Many years ago... the tribal holy man noticed that the people had stopped walking up the

sacred path up the mountain to Grandfather.

Concerned by this, the holy man asked the people why they no longer took the sacred path

up the mountain. The people replied " We have become afraid to walk the sacred path up the mountain because of a big snake that guards it. Whenever we try to walk the sacred path the snake will bite us. He makes us terribly sick and has even killed some"

.

The holy man was very disturbed by this so he went out early the next morning. He caught

the snake and took his medicine. He told the snake " my brother snake you most stop biting my people when they walk up the mountain to Grandfather. I will let you go so that you may live, but you must promise me you will not bite my people as they walk up the sacred path." The snake promised not to bite the holy man's people so he turned the sake loose.

Once the people understood that the danger from snake was gone, they began once again to

walk the sacred path up the mountain to visit Grandfather. Then one day as the holy man

was out walking he came upon snake again. He looked terrible to the holy man Snake's body was battered and bruised. He was dirty and all cut up and scarred.

The holy man picked him up and said " My brother snake, what has happened to you?"

Snake replied " since I made you the promise that I would no longer bite your people they throw rocks at me. They stomp on me, grab me by the tail and smash me into the rocks. The holy man replied "Brother snake I said you could no longer bite my people. I did not say you could not hiss.

(author anonymous)