The Soil Spirit
There was a tribe called the Unami, also known
as the down river people and the Delaware Native Americans. One
day they realized that the soil was all dried up and there was
a drought. They hadn't treated their soil very well or worried
much about it. Instead they had played lacrosse, practiced throwing
their spears, and practiced hitting with bow and arrows. They
went fishing and caught some catfish for dinner. The hunting wasn't
good because the animals had moved away looking for water. So,
they ate fish and sometimes rabbits. When autumn came, they still
didn't have any crops. That's when they got worried. By the time
they thought to water them, it was too late for it was too cold
to grow crops. 
So a young man went out to find food. When
he was out looking, he came across an old man sitting beside a
field of dirt. He was very sad. The young man asked, "Why
are you so sad?" He replied, "People have trampled all
over me and they never feed me or never worry about me."
The young man realized that this old man was the Soil Spirit.
He asked, "If people were to treat you better, would you
treat them better?" "Yes", replied the Spirit.
The young man went home and told the Unami people about his conversation
with the Soil Spirit. After a very hungry winter, they decided
to water the soil when they'd have no rain. Even though this would
mean a lot of work carry the water up to their crops from the
river. Their crops then began to grow and the next winter they
were not so hungry.
