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Dreams and Visions
In the novel Fools Crow, Indians are perceived to be very spiritual people and
visions and dreams seem to be an essential part to this way of living. Throughout this
whole book almost all the main characters have some kind of dream or awakening that shows
that their subconscious thoughts are very relevant to the tribe. The Indians just don't
see their dream as just any old dream; they follow through with actions that abide by it.
Some dream of accomplishing tasks for spiritual reasons, some are taken as misfortunate
luck to come, and some are meant to protect. In dreams comes visions, these visions create
a guidance by animals, in can foretell future happening good and bad, and can be used as a
warning to all tribe members.
In a dream that Mik-api had, " Raven came down to me from someplace high in the
Backbone of the World" (52). The Raven had seen his friend caught in a trap
struggling and he tried to help him, but he didn't have the strength he needed to open it.
So, the raven came to Mik-api in this dream of his to send "a helper who is both
strong and true of heart" (52). White Man's Dog was the man they talked about to
rescue this beast and in return he would learn the powers of this creature. Listening to
this dream of Mik-api's influenced White Man's Dog to find this creature and free him,
with his gain of courage and luck he want to take this journey. Just this one dream set
him off to find and seek knowledge and power within animals. If this were someone telling
me to go on a journey because I had to help some animal I'd think they were crazy, but I
think that what made Indians such sacred people.
In a second dream, Kills-close-to-the-lake explains to White Man's Dog about its
content, she dreamed of her weakness and lust for other men and especially for him, and
she was punished for it. Her dream was of an affair with this wolverine that watched her
bathe and then ravaged her and bit off her finger that turned into stone. The description
of this dream was very familiar to White Man's Dog in almost all sense, and didn't
understand it. "White Man's Dog didn't know how or why, but Wolverine had cleansed
both him and Kills-close-to-the-lake. He had also given White Man's Dog his power, in the
white stone and the song" (125). In these dreams Kills-close-to-the-lake receives
punishment for her desire and White Man's Dog is given strength and power, and neither of
them question it because it proven as a gift from this sacred animal.
At the end of the novel Fools Crow had many visions that dealt with the fall of his
tribe and all the other related tribes too. During one of his last trips he met a woman
named Feather Woman had given him a painted a piece of yellow skin that foretold
everything the Indians wound encounter, like the plague of white-scabs, the killing of his
people by the Napikwan, and how future generations were going to forget their culture and
live like the Napikwan. "I do not fear for my people now. As you say, we will go to a
happier place, far from these Napikwan, this disease and starvation. But I greave for our
children, who will not know of their people once lived" (359). This vision would be
one of the hardest things to imagine; to see all your people die right in front of your
eyes. Having a burden like that could destroy a person mentally; if I was in his place I
wouldn't be able to take it.
Dreams and visions were very important to the Indians and especially in this book that I
have just finished reading. Dreams are like a compass they can guide you to many different
things; to glory and failure, and it was your choice. After all these visions I think I'm
going to start looking at my dreams more carefully, you never know it might point me in
the right direction sometime. There were so many things that were learned in this novel,
it was amazing and sometimes sad. I think to dream is to open a new passage to our mind
you usually don't use.
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