The Last Winter of the Ghost Road

The death winter came and was cold With white on the purple mountain The Tiwahe’, the Standing Rock People Begged for warm fires from Iktinie the Sun Spirit Our mouths were hungry and bodies were weak Iya’ the Snow Monster had taken us farther to the south To follow Capa the Beaver Spirit A long journey into early winter’s night For there was much labor to keep warm in our Thipi’ Our mouths were hungry and bodies were weak When Iwoblu the Winter Storm whispered his cold story To the Aicita, the Ghost Messenger She tricked Mathohota the Grizzly Spirit with her wailing To haunt the sky with growling winds The Wahupakoza escaped on icy feathers Stirring the winds with their flight of fears And within the SunOthi’ earth dens, the wolves Sungmanitu’ howled with their starvation The stone figured buffalo,Wankan Tanka’s blood was cursed With ice and their coats were bitten with Heyumka Mothers were caged in the hard frost, while their calves fell and died Our mouths were hungry and bodies were weak Gleska Wowayazan, the spotted sickness, harvested our souls We were prisoners of Wichat A’ the sickness that takes all Our boldest warriors, Zuya Whichsa’ were taken from us To follow the Wanagi’, the spirit of departed human beings Far to the Milky Way to stand before Hihankara’ the judge of souls We mourned and chanted for the loss of our children Wasigla’! And the People of Standing Rock wept AcheyA’ in dreams Of earth warmth and filled bellies of mothers and children Our mouths were hungry and bodies were weak It was the last winter of the ghost road I am White Buffalo Calf Woman, I am the keeper of words and I tell you now so that you will know Edited reposted April 27, 2022 Theme: Life