In which this little star story is about a heroic weasel

Big Dipper/Origin of Constellation Fisher   (Temegami, Canada)

The Fisher (weasel) was living somewhere in this world.
Nobody knows where.
Now in those times they had no summer: it was winter, winter all the time.
They knew that summer existed somewhere, but it never came to them,
although they wanted it very much.

Now, once upon a time a creature captured some little birds
which are called ni'benis'e, "Summerbirds".
He tied them in bundles and kept them with him all the time.
That was the reason why it was always winter, for so long as he held these birds,
they could not bring summer to the North Country.

The people pondered very much how to go about
freeing these birds from the creature who kept them.
At last somebody discovered where this creature lived,
and they decided that someone would go and try to free the Summerbirds.
The Fisher was chosen to go and free the birds so that summer would come. 
He travelled a long while and reached the wigwam where the captor and the Herring lived. 

When he went in, he found the Herring alone.
He captured the Herring and put some pitch on his mouth,
so that the Herring could not cry out.

Then Fisher took the bundles of birds and tried to break the bindings,
so that he could free them. Using his teeth at last he tore open the bundles
and the Summerbirds flew free into the air.
Then the pitch broke from the Herring's mouth and he cried out,
"Fisher breaks the bundle! The Summerbirds!
Fisher breaks the bundles with his teeth!
The Summerbirds!"

Two or three times he cried out , until their captor heard him.
Then he came up running, but when he arrived, the fisher and summer birds were far away.

The Fisher ran very fast to save himself.
His pursuer had a bow and arrow to kill him,
but the Fisher jumped into the sky and climbed way up,
with the hunter following behind him, still trying to shoot him with his bow and arrow.

All he succeeded in shooting, however, was the Fisher’s tail,
which is broken where it was wounded.
(This is the bent in the handle of the Great Dipper constellation. The small star Alcor is the wound ).

Fiddle's red boots, 2010

Good morning starshine

The earth says hello

You twinkle above us

We twinkle below

Good morning starshine

You lead us along

My love and me as we singing

Our early morning singing song

--Hair, the musical