Inamo And The Magic Bow And Arrow 

By: Alison

Long ago when Mother Earth was young, people believed salmon spirits brought food to them. Along the west coast in a small village there sat a young boy named Inamo. Inamo was too small to play with the other boys. Inamo was left out of every activity because he was too small, and all the other boys called him “Too Small Inamo”. Inamo felt terrible especially because his father was the villages greatest warrior/hunter and Inamo just wanted to please his father. “ Too Small Inamo! Too Small Inamo! You’ll never be a hunter, you are just too small!” The bigger boys ran by laughing and went to practice their canoeing skills. Inamo ran inside to find his mother crying on the floor of their long house. “ Whats wrong Mother?” “ It’s you’re father, a bear killed him.” His mother sobbed. “ Inamo you must do something our village is so big and there are not enough hunters.” “ Me? No mom I am too small I can’t hunt. “ Yes you can Inamo just follow your father’s path he will show you the way.” Inamo sighed in disappointment. He was afraid that he would let his mother and his dead father down.That night Inamo had strange dreams about bears and other boys making fun of him. Suddenly a breeze of wind past by in a dream and Inamo’s father was standing the forest. Inamo approached his father. “Inamo your village needs you. You have the qualities to be a great hunter. Inamo go to Bears Creek and you will find a bow and four arrows. This will give you the power to succeed in every hunt but only if you kill the bear. Inamo woke up at the sound of a loon crying out. He gathered his belongings and took the smallest canoe that rested against the shore. At first it was quite difficult to paddle but after awhile Inamo got the hang of it just using the techniques that he watched the other boys use. The river started getting darker and the trees seemed to start to close in on him with every stroke. It was very foggy, and he could barely see in front of the canoe. But Inamo kept on going. He came up to a fork in the river one way was brighter and the grass was green, the other way was dark and gloomy. But both ways led to Bears Creek. Inamo decided to go the dark and gloomy way for it looked faster. Inamo heard noises within the trees and he felt chills running up his back. There were high whispers in his ear. “ Inamo give me the bow I can give you anything you ever wanted even to be big and strong, just give me the bow.” Inamo found Bears Creek after four sunsets. Everynight he set up camp in the scary forest. Inamo searched for the bear skin and found it sitting under a tree. He took the bow into his hands. It was the nicest bow he had ever seen and four arrows with four feathers on the end of each one. The bow and arrows felt perfect in Inamo’s hand. Inamo headed across the creek to find the bear. While he was walking an old hag jumped from out of no where and she looked like the one the elders described in stories about wicked old witches. The old hag approached him. “Give me the bow and arrows now or I shall have to have to beat you.” “ Never, besides what would you do with a bow like this?” “Well I’d kill animals of course. I have heard great things about this bow that you can’t even explain like always hitting your target.” “Go away old hag” “Fine but you better watch out boy.” The old hag dissapeared in a flash . Inamo went along the forest and spotted a beatifull young woman crying under a tree. “What is the matter young girl?” Inamo asked. “It’s my father. He wants me to marry some horrible man.” Inamo put his bow down and sat beside the girl. He tried to comfort her but she was still very upset. The girl kept on looking at the bow Inamo ignored it thinking she was probaly just fasinated by it’s beatiful markings. The girl grabbed the bow jumped up and ran away. While the girl was running she started going slower and slower and slower and finaly she changed into the old hag. “Haha!” The old hag laughed “Now I shall never starve.” Inamo was very confused. He caught up to the old hag and she stopped at the sight of a rabbit. “Ooooo my first kill.” The old hag grinned in excitment. Inamo let her try to kill the rabbit knowing she wouldn’t make it because the bear hadn’t been killed yet. The old hag took her first arrow and let go, it missed and hit a log. “What? How come it’s not working boy? This is the bow isn’t it?” “ Well yes.” replied Inamo. “ Tell me boy why didn’t I hit the rabbit?” “ Why should I tell yo?” “ Tell me or I shall beat you and curse you. Besides you can’t hunt your too small and don’t have the strength so you don’t deserve a bow like this.” Inamo took great offence