I Rise, I Rise

Introduction:
I rise, I rise is an Osage prayer said before a young man’s first buffalo hunt. Read the poem out loud to the group.

I RISE, I RISE
By Anonymous Osage Poet

I rise, I rise, (refrain)
I, whose tread makes the earth to rumble.
I rise, I rise, (refrain)
I, in whose thighs there is strength.
I rise, I rise, (refrain)
I, who whips his back with his tail when in rage.
I rise, I rise, (refrain)
I, in whose humped shoulder there is power.
I rise, I rise, (refrain)
I, who shakes his mane when angered.
I rise, I rise, (refrain)
I, whose horns are sharp and curved.

[from POETRY SPEAKS TO CHILDREN by Editor Elise Paschen, Illustrated by Judy Love, Wendy Rasmussen, Paula Zinngrabe Wendland, Sourcebooks INC., 2005. ISBN:1402203292]

Extension:
Ask students how a young man might feel going on his first buffalo hunt. Read the poem again, inviting the students to join in on the refrain, starting off soft and then ending with high spirits.

Paschen, Elise. 2005. POETRY SPEAKS TO CHILDREN. Illustrated by Judy Love, Wendy Rasmussen, Paula Zinngrabe Wendland. Illinois: Sourcebooks INC. ISBN: 1402203292.