Once upon a time, as they say, there lived a young Native American boy called Sam Little Eagle. Sam's parents had died some years before, and he lived with his uncle Mountain Bear in a small wig-wam on the Dakota reservation. Now this uncle Mountain Bear was not a cruel man exactly, but neither was he the kindest of men, and between you and me I think he was not too happy at having to bring up someone else's son. His own wife had died long ago, and since he had no child of his own you would think he would enjoy the company of his brother's son. But he did not. The boy was always getting in his way and bothering him, and the sooner he grew up and got married the better, as far as he was concerned.
One evening, as they silently sat eating their supper round a small fire, Little Eagle thought about his life on the reservation with his uncle, and large, wet tears began to form in his eyes.
Why do I stay here? he thought. My uncle doesn't want me here, and I have no friends in the village. I try to join in with the games the other children play, but for some reason they just laugh and turn away. I try to talk to them, but they ignore me. Even the grown-ups turn up their noses if they see me coming. I don't know why they treat me like this, but I know I can't take it for much longer.
Later, when the supper was finished and he had cleared everything away, Sam stepped out of the wig-wam to look at the sunset, which he always loved, even if his heart was heavy with sadness. And as the tears began to trickle down his cheek once more, he heaved an enormous sigh as he watched the golden, red glow dying slowly into night.
Brother sun, sister moon
In the sky above me
Tell me now, tell me true
Why does no-one love me?
Stars that shine through the night
Changing every season
Why do people hate me so
Do you know the reason?
Is my nose too big,
Is my hair too long
Do I croak like a crow
When I sing a song
Are my clothes not right
Are my manners all wrong
Brother sun
Why I don't belong.
Is my chin too small
Is my neck too thin
Did I hurt someone
Or commit a sin?
Though I try to please
I can never win
Brother sun
Why I don't fit in
Brother wind, sister snow,
In the air around me
Do you see? Do you know?
Why am I alone?
Morning comes, evening falls,
Winter follows autumn
Seems to me I must be
Always on my own.
Always on my own.
Always on my own.
It was some time later that Sam looked around and realised he had walked miles from the village, and that the night was pitch black. The moon, for some reason, had decided to hide herself behind a cloud, and there was not a single star to be seen in the sky. But the boy was not afraid. He had spent many nights sleeping out in the open, in the woods or by the river, and once even up a very tall and ancient tree. The night was a fascinating place to be, he thought, especially for those strange, mysterious little sounds that came from all around you.
Night Song
