A Native American Indian Story

by Storie-Jean Agapith
Illustrated by Thomas Mitton
Sti'Tumma had always
wanted to have beautiful
beaded "shooflies"
attached to her saddle, on
the breastplate and under
the horse's tummy on the
cinch. She had already
made a couple for her
favorite bridle! The
shooflies were made from
a small amount of
horsehair bein folded in
half, wrapped with
buc!s!in, and beadwor!
put over the buc!s!in. The
shoofly would then be
clipped onto the favorite
spot selected by each rider.
So when the horses had
their tails cleaned, the hair
was saved for Sti'Tumma who then went to wor! to ma!e
herself some beautiful and colorful shooflies. Sometimes "illy,
Sti'Tumma's sister, would do the beadwor! on a do#en
shooflies at a time for the trail uides. The shooflies would
move with the horse and !eep some of the flies from settlin
on the horse!
It was a beautiful Saturday mornin and time to et ready to
meet the scheduled trail riders at the la!e for the $%&mile ride
throuh the beautiful countryside. 'er nephew and younest
brother saddled her horse while she went to select the
shooflies to attach to her saddle today. Across the breastplate
she clipped si(, on the cinch she clipped two, and on the rear
of the saddle she clipped two. She stood bac! to ta!e a ood
loo!, and said to herself, "Today both )oomer and I will loo!
ood!"
At the la!e she stayed on horsebac! due to the pain she was
feelin in her bac! and nec!* ettin off and on would only
ma!e it worse. Today she wanted to be able to complete the
ride to show off all her hard wor! on the beautiful and colorful
shooflies. +y wearin her new ribbon shirt, she loo!ed eleant
upon that oreous horse with all the beadwor! showin on
the shooflies. She met the riders, athered the ridin fees,
which were placed in the beaded ba tied tiht to her saddle,
and even had some pictures ta!en of her and )oomer!
Today Sti'Tumma would bein the trail ride by trailin the
riders. She too! her time, althouh )oomer wanted to be in the
lead of the pac!. ,hat a lovely day, open views for nice photos,
and she noticed that the riders were ta!in some lovely shots.
)oomer was becomin impatient, so Sti'Tumma let him wal! a
bit faster to et to the head of the riders. She was almost to the
beinnin of the riders when a pair of riders, an elder cowboy
and his wife, moved up to tal! to her. The lady as!ed, ",e
were wonderin if you are a medicine lady, you have all the
scalps with beadwor! on them displayed on your saddle. And
we wanted to !now how you ot anyone to actually touch the
scalps to put the beadwor! on them."
Sti'Tumma started chuc!lin, and then bro!e out in
lauhter! 'er youner brother, the lead trail uide for today,
stopped the roup to chec! on his sister. Sti'Tumma decided
this was a ood spot to ta!e a brea! and tal! about the
shooflies she was so proud of. +y the time the riders started off
aain on the ride, the whole -ountry Trail .ide crew were
ama#ed at how many of these city cowboys and cowirls didn't
understand the Native Americans at all, they still believed
there was scalpin and raidin oin on within the reservation!
Scalps, what a /o!e, now every trail uide would want to be
decorated with the "scalps" displayed on their horse to show
their "honor within the Tribe"!
Since that ride, and all the /o!es and lauhter about the
medicine lady and her scalps, "illy has been able to have a
do#en "imitation scalps" beaded and ready for sale at each trail
ride durin the lunch brea! at the wonderful and remodeled
old campsite.