This is a story about 100 million years ago about me and the Pendleton Round-Up, Oregon. There I was enjoying the life of an Indian boy one hot Indian summer's day. The air was filled with dust and the smell of horses, cows and fryed bread. And hot buttered corn. Hmm, my favorite.

My family and friends were living in what was called, Tipi Village, in these small tipis. In my father's land in a place known as the Rockies, there they lived in tipis made for giants. Even the horses seemed bigger when I come to think about it. And the Blue Mountains looked more like burnt out hills. And there was the Umatilla River. It was here that the Indians said lived fish known as salmon bigger than a boy and tasty.

Ma famille et mes amis vivaient dans ce qu'on appelait le Village de Tipis, dans de petits tipis. Dans la région d'où venait mon père, appelée les Rockies, on vivait dans des tipis construits pour des géants. Même les chevaux y semblaient plus gros, maintenant que j'y pense. Les Montagnes Bleues ressemblaient plutôt à des collines usées. Et il y avait lefleuve Umatilla. C'est là que vivaient, selon les légendes indiennes, des saumons plus gros qu'un garçon et délicieux!

Un matin tôt j'ai été mis sur un cheval et je croyais qu'il allait sauter et se cabrer dans toutes les directions. Exactement comme les chevaux du rodéo lorsqu'on ouvrait les portails des géants à cornes qui soufflaient du feu. Mais non...Mon cheval restait planté là dans la poussière, tout pitoyable, et avait l'air de s'ennuyer. Je me demandais s'il était malade, ou peut-être endormi.

Ma mère est venue vers moi avec un épi de maïs chaud au beurre et m'a dit que c'était pour moi. J'ai cru que c'était pour le cheval. Le cheval n'avait pas l'air intéressé par le maïs. Mais moi si!!!! Je me suis penché du cheval et tout-à-coup j'ai glissé de la couverture et je suis tombé par terre, cul par dessus tête, et j'ai atterri avec un bruit tout doux, sans avoir lâché mon maïs au beurre.

At the Round-Up there was a million and half cowboys. Some cowboys even dressed up like Indians. Or was it some Indians dressed up like cowboys? There were cowgirls who didn't look at all like cows. Some of the boys rode little cows that were furry and white and made a bah, bah sound. The giants of the Round-Up breathed fire and steam from their noses and had horns, but not like the elk or moose. Tall skinny cowboys tried to ride them in what the people called the rodeo. And the people would scream and yell all together, "Let 'er buck!"

Early one morning I was put on a horse and I thought he was going to jump up and down and turn every which way. Just like the rodeo horses where the horned fire breathing monsters came out of their gates. But, noooo. My horse just stood in the dust all pitiful looking and bored. I wondered if my horse was sick or maybe, he was sleeping.

My mom came over with a piece of hot buttered corn and said it was for me. I thought it was for the horse. The horse didn't seem interested in the hot buttered corn. I sure was! I reached over the horse and all of a sudden I went sliding off the horse blanket, falling to the ground, flipping head over moccasins, landing on the dusty ground with a quiet thud, still holding the piece of hot buttered corn.

Laughter  filled the air and someone said, "There is our future rodeo clown!" I wondered, how many Indian rodeo clowns there were as I took a big bite into my hot buttered corn. And I was put back on the horse smiling ear to ear. Let 'er buck!