In the old days ᎡᎿᎢ ehna’i (animal), ᏥᏍᏆ tsisqua (bird), ᎠᏣᏗ atsadi (fish), ᏨᏍᎪᏱ tsvsgoyi (insect), and ᏗᎦᎪᏗ digakohdi (plant) could all talk, and we lived together in peace and friendship with ᏴᏫ yvwi (people).

But as time went on humans increased so rapidly that their settlements spread over the whole earth, and we found ourselves beginning to be cramped for room. This was bad enough, but to make it worse they invented weapons and began to slaughter the larger ᎡᎿᎢ ehna’i, ᏥᏍᏆ tsisqua, and ᎠᏣᏗ atsadi for their flesh, while the smaller creatures were crushed and trodden upon without thought. So we resolved to consult upon measures for our common safety. We devised and named so many new diseases that not one of the humans would have been able to survive. 

When the friendly ᏗᎦᎪᏗ digakohdi heard what had been done, they determined to defeat our evil designs. Each tree, shrub, and herb, down even to the grasses and mosses, agreed to furnish a cure for some one of the diseases named, and each said: "I shall appear to help ᏴᏫ yvwi when called upon in need." Thus came ᏅᏬᏘ nvwoti (medicine); and the ᏗᎦᎪᏗ digakohdi, every one of which has its use if You only knew it, furnish the remedies to counteract our vengeance. When the doctor does not know what medicine to use, the spirit of the plant tells them.