The Clan and the Elephant

She can't really remember when the elephant first started coming around. But looking back, she sees it was always  there throughout her childhood. She just didn't notice. That's the odd thing about elephants. How can something so large go unnoticed?

Life went on, she grew up, and joined clans with another. She was not aware that the brave she married had an elephant of his own. He was not aware either, at first. That's the thing about elephants. They are very large, but also very sneaky. They know when to be silent.....lurking in the background, deep in the brush, waiting for the most opportune moment to show themselves.....and trample on life.

Some years after the elephant appeared  in their little clan, they thought it was defeated. The clan had begun to grow, and the elephant seemed to grow as well. It was causing problems. Huge problems. Yet even though they recognized the problems it was creating, they didn't know how to get rid of the elephant. You see, the elephant had become so familiar to them, it had become such a huge part of their every day lives, that they were almost afraid to chase the elephant off. An elephant is very large, and it takes up a lot of space within a clan. The clan might even seem empty without it. But finally one day, out of utter desperation, they cried out to the Great Spirit and the elephant went away. Life became peaceful. A calmness settled over the clan. What they didn't know then was that the elephant was not really gone, it was just waiting.....deep in the brush.....for the perfect moment to appear again.

Time passed quickly and life without the elephant was rich and good. They lived out in the open, in a very large clearing full of lush new growth that can only appear when the elephant is no longer trampling. But the elephant was waiting......silently......for the opportune moment to show itself....again.

At first they didn't recognize the elephant when it came back. Years had passed. The elephant started hanging around the eldest offspring because it knew the importance of the first born son. The elephant was sly, as it had always been. It befriended the first born at the impressionable age of his right of passage from boyhood to adulthood. It lured him with all of the tricks it had used on the elders, and so many before them. By the time the elephant had him fully trapped in its charms, there was nothing the elders could have done to stop it. They saw the elephant had returned, and knew the Great Spirit could get rid of the elephant before it harmed the first born, but they also knew that as long as he was petting the elephant, it would stay. Regardless of their warnings, the elephant would stay. Because an elephant always stays where it is welcomed.

The whole dynamics of the clan changed. All of the lush growth was being trampled by the elephant, the new green life had turned to mud. The elephant trudged on, luring the first born out of the clearing and into the brush....deeper into the brush and further from the safety of the clan. Tribal legend says to let the offspring go...for the elders to turn their backs on the offspring.......letting them go into the brush with the elephant, sometimes coming out alive, and sometimes not. But the Great Spirit spoke otherwise. The Great Spirit reminded the elders that He had pursued them, and He asked the elders to follow Him into the brush, after their first born. They did. They went bravely into the brush in pursuit of the first born, quite certain they could defeat the elephant and rescue him before any more damage was done. But this elephant had been around a great many years. It knew the brush better than the elders, it knew where to hide with the first born. And while the elders continued on with faith in the Great Spirit's power, the first born seemed to get further and further out of reach.

The clan was fractured. The damage the elephant had caused was great. The elders came back, hoping to repair the damage and to protect their other two offspring from the lure of the elephant. And the elders were successful...for a time. Life went on in the fractured clan. The first born would come back into the clearing and join the clan for the tribal feasts. But the elephant always came with him. They pretended not to notice, but it was always there. The elders were confident that their other offspring, having seen the damage the elephant had done, would always steer clear of the elephant and its danger. The elders were wrong. They watched as first one, and then the other of their off spring were lured into the brush....into the very same brush with the elephant and the first born.

Grieving, the elders left the clearing.....the original home of their clan. The memories were too much, the mud too deep. They set out to another clearing, trying to survive. It was a very difficult time for the elders. There is much darkness in the forest and they were often unsure they would survive the journey. But the Great Spirit was always with them, guiding and comforting them. And even though the Great Spirit seemed to have no power over their offspring, they knew otherwise. They knew that without the protection of the Great Spirit, their offspring would not be alive. And so they trusted their offspring to the Great Spirit's care, trudging on through the dark forest to find another clearing.....to try and live again.

After many years, the elders came to another clearing. It was lush and beautiful and full of life. Weary from their long journey, they settled there and enjoyed a much needed rest. They dwelt there with the Great Spirit watching over them, and reminding them that their offspring were being looked after with the same loving care that was being given to them. And the elders' hearts were soon restored to hope. They were strengthened and renewed. They no longer trembled in fear when they heard something in the brush, hoping that the elephant wasn't coming back. They saw the elephant for what it really was, and realized that even though it seemed too big to overcome, that it was really just a coward.....hiding in the brush and stealing offspring. They had confidence again that the Great Spirit would ultimately defeat the elephant, and their offspring would be set free.

And while the elders wait for that day, the day that the clan is restored, they do not grow weary. They have learned much from the Great Spirit about the power of love. They no longer fear the elephant or the brush. Every day, the elders come together in the clearing and talk with the Great Spirit who encourages them, and they encourage each other with visions of hope. They picture a great feast.....the celebration to come.....when the first born comes back to the clan.....along with the other offspring; when they enter the clearing to enjoy the abundant life of their elders. And at this great feast, there will be laughter and tears. There will be stories, and life. At the center of the table will sit a beautiful ivory carafe, filled with the best wine the clan has ever tasted......made from the tusk of an elephant.