Grandmother of Birds

Grandmother of Birds is the founder of both the Choctaws and the Billy family. Grandmother of Birds was a young woman married to Tuscalusa when a war broke out. She tied turtle shells to her ankles and danced until she bled for four days. Using the blood as a sacrifice, she prayed to the gods for peace for her people. Itilauichi, the god of the Autumnal Equinox, honored her prayers because she had performed them on the Autumnal Equinox. He promised Grandmother of Birds that her prayers would be answered.

Her husband went to fight in the war, giving her a pebble to swallow that represented his soul. She gave him a feathered shawl that had locks of her hair woven into it. She said it represented her soul, and if he wore it they would never be parted. After he left, she threw up the...