The Medicine Tree: A Story for All Ages

The Medicine Tree: A Story for All Ages

Aaron McEmrys

Delivered to the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara

August 19, 2009

The animals who lived in the Great Wood had powerful Medicine since the first of the mighty trees began to grow - a very long time ago. The Medicine, powerful as it was couldn’t heal everything. Deer and jaguar; tree toad and tree sloth still died of old age or injury or illness. But the medicine helped, and, by and large, the animals were healthy and happy in the Great Wood which was their home. The Medicine was made out of tons of different ingredients, and all the animals had to work together to make it.

Most animals used to have a little bit of Medicine right their in the nests and burrows and lily pads and fallen logs where they lived. But one year, lighting stuck, and a huge fire started in the forest. The animals worked hard to fight the fire and to take care of one another, and they decided that the safest place for the Medicine was in the underground burrows of the ground squirrels, where it would be safe from the fire.

And for many years after that, the ground squirrels kept the Medicine safe. In time they were the only creatures in the Great Wood who remembered how to make the Medicine, so when a marmot got its leg snapped in a trap, for example, its family would take it to the ground squirrels for some Medicine. Often, the injured animals would be very grateful for the ground squirrel’s help, and would bring gifts as a way of saying thank you.

As more years passed, the ground squirrels started to get very greedy. They started to believe that the Medicine belonged to them, and that they were very powerful and wise – and better than all the other animals. They got fat from eating all the gifts of food that other animals brought them.

At the beginning of every month the chief ground squirrel would climb up onto a high tree branch and in a loud and proud voice would assign each animal family to go out into the Great Wood and bring back ingredients for the Medicine. Deer were in charge of sweet grass; otters would bring in the brown clay; and families of mice would carry back small leaves full of fresh rainwater. Every animal had a job to do, but the ground squirrels just gave orders in their chattering voices.

One day, a friendly little pond frog named, Jose’, came to the ground squirrels for help. He had a terrible cold and he was so stuffed up and his throat was so sore that he couldn’t even croak! He slowly hopped over to the ground squirrel’s “waiting room” and asked for some medicine.

“Where is our gift?” the squirrels demanded. “No gift, no Medicine”

Jose’ was so sick and weak that he could not collect any food, not even to feed himself, so he had no gift to give. The squirrels turned up their twitching noses and refused to give him any Medicine. Jose hopped sadly away, and was never heard from again.

After this the squirrels always demanded gifts, which they now called “payment.” Any animal who couldn’t pay was turned away with nothing, no matter how sick or hurt they were. The squirrels got fatter and fatter and their underground burrows were overflowing with all the treasures of the forest. They even paid some of the bigger, more ferocious animals to guard their burrows and to scare any animal, like Mike the Beaver, who started to speak out against them.

The animals got angrier and angrier as their friends and children and elders who got sick couldn’t get any Medicine, since the prices just kept going up and up until almost none of the animals could afford to go to the squirrels for some Medicine.

Finally, on the last night of the full moon, many of the animals got together for a secret meeting. Blue birds, newts, brook trout, deer and even bobcats were there, along with many other animals. They decided that Raven, the most clever of all the birds, should get the recipe for the Medicine back from the ground squirrels. If they only knew how to make the Medicine again they could take care of one another just like they used to do.

So Raven hatched a plan. Raven waited until the beginning of the next month, when the Medicine was almost gone and the Chief squirrel summoned all the creatures of the Great Wood to the tree to be assigned their work for the month.

Raven hid high up in the tree, in the very topmost branches above the Chief squirrel. Then, as the Chief held up the ingredient list and cleared his throat importantly, Raven swooped silently down like an arrow and snatched the Medicine recipe right out of the squirrel’s paws! The squirrels and their thugs went crazy, but none of them could catch Raven, who flew so fast and hid so well in every dark shadow.

The next morning, all the animals woke up to a wonderful surprise! Raven, it turns out, had stayed up all night carving the Medicine recipe into the bark of a giant Redwood tree! All the animals gathered around and laughed and danced and celebrated for the rest of the day. The morning after that, they all divided up and went to collect the ingredients they needed, which they then cut and chopped and squished and powdered up together until they had a wonderful new batch of Medicine.

Some animals even made beds of straw or snug dry “healing burrows” or puddles or nests for any sick animal who might need one. From that day forth, the giant carved Redwood was known as the “Medicine Tree.” All the sick animals could go there for help, and they all had to work together to make sure there was always enough Medicine to go around.

At first the squirrels would have nothing to do with the Medicine tree. They acted like they had been robbed. But a few months later, when their own supply of Medicine had run out, one of the newest, cutest and fuzziest baby ground squirrels accidentally ate a poison berry and got very sick indeed. In desperation, the squirrels took the baby to the Medicine Tree; sure they would be turned away.

They approached the Tree guiltily, with bowed heads, but Raven and the other animals who were there that day, took the little squirrel without a word, and gently laid it on a soft bed made of grass and leaves. Raven dropped some of the Medicine from his beak into the baby’s mouth. By now all the squirrels were crying, both from relief and because they realized all the hurt their selfishness and greed had caused.

Wendy the Black bear lumbered up to the Chief squirrel and laid her big paw gently on the squirrels shoulder. In a soft voice she said, “This Medicine belongs to all of us, even you. Everyone who ever needs Medicine shall have some. We forgive you. Welcome back.”