The Legend Of Big Indian Poem by David Welch

Hear this recitation
the Lenape nation
bore a child of extreme size,
in the Onteoras,
the Catskills of yore now,
this man would live out his whole life.

Winisook was his name,
and he gained local fame
from standing at seven feet tall, ,
to the red men and white
this guy was quite a site,
they'd not seen someone like him at all.

On the Hudson frontier,
way back in olden years,
a good trade between peoples was known,
be it trade guns or wives
they did find ways to thrive,
and many wild oats were sown.

Yes, the man Winisook
by a woman was took,
a girl named Gertrude Molyneux,
she returned his great love,
prayed to her God above
that they're affections would prove true.

But her family did not quite feel the same,
said Winisook was the savage kind,
fear their honor dead if she went to his bed,
and pressured her to change her mind.

Despite her feeling down,
ahe sadly came around,
afraid she'd bring her family shame,
but the man that they chose
was known for some great lows,
and Joseph Bundy was his name.

A son of the Dutchmen,
she was pushed to wed him,
and below the peaks they did live,
but Bundy was shady,
he gambled, had ladies,
misery was all he could give.

Winisook felt saddened,
more than a bit maddened,
but at this point should he persist?
So he tried to forget her,
his beloved lover,
not knowing her heart remained his.

His efforts brought nothing,
he could not stop loving,
would speak with her when Joe was gone.
she'd not deny her heart,
or from his be apart
even if people might call it wrong.

Off to the mountains the two made their way,
to where Winisook's tribe did abide,
he took her as wife and they set up their life,
and soon three fine children arrived.

For years they both lived there
in the crisp mountain air,
the rolling ridges were their home,
it was not written down,
so what pleasures they found
are only to history known.

Come several years later
word spread of some raiders
attacking the valley for cows,
some claimed that Winisook
from their stocks freely took,
they had to move and do it now.

They formed up a posse
with one Joseph Bundy,
out seeing to avenge his shame,
they pursued the rogue braves,
and as they made their way
in the mountains Winisook was found.

No one could say if he
was the thief they did seek,
but nobody cared all that much.
Bundy saw his rival,
felt his anger in full,
drew his gun to end the man's luck.

Bundy said, "I must civilize you
by letting daylight into your heart! "
Bundy then took aim, sought to bury his shame,
fired, and the bullet struck hard.

He fell against a tree,
and when his wife did seek
she found him dead, sitting upright,
though the loss truly burned,
she refused to return,
would never more be Bundy's wife.

By the sight where he died
a new lodge did arise,
she would never be far from his grave,
and with Winisook's kids
that is just what she did,
and lived there the rest of her days.

They say that tree remained
to speak of this great pain,
right into the last century,
but a railroad came by,
built an embankment high,
now it rests in the earth quietly.

Now the tale is near lost,
three long centuries off,
forgotten except for place names,
like Big Indian town,
the Winisook Lake grounds,
and folklore to speak of their fame.