we must devise a path again here.  Many echoes of her words were heard. Tthis is our new purpose. 

the nature of many difficult crossings with thoughts only of the descendents

finding the edge of mountain for Ancient Vision to. see the nature of our purpose and possibility

deciding to walk together to find to the South, where lay their purposed destination.

we find the people who walked beyond and celebrate their ability to survive

they walk beyond

157-62

152-156 with two legs to stand on, let them learn from us, what we have so painfully learned from each other. 

Physical sickness brands the eight year old girl and snatches her from the dinner table and into a bed, door closed, lights out.  When does this phase end?  When the girl gets herself out of bed, dresses herself in clothes that no longer fit her new sick body, and goes to the populated areas of the house.  She does not know what has changed in her absence, yet senses the change that...

148-51

Cold and snow gathers us together to share treasure of the shared wisdom of the People.  We learn to craft songs using short vowel sounds the carry much wisdom.  

how we learn to encourage many great Shaggies into the cooking pot

131-139 Each of the people find an interest in the varying patterns as we slowly dry in a warm sun, eating slowly of this new bounty to allow our bodies time to adjust.

We attain our first Fire Circle, Daughter of Wisdom asserts, and we begin to plan what we will do to help create this Long Colds' survival.

Daughter of Wisdom walks among us, and we begin to think of tomorrows possibilities.  We see how discouragement can be turned by a word and a question into plans for how we will hunt and gather.  look up! look down. We find sweet white. berries, shared equally Mong us, and leave two berries for the earth.  

We cross little walk by waters, the land of vines and puddles.

 Only 42 people crossed walk by waters.  17 of these were too young to carry packs.  We think it probable we were the last group to cross, because of the long reaches of open waters that must have kept others after us from crossing.  Our long rope, and the warning of the sorrowful man, with our ability to benefit from the wisdom of ordered council prepared us to cross in safety...

The strength of these two men grew stronger with each passage, neither hunger nor fatigue taking their toll.  These three strong men make a long rope bridge, suspended through air at the place where there was no land, but only water below.  Except for rock shelves over which water runs fast and strong!   All the people safely walk this rope path, and at last, reaching the rock shelf...

the strong man binding his rope to rock ensured the passage of a whole people.