09/22/2025                                                                            
                                    
                                                                            
                                            The wise eyes that see Fall                                        
                                    
                                                                        
                                        Thank you for loving this artwork!
Found the canvas product here: https://nativeblood75.com/canvas113
Found poster here: https://nativeblood75.com/poster0344
The Owl Guardian of the River of Fire
In the time when the world was still young, the rivers were not only waters but pathways between the realms of the living and the spirit world. One river, known to the elders as the River of Fire, glowed red at dusk, its waters carrying the memories of ancestors into the horizon.
Above this sacred river lived Great Owl, the silent guardian. His eyes were said to see both the present and the unseen; one eye watched the earth, while the other gazed into the spirit realm. His presence was both feared and revered, for he carried the wisdom of death and the promise of guidance.
The canoe in the painting was no ordinary vessel. It belonged to the people who sought vision quests upon the river. When someone’s heart was heavy with questions—about life, death, or destiny—they would carve a canoe, paint it with symbols of their family, and set it upon the glowing waters. Guided by prayer, the canoe would drift beneath the watchful eyes of the Great Owl.
If the Owl approved, he would send a dream, carried on the ripples of the river, revealing the path the seeker must take. But if the Owl turned away, it meant the seeker was not yet ready to hold such knowledge.
The people tell of a brave warrior who once set his canoe upon the River of Fire. The sky flamed red as the Great Owl’s eyes met his. Instead of fear, the warrior bowed his head and whispered:
“Guide me, so I may guide my people.”
That night, he dreamed of wings and rivers flowing into the stars. When he awoke, he knew that his life was not meant for war but for peace. He became a great leader who carried his people through famine and hardship, always saying,
“The Owl showed me the way.”
To this day, many tribes of the woodlands and plains speak of the Owl as a messenger of deep truth—sometimes warning of death, sometimes guiding toward wisdom—but always a guardian watching the river that connects all worlds.