Why the Andean Condor (Vultur gyphus) Has No Headdress
A Story by Gregory Romeo Arthur Daniel
When the sun burned a bright
White it nearly consumed the Earth. The Owl
Called counsel of all the animals to meet on
The Great Turtle’s shell in the middle
Of the Vast Sea. There they discussed the situation
And nominated heroes to help
The Earth. They needed to move the Sun
Away from the Earth, so Opossum volunteered.
Lassoing his entangled, bushy
Tail around the Sun, he strained and strived
Failing to pull or budge it. Falling
Back to Earth defeated forever
He wears a scaly, skinned tail.
Then the Fox stepped up to the challenge.
She galloped into the sky but the Sun
Burned too hot and before she got too close
And was consumed she turned back. To this
Day the Red Fox remains ablaze
From the Sun’s heat. Then the Big Bear,
Infuriated, grumbled and grabbed
The Sun with his big strong mitts and tried to hoisted
It away but his wrists broke. Failing, he forever wears his
Mitts on backwards, small toe in. Just then a strong
Wind surged through the meeting median, extinguishing
The party’s center fire. As the fire died the fire
Of the Owl’s hope returned with the presence
Of the Great Condor, most noble of all the Vulture family.
The Condor pumped his wings,
Shooting towards the Blaze.
His golden beak shined off into space.
His head feathers created the ultimate
Mosaic headdress. His all black body
Absorbed all the suns light and replenished
His strength, allowing him to clutch
The sun in his beak and hurl it off into the void.
Exhausted, he slowly soared back down to Earth.
His golden beak, now a charred
Black and his head, a featherless skin skullcap.
His wings kept some of the Sun’s White,
Bright Light and He wears some, also,
Proudly around his neck as a reminder
Of his heroism. To this day The Condor
Soars and saves his strength
For when Time calls to him to flap again.
Inspired by Native American literature and Andean Condor Observations