Photos and story originated by Master Naturalist, Doug Jackson
(This story is dedicated to Lisa Allmendinger and all hummingbird fans. This is meant to be reminiscent of and respectful to the origin stories told by the many indigenous cultures that have inhabited the Great Lakes region for thousands of years, including the Anishinaabe, Iroquois, and Algonquin.)
A long time ago in this land, long before the Creator put man here, there lived the bird people. The bird people were the most beautiful and intelligent of the Creator’s world before He made man.
The bird people had many tribes that were all unique and each having their own special talents.
Each autumn as the weather turned colder, many of these tribes would gather together around the grand council fire. It pleased the Creator to see all His favorite people gather in harmony with one another.
As days started to pass and the trance of the fire began to wear off, the tribes would start to tell each other stories.
“Chitter chatter, chit, chit, chit, chatter, chat, chat,” was the sound that echoed through the forest.
Some of the tribes like the Crows, Jays, and Hawks loved the stories so much that they yelled and screamed for more.
The Woodpeckers would beat their drums and laugh so loudly, the forest sounded like a loony bin.
The Owls all would cheer, “Whoot, Whoot.”
This made the Creator very happy.
As winter wore on with the snow now beginning to melt, many of the tribes started to sing instead of just telling stories. Many of their songs were unbelievably beautiful and the tribes began to compete with one another.
However, there was one bird person who was feeling left out. No one seemed to pay attention to him. Not only was he the smallest of the bird people, but he could not sing either. He would often sit alone outside the council fire sulking and weeping, being very jealous of the other bird people.
Because of this, his throat became so sore that, in fact, he could hardly speak.
Now the song competition among the tribes was getting out of hand. They became angrier with one another as their beautiful songs and drumming also became more chaotic and noisier. This made the Creator unhappy.
Something had to be done.
The Creator noticed the smallest bird person sitting all alone in a jealous pout. He called to the little one and explained how He, too, was unhappy with his bird people now and He needed the smallest one’s help to fix things.
“What can I possibly do to help,” chirped the smallest one. “I can hardly make a sound. And I’m so small, no one will ever notice me.”
The Creator loved all his bird people, including the smallest one. “I’ve given all of you a very special talent,” commanded the Creator, “You are a dancer. You must go around the council fire and dance until all the other tribes can follow your rhythm to be in harmony once again.”
The smallest one had his doubts but trusted and obeyed the Creator. He dashed quickly right past the crowds into the bright red glow of the council fire. He sped ‘round and ‘round at incredible speeds, amazing all the spectators.
He would stop and wave his arms as if hovering to conduct an orchestra and danced backwards and forwards as if a swinging metronome.
The littlest one was so happy, he began to hum (since he could not sing). His humming grew as loud as a giant bumble bee’s.
All the tribes were in awe. They’ve never seen such dancing skills, speed, and agility before. They cheered, named him The Hummer, and began to support his dances with beautiful songs in harmony.
The forest was now a place of unspeakably pleasing harmonious music. This made the Creator, once again, very happy and proud.
As a reward to His bird people, He promised them that they did not have to spend cold winters around the council fire anymore. He would give them wings so they could fly to warmer climates during the winters if they wished.
This was true for The Hummer as well. However, because of his earlier jealousy, he would now be a brilliant green for the rest of time. But the Creator also took pity on Hummer’s sore throat, and in place of the pain He gave Hummer a flaming red throat that would light up in the sunlight. This made Hummer one of the most dazzling of them all.
To this day, the birds continue to make their seasonal journeys. Instead of singing around the council fire, they now sing when the sun is low in the sky, like a warm fire, whether rising or setting.
As well, to this day, The Hummer returns each May with unmatched speed and energy putting on the best shows of light and dance for anybody who will thank him with nectar and red flowers reminding him of that one council fire’s glow long ago.
