Long ago in the spring time when everything started to grow and the leaves came out, we played in the forest. We played with leaves and we broke branches and played with them. Our elders saw us doing that and they said to us:

Don't do that. Why do you break those branches? Long ago they were human beings like us. When you peel off the bark you hurt them. Let them grow. When they grow big, everyone will make use of them. The Creator made them for that. It is not only for one person. He made it to build houses and to build bridges to cross rivers and to use for many other things.

Long ago the poplar tree and the balsam tree were human beings. They had a fight. The poplar tree was thrown into the dust. Now that is why the poplar trees are covered with dust. Then the poplar tree jumped back up and started wrestling with the balsam tree. When the balsam was thrown onto the burning fire, the balsam got blisters on it. Now that is why the balsam still has blisters on the bark. It has always been like that since. Now we use that for medicine.

Once the fir tree and the cottonwood tree were also human beings. They had a quarrel, a fight with knives. As the fir tree started slashing up the cottonwood tree, the cottonwood tree also slashed back at the fir tree. That is why they both have slash marks on them. Right until today they are still like that.

The Creator made trees for everyone. They could not belong to only one person. Now the white man owns them and sells them. We are not allowed to chop down a tree for nothing. All the money they make from these trees is being spent foolishly. Now there are forest fires all over the world. Many people go out to fight the fires. They work for lots of money. This money that they make is also being spent foolishly. The Creator is being angry with them, for the trees he made were made for all the people to use.

All shrubs and trees and all the animals of the earth were once human beings, as it was told by our ancestors.