Native American Stories

Sabe

Growing up my parents taught my siblings and I our traditional roots but our koko, who was a big influence on us all, taught us the roman catholic way. It confused me when mama and baba would speak about spirits and medicine to help us. Koko would say it doesn't exist or it was frowned upon to speak of such things. I didn't understand why she said such things but as I got older I learned of her upbringing in residential school and it made more sense to me.
When I was younger I remember Mama and Baba telling us about the Sabe but when Koko heard what we were learning about she got distant and cold. "it's always best to hide when they show themselves" Koko spoke hastily. Her gaze looking out the window staring at nothing really, her eyebrows bunched together and mouth pursed tightly. "they'll take you or hurt you".  Confusion filled my mind hearing Koko's words. Why did Koko speak badly of the Sabe? Soon I forgot about the conversation, my attention had already been focused else where.
As I grew older I began to wonder about the Sabe. Ever since Koko said not to talk about the Sabe I listened to her. Not really caring if she was in the wrong. I believed my Koko more than my parents, she was my second Mama and an elder. Koko got older with the years and her stories became more about her school and spiritual occurrences. I started to believe her less and less. My gut and mind told me what was real and what wasn't. This made me think of the stories I grew up with and one stuck out the most. It was a story her brother Paul told us once about the Sabe.
He pointed his arm straight through the air and began to speak, " I was walking towards Koko's house and a fowl stench came out of nowhere. I was a few houses down the dirt road and there was a tall man standing still in the ditch near uncles. Didn't really pay much attention to it cause I figured someone was walking home. As I got closer I realized the guy hadn't moved since i noticed him so I slowed down and watched him. Then I just stopped and really looked at him from the ground up. He was covered in hair and I don't mean his face every part of his body was hairy. My heart started to beat fast cause I knew it wasn't a man anymore but Sabe." my brothers arms were flinging everywhere as he gestured along with the words, helping us visualize the story. "So I turned into the Uncle Pattys' yard and walked faster towards the deck in the back. I kept peaking back towards the Sabe making sure he wasn't coming to me. Once I was in the dark I booked it to the door and banged hard a few times knowing uncle wouldn't answer right away. Then jumped onto the ground and crawled under the deck pulling the tarp over my head to hide better. The smell from before got stronger but I was to afraid to look and see if it was the Sabe. It was shaking how scared i was and then I heard the door unlock. Uncle said he would have opened it sooner but he got a feeling not to open the door right away." Koko was afraid of that story. She chopped it up as nothing but it was clear it shook her to the bone. My belief in the Sabe was still far fetched because I never seen one for myself. Then one day I started to believe.

I had been cleaning the house and her mama and shemass were over to help. She was gathering the dirty laundry from the bedrooms and as she was placing the last pair of dirty pants in the basket when she saw it. There in the hallway was Sabe. He was tall. A few inches above the door frame, if he were to raise his arm he'd touch the ceiling. The hair on his head was a dark brown almost black scruff. He was grey and no face was visible. A white muscle shirt and grey shorts were covering him. She was startled and called for her mama. Her eyebrows scrunched together as she thought of the sight she had seen, 'uncle...'.

After telling her mama what she seen her mama did a ceremony. This ceremony revealed something surprising. The figure was Sabe but in spirit form. He was letting her know that she was being watched, protected. She had relaxed a bit after finding out what the thing was.
"but why does he look like my uncle ?" she questioned

"he is using a form that you trust and know" her mama said "he's just their to protect you daniss no need to be frightened"

"oh. I wasn't scared mama I was jutting startled because he wasnt there when I was looking there and then I look again and he's standing there staring at me then walking away" she explained

She had sent her family home and got ready for bed. While she slept she had a unpleasant dream of people wanting her badly injured or dead. These people chased her from the house to the swamp where there was an abundance of alligators, but to her surprise there Sabe was. She ran to him and he was hugging her, shielding her, from the harm that would have came to her. He stretched his arms up with the girl between them and placed her on the ledge of a rock, keeping her safe. She woke feeling happy and she knew that that dream was anything but a fantasy.

The woman was making hamburger soup, bannock and tea for an offering. Sabe had protected her so she was showing her thanks. The woman was thinking of the times her Koko told her Sabe was bad and smiled a sad smile. She knew Sabe wasnt a danger. She had finally asked her mama what it meant when you seen him in physical form. a blessing, she repeated.

Sabe has been there for years. He is not a creature that causes havoc but one that protects. He is not a creature to fear unless you harm him/her or their off spring.

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I hope you liked it. :)

This story is suppose to show you how I view sabe. I used to fear him when I was smaller cause my koko told me all these bad things about them but it wasn't tell i got older that I realized it wasn't true. Sabe is a peaceful creature that wants to be left alone and will offer its help to you if you truly need it for something selfless or something you can't help yourself with.

shemass- sibling

Sabe- sasqautch/Bigfoot

Daniss- daughter

mama- mom

koko- grandma