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| SHE WAS LONELY, AN OUTCAST AND VERY POOR. SHE WORE RAGS.
HER LONG BLACK HAIR WAS TANGLED AND DIRTY. CHILDREN HER AGE SHUNNED HER. NO ONE SPOKE TO HER. SLAVES AND POOR PEOPLE DROVE LARGE TURKEY HERDS TO EARN MONEY FOR FOOD. THE POOR LITTLE GIRL WAS KNOWN AS THE TURKEY GIRL. HER PAY WAS BARELY ENOUGH FOOD TO SUSTAIN HER EXISTANCE DAY BY DAY. SHE LAVISHED KINDNESS ON HER TURKEY HERD. THEY APPRECIATED HER AND WERE VERY OBEDIENT. THEY LOVED THEIR MISTRESS. SHE TALKED TO HER TURKEYS. THEY LISTENED TO THE LONELY LITTLE MAIDEN. IN THE VILLAGE, FESTIVITIES WERE IN PREPRATION FOR THE DANCE OF THE SACRED BIRD. THIS WAS A VERY IMPORTANT EVENT, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUTHS AND MAIDENS. THE TURKEY GIRL LONGED TO SEE THE DANCE. SHE KNEW THAT SHE WAS TOO UGLY AND POOR TO JOIN THE FESTIVITIES. SHE TOLD HER TURKEYS AS THEY WANDERED THROUGH THE HILLS. ON THE EVENING OF THE DANCE, THE OLD TURKEY TOM STRUTTED UP TO THE SAD GIRL. TO HER SURPRISE, THE GOBBLER SPOKE TO HER. "MAIDEN MOTHER, WE KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS. OUR WISH IS THAT YOU MIGHT ENJOY THIS HOLIDAY IN THE VILLAGE. GO TO THE RIVER AND LAY YOUR RAGS ON THE BANK. THE MOVING WATERS WILL CLEANSE YOU AND YOUR LONG TRESSES. " WHEN SHE GOT OUT OF THE RIVER, SHE FOUND HER DIRTY TATTERED RAGS HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A BEAUTFUL DRESS. WHITE CORN SANDLES HAD BEEN FASHIONED FOR HER FEET. THE TURKEYS HAD PECKED, STRUTTED, FANNED AND PUFFED OVER THE RAGS, MAKING HER NEW CLOTHES. THE OLD TOM TURKEY TOLD HER SHE LOOKED BEAUTIFUL IN HER FINERY. HER LONG BLACK HAIR WAS SOFT AND SILKY. "GO, AND ENJOY THE DANCE OF THE SACRED BIRD, " HE TOLD HER. "BUT, YOU MUST RETURN BEFORE THE SUN SETS IN THE WEST BEHIND ENCHANTED MESA. IF YOU FAIL, THE TURKEYS WILL FLY AWAY AND ABANDON YOU FOREVER." THE TURKEYS TOLD HER TO LEAVE OPEN THE WICKETT. "DO NOT GROW ASHAMED THAT YOU HAVE BEEN THE MAIDEN MOTHER OF THE TURKEYS. DO NOT TARRY LONG." THEY WATCHED AS SHE RAN TOWARD THE VILLAGE. THEY CALLED TO HER AS SHE LEFT, "ENJOY, BUT DO NOT FORGET." WHEN SHE CAME INTO THE COURTYARD, EVERYONE LOOKED AT HER BEAUTY AND RICHNESS OF DRESS. THE CHIEFS OF THE DANCE INVITED HER TO JOIN IN THE YOUTH AND MAIDENS DANCING AROUND THE MUSCIANS. SHE DANCED AS THE SUN SANK LOW IN THE WEST. THEN IT WAS DARK. SUDDENLY, SHE BROKE AWAY AND RAN WITH SWIFTNESS OF FEET. SHE RAN ALONG THE RIVER BANK. THE VILLAGERS RAN AFTER HER. BREATHLESS, THE MAIDEN RAN THROUGH THE WICKETT. ALL OF THE TURKEYS WERE GONE. SHE TRAILED THEM THROUGH THE VALLEY, TRYING TO CATCH UP TO THEM. BUT, THEY WERE FAR AHEAD OF HER. BEHIND HER, SHE HEARD THE VILLAGE CHIEFS AS THEY FOLLOWED HER. FEAR RACED THROUGH HER. THE TURKEYS REACHED THE BASE OF ENCHANTED MESA. SHE HEARD THEM AS T HEY CLIMBED THE STEEP WALLS OF THE MESA. SHE CALLED TO THEM. THEY DID NOT STOP. AS THE MAIDEN CLIMBED THE CLIFF SIDE OF THE MESA, SHE LOOKED DOWN AT HER SOILED AND TORN DRESS. SHE WAS WEARY, GREIVING AND IN TOTAL DESPAIR. THE VILLAGE CHIEFS WERE APPROACHING THE BASE OF THE MESA. THE CHIEFS HEARD THE MIGHTY SOUNDS OF MANY WINGS. THEY HEARD THE SONG OF TURKEYS, AND THE FORLORN PLEADINGS AND CRY OF THE MAIDEN. WHEN THEY REACHED THE TOP OF THE MESA, THERE WERE NO SOUNDS OF WINGS, NO SONG AND NO MORE CRIES. THE TURKEYS HAD SPREAD THEIR WINGS AND FLEW AWAY OUT OVER THE PLAINS OF THE LAND. TO THIS DAY, THE TRACKS OF THE TURKEYS ARE VISIBLE ON ENCHANTED MESA, AT THE CLIFF'S EDGE. THE PLAINS OF THE ZUNIS, RAMAH NAVAJO AND ACOMAS, TURKEYS ARE MORE ABUNDANT THAN ANY PLACE ELSE. THE TURKEY GIRL? THE ACOMA INDIAN LEGEND SAYS SHE RAISED HER ARMS AT THE CLIFF'S EDGE AS IF THE FLY AWAY. LEGEND SAYS SHE MAY HAVE BEEN CARRIED AWAY ON THE BACK OF THE OLD TURKEY GOBBLER. |
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