Butterfly Man

A long time ago, in the lands of what is now Alabama, Georgia and Florida, a Tolowim woman took her young child and went out to gather food for her family.  To make her work easier, the woman stuck the point of the cradleboard into the earth's soil.  Sighting some ripened berries, she headed over to the bramble of bushes that were overflowing with the delicious berries.  As the sun beat down, the woman continued to gather berries, filling her basket to the brim.  After the woman had been gathering berries for some time, a large and beautiful butterfly flew past her head, it's wings brushing against her hair.  In excitement, the woman tried and tried to catch it.  She'd stretch her arms high above her head, then lean over and snatch at it as the butterfly teasingly rest on a wildflower.  Alas, the butterfly was always just out of reach as if it knew what it was doing.  The Tolowim woman threw off her buffalo robe to make it easier to run.  Still, she could not catch the butterfly that was bigger and more colorful than any butterfly she had ever set eyes on.  The Tolowim woman threw off her apron and kept running after the butterfly, her arms raised, ready to snatch it once it came within reach.  She dogged under branches, some of which grazed her cheeks and she ignored the entanglement of thorns she had to run through.1

The sun set, and night came to the land. Owls came out for the hunt, wolves roamed with their packs and bats flew in a never ending search for insects.  The woman; tired, sore and hungry; gave up, lying beneath a sturdy tree.  She was exhausted, and no animal of the night could keep her from falling asleep.  No fears crowded her mind, as she quickly faded off into sleep, a sleep so deep not even dreams could enter it.  The Tolowim woman had forgotten all about her young, unprotected child, and  she did not hear it crying for her.2

In the morning, the woman awoke to find a man lying besides her.  She was startled to find him there, but the Tolowim woman was not afraid of him.  Instead, she gazed at him with the wide eyed innocent wonder children are born with, not daring to be the first one to speak.  Breaking the silence, the man explained that he was the butterfly she had so desperately been following the day before.  He then asked if she would like to follow him until the end of time.  The woman, surprised at how easy this was, enthusiastically said she would like to always follow him. No thought was given to her child, her husband or her people.  Within a moment, she took his hand and let him lead her away from all she had ever known.3

As the sun moved across the sky, heating up the earth, the Tolowim woman and the Butterfly Man walked many miles until they reached a valley filled to the brim with fluttering butterflies.  There were more butterflies than anyone had ever set eyes on before!  Some had spots, some with stripes, some with splotches.  There were all sorts of colors as well:  blues, yellows, greens, reds, oranges and purples. They stood watching the butterflies flutter about for awhile, then the man warned her that no one had ever made it through the valley before.  If she was to make it, she must never let go of him.  Once they reach the other side, she will be free to follow him forever.  The woman anxiously agreed to cross the valley, confident that she could make it all the way through without a single problem.  The Tolowim woman was sure that if she kept it mind on her task, she would easily be able to make it through a simple valley full of butterflies, beautiful as they may be.4

As they walked through the valley, the woman held tightly onto the Butterfly Man's hand. Other butterflies began to swarm them until the woman could see nothing but the flutter of the wings.  She couldn't even see the Butterfly Man who had brought her to this wondrous butterfly valley.  Butterflies were caressing her cheeks, sitting upon her head, catching rides on her clothes and fluttering before her eyes.  All of the butterflies wanted the Tolowim woman, for known of them had a human woman such as she.  Each butterfly they passed was trying to tempt her to let go of the Butterfly Man's hand.5

As the Tolowim Woman and the Butterfly Man neared the end of the valley, the woman was no longer able to resist the temptation.  The butterflies were all so beautiful and she wanted to hold each one within her hands.  She let go of the Butterfly Man and tried to catch another butterfly, as equally beautiful as the one that had tempted her away from her duties just the day before..  She missed, but she kept trying.  Her eyes wide, arms stretched and hair blowing in the gently breeze caused by the fluttering of thousands of butterfly wings.  First she'd reach for one butterfly, then another butterfly would catch her eye and she'd try to catch that one.  More and more butterflies tempted her, and soon the woman was lost within the valley, trying to catch every butterfly that flew near her.  The woman wandered in the valley forever, always trying to catch another Butterfly Man. 6

This story is adapted from a Maidu story called "Tolowim Woman and Butterfly Man" which can be found in American Indian Myths and Legends edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz.7