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A Seriously Cold Winter Story
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This is one of the first stories I told at GAS (Grampian Association of Storytellers). There are many versions of this tale. Most of them centre around an American Indian tribe. Whether it\'s an original American Indian story, I don\'t know. If you do... let me know!
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\\ufeffSTORY TRANSCRIPT
Really not that long ago, there was a tribe up north who tried to live according to the old ways.
One day, in early September, the chief was asked by his elders if winter that year was going to be cold or mild.
The chief thought a moment but realised that since he\'d started wearing thick socks and boots, using central heating, and driving a 4x4, he\'d stopped paying attention to the signs. He realised he couldn\'t, like his ancestors before him, predict the seasons by how the animals behaved or how the berries grew on the trees.
So he told his elders to give him a day to "study the land", and he would get back to them.
As soon as they left, the chief picked up his phone and called his medicine man, but he too had lost touch with the signs from the natural world.
Neither of them had an idea about how to predict the coming winter. So the chief decided to take a modern approach, and he rang the National Weather Service.
"Is the coming winter going to cold or mild," he asked.
\'Yep," the weatherman said. "It\'s going to be a cold winter.\'
The chief went back to his elders and said that he had spent time on the mountain, he\'d watched the bears forage and the squirrels bury nuts. He\'s studied the trees and tasted the berries. He\'d listened to the wind and yes, it was going to be a cold winter, so go gather your firewood.
A month later, the elders came back to the chief and asked whether it was going to be a cold winter or a very cold winter. Again, the chief told the elders to give him a day to consult with the land. Again, the chief called the Weather Service and asked for an update. "Is it going to be a cold or a very cold winter?" he asked.
\'Yes," the weatherman said. "Very cold."
So the chief went back to his elders and said he\'d spent the night with the reindeer and watched as the last birds flew south. He slept on the hard ground and heard the earth speak. And yes, it was going to be a very cold winter. So go and collect all the firewood you need. And so the people did.
A month later, just as the first snows were beginning to fall, the elders came to the chief once again. "Is it going to be a very cold winter or a freezing, icy cold winter!?"
Once more, the chief asked for a day to consult with Mother Nature... but as soon as they left, he called the Weather Service once more and asked if it was going to be a cold or freezing cold winter.
"Yes," the weatherman said. "It is going to be one of the coldest winters...'