and snatched the bow and arrows including the one on the log and ran back to his canoe. The old hag cried for her loss of the bow and dissapeared. But Inamo still had to kill the bear. He searched through the forest and spotted it by a big tree. Now this was the real test. In order for Inamo to get his powers, he had to kill the bear. Inamo took the bow and arrows into his hands and let go. It hit the tree beside the bear. Inamo took the next arrow and once again he missed. It took Inamo four tries before he hit the bear. Finally the bear hit the ground with a thump. Inamo was very proud of himself. He skinned the bear and dragged it back to the canoe. It took Inamo four days to get back to his village. Now he would show all the other boys that he could hunt and it didn’t matter that he was small. He carried his bear skin down to his village where he saw the other big boys playing. “Hey look it’s Too Small Inamo.” One boy screamed. “Wait, why is he carrying something? Too Small Inamo what are you carrying?” “ A bear skin I caught down by Bears Creek.” Replied Inamo with a big grin on his face. “You couldn’t hunt if you had to besides where is the bow?” Inamo took out the bow and showed it to the big boy. “Ya right! You didn’t shoot it with that old thing. You probaly stole it from your father. If you think your so good than I challenge you to a hunting contest under the cliff by the forest. Are you brave enough Too small Inamo?” “ Of course I am .” Said Inamo a little bit nervous. “We will start four sunrises from now. You better get pracitcing.” The big boy ran off laughing with his friends. Inamo tried not to let it get to him but it really made him mad. He ran down to his longhouse to see his mother. “Inamo where have you been all this time?” “Mother I had a dream. My father told me to go to Bears Creek so I did and I shot a bear with Dad’s old bow and arrows. Now I have to get ready for a hunting competition against that big boy Nikertin.” Inamo’s mother was stunned , she just smiled with pride. Inamo ran outside with his bear skin hung in a tree. Four days passed very quickly, at sunrise Inamo woke up in excitment and ran down to the forest under the cliff. The elders and the bigger boys were already there. “Inamo wish Nikertin good luck and Nikertin wish Inamo good luck”. “Good luck.” “Good luck.” Inamo took his bow and arrows out of his back sack. The elders explained the competition. Nikertin wasn’t really paying attention but making faces at Inamo. Inamo ignored him knowing that later on he would get him back. Inamo and Nicterin got in their places and had their bow and arrows in place. “Go!” screamed the elders. Nickertin sprinted very fast through the forest to the first log, looked through the forest and shot a rabbit the other boys cheered. Inamo jogged and jumped on the log and shot a bear. The elders smiled. By the time Inamo picked up the arrow out of the bear, Nikertin was almost half way to the next log. Inamo ran to the next log and shot a bird. Nikerin shot a hare. “You are never going to beat me, so you might as well give up .” Nikertine sprinted ahead to the third log and shot another rabbit. By this time Nikertin was very tired, as he had sprinted to every lo.g Inamo on the other hand wasn’t very tired for he had jogged to each log. He came to the third log and saw a bear walk past. If he made this shot and got a rabbit, Inamo would win. He let go of the arrow and shot the bear right in the chest. Inamo ran up to Nikertin. “Just give up Inamo you are not going to win.” Nikertin panted heavily and slowed down. “Sorry Nikertin.” Inamo sprinted ahead to the next log and shot a rabbit. Inamo cheered in joy as he had just proven he was a better hunter than Nikertin. Inamo walked out of the forest to the elders. “Very well done Inamo but there is one more thing we must tell you.” “What is it?” Inamo was worried he had done something wrong. “The bow you were using wasn’t your magic bow and arrow it was a replacement.” “So I made those shots by myself.” “Yes Inamo you did.” Inamo went home and told his mom and then fell sound asleep. He had a vision with his father. “Hello my son, Inamo the hunter, I am very proud of you. I knew you could do it by yourself and with the help of my bow and arrows. Inamo I have to go now but remember I will always be watching over you. Inamo’s father disappeared. Inamo stood in the forest and thought about how he pleased his father, his mother and himself, and how even though he was small Inamo could be a hunter. When Inamo grow older he met a beautiful woman named Niomie and they had a wonderful small boy just like Inamo was. But Inamo wasn’t small anymore. 

The End