THE LEGEND OF THE MAN AND THE FISH

This is a lesson about greed that has been passed down from the ancient ones from generation to generation. Listen carefully to this legend and remember it for it is a lesson we should never forget.
A very long time ago when the people first came to live in this land they found that the forest and fields and streams, the lakes and great waters were plentiful with all good things, fruit and grain and much meat and fish. The people were grateful to Great Spirit for bringing them to this good place. They remembered to be thankful to Great Spirit and to thank the spirit of the plants and the animals and the fish for giving of themselves to the people and the people never took more than they needed from the land or the water and they never went with out that which they needed. This is a lesson we must always remember.
One day however there was a man who had come to the river to fish. He looked into the waters and the waters were filled with salmon and trout and other fishes and so the man threw in his net and when he drew his net up from the water it was overflowing with many fish, enough fish to feed his whole family for the long winter ahead. The man gathered up the fish from his net and packed them into his baskets to take home and dry for the winter. This winter his family would have plenty to eat and the man was very pleased.
While he had been fishing the wiley weasel had been sitting on a rock beside the river watching the man. Now wiley weasel knew that man had been given all on the land and in the waters for his good but that man was to only take that which he needed so he said to the man, “Man, I see you have plenty of fish in your basket but what of tomorrow, what if the fish do not return, what will you do when your fish are gone?”
The man thought about it and thought to himself that this might be true, what if the fish did not return in the spring.
“There are plenty of fish in the river,” wiley weasel spoke again as he reached into the water and snatched up a fat salmon for his own lunch. “Surely if you cast your net again it will be filled with many fish and you will never go hungry.”
The man thought about what weasel said and cast his net for a second time into the water. Surely more fish would not hurt. His family would not only eat well, they would feast with much plenty and again he hauled in his net and it was filled with many fish. The man tossed the fish onto the shore and cast his net a third time. Surely more fish would do no harm and he and his family would feast abundantly. The man thanked the weasel for his suggestion and smiled to himself. No one in his village would have more fish than he and people would look upon him with great honor for all his abundance.
As he hauled in his net for the third time the net was so heavy he could barely bring it ashore. He tugged and he pulled and pulled and tugged until his arms and back were sore and hurting. Certainly this was a greater haul of fish than he had ever caught before. His heart filled with pride as he thought about how happy his wife would be and how all the other villagers would look up to him and he heaved and tugged and pulled until he finally had the net pulled onto the shore but there was not one fish in it. His net was filled with branches and stumps and rocks but not one fish and now his nets were torn to shreds and no longer usable.
The man turned to gather up the fish he had left on the shore from his second haul but not one fish was there. All he saw were branches and sticks and stones, nothing his family could eat. Disappointed, the man went to gather up his baskets of fish that he had caught with his first haul but he had left them sitting in the hot sun so long while he hauled in more fish that the fish had all spoiled and rotted and could not be eaten. Even weasel turned his nose at them and ran away laughing at the man’s foolishness.
The man had to go home with no fish to dry for the long winter months and no net to catch more. Winter came and the man and his family grew hungry and starved for there was no food to be had.
Ever since that day man has had to toil much harder for his needs and the land and the water no longer give as freely of themselves because of man’s greedy and selfish heart. This is a lesson we must always remember that we should never take from the Earth more than we need and we must always thank Great Spirit and the spirits of the plants and animals who give of themselves for our need. If we do not they will be removed from us and we will not have plenty.

Annette Bromley