Post by Okwes on May 23, 2007 10:36:08 GMT -5
Gray Fox Steals Wheat - Apache / White Mountain
Gray Fox used to go where the White people were living and steal wheat. He
always came at night when it was moonlight. The White people found out what
he was doing and they didn't like it. One White man made a man out of pitch
and put a hat on him. He looked like a real man. Then he set him up in the
field at the place Gray Fox always passed. When Gray Fox came along, he saw
standing there, this man of pitch. Gray Fox used to talk like a Chiricahua
and he said, "Hey, Gray Eyes, stand to one side and let me by. I want to get
some of that stuff growing in there for myself." The pitch man didn't move.
"Hey, do you hear me? Do you understand ? Move over and let me by." But the
pitch man didn't move. "What's the matter ? Do you think I'm not a man ?"
Then Gray Fox went close to him. "I tell you I want to get that wheat. Get
out of my way. If you don't, I'll hit you with my fist and knock you down."
Then he hit him and his hand stuck in the pitch. 'What's the matter ? Why do
you hold my hand tight ? My left hand here, I can kill a man with it. Before
I hit you, I want you to turn me loose." But nothing happened. Gray Fox hit
with his left fist and got caught. "Hey, what's the matter ? Why do you
catch both my hands like this ?" Now Gray Fox was standing on his hind legs.
"My leg is the worst one; worse than my hands. When I kick a man, part of
him goes one way and part the other.
You better hurry up and turn me loose." "All right then," and Gray Fox
kicked the pitch man and his foot stuck. "What's the matter ? You grab my
foot. Turn it loose." Now he was standing on one leg. "My left leg is worse
yet. When I kick with it, you will fly into pieces. You better turn me loose
right away. All right then," and Gray Fox kicked with his left foot and got
it stuck in the pitch.
"What's the matter. Turn me loose, you. You grab both legs and both hands.
My tail is the worst yet. When I hit a man with it, part goes one way and
part the other. You better turn me loose before I hit you with it. All right
then, I'll do it," and he hit with his tail and got it stuck in the pitch.
"Hey, what are you trying to do. You hold both my hands, my legs, and tail.
My teeth here are the worst of all. When I bite a man with these, I bite him
in two. You better turn me loose. All right then, I'll do it," and Gray Fox
bit, getting his teeth stuck in the pitch. Now he couldn't talk. He was held
there.
In the morning, about sunrise, the White man came and found Gray Fox. He
tied a rope around him and led him off to his house. "He he+" [The common
expression when an individual catches someone in a misdeed, or has an enemy
in his power.] he said. When he got home, he tied Gray Fox up to the comer
of the house. Then he put a kettle of water to heat on the fire, so he could
scald his hair off. While the water was heating, Coyote came trotting along
on the other side of the river. Gray .Fox saw Coyote and whistled to him.
Then he picked up some chips of wood and pretended to be eating them. "This
is bread," he hollered to Coyote. Coyote came. across to the place Gray Fox
was tied. Gray Fox said, "You're too late. I just ate up all the bread. But
go over and look in that pot. There are potatoes in it cooking for me." Then
Gray Fox said, "I want you to take this rope I am tied with and put it about
your neck. Then you can have those potatoes for yourself." "All right, but
hurry up," said Coyote. The rope was tied around Coyote's neck and Gray Fox
went off. He never came back. In a little while the White man's boy came to
the place Coyote was tied. He hollered to his father, "The one that was tied
here was smaller. Now this one is large." Coyote said, "That's the way I
always do, change my size." Then the White man came and grabbed Coyote, tied
up his legs, picked him up, and threw him in the pot of water. All Coyote's
hair came off and he lay there as if dead. But later that night, he woke up
again and started away. He had no hair and he was cold. His skin was all red
from the water.
"You can't get away from me, Gray Fox, I'll catch you wherever you are," he
said to himself. On the way Coyote passed by a den in the rocks where Bear
was living. Bear saw his red body; "Hey, my cross-cousin, give me some red
cloth," he said. "I have no red cloth. A white man threw me in a kettle of
boiling water and all my hair came off. Gray Fox was the one who got me into
this trouble.
Where can I go to find him ?" he asked. "Right below, where the two rocks
come out to meet each other. Gray Fox always goes there for water about
midnight," Bear said. Coyote went there and looked for the best place to
hide. He hid right by the trail. He waited, lying down till Gray Fox should
come along. Near midnight, Coyote heard Gray Fox coming. He was singing
about how he had fooled Coyote. Then he saw Coyote. "Hey, what's that lying
so still ? It must be the red rock I saw on top of the mountain and it has
rolled down by itself." Gray Fox came close and Coyote jumped at him. "I'm
going to catch you and eat you up. You did wrong to me. Because of it, I got
thrown in the kettle, lost all my hair and almost was killed. Now I will fix
you." Gray Fox said, "Hey, my cross-cousin, don't talk like that about
eating me up. Come on, let's go over here. There is some 'ashes bread' and
we will eat it soon. Come on, and I will show it to you." Gray Fox took
Coyote to the water hole and showed him the reflection of the moon. "I
always drink all the water and then I get to the 'ashes bread' on the bottom
of it." So they both started in to drink.
Gray Fox drank a little and then he merely held his mouth to the water and
pretended he was drinking. Coyote kept on drinking and drinking till his
stomach was bulging and water was running out through his nose. His body was
shaking. "My cross-cousin, you are getting cold." "Yes, I am cold all
right," said Coyote. "Well, I know where an old woman has set fire to some
dry wood. I will go there and bring fire for you," and Gray Fox started off.
Coyote waited for him, but he never came back. Then Coyote started to trot
after Gray Fox. He had so much water in him that he kept breaking wind,
"bad, bad, bad, bad," he went as he trotted. Coyote thought to himself.
"That must be some White people traveling along," and he kept turning around
to look. Then he found out where the noise came from. "Yes, this noise, is
in my anus," he said and he started on his way again. "I'll catch you, Gray
Fox," he said.
Finally he came to Gray Fox. As soon as Gray Fox saw Coyote, he started to
point downwards at a rock and say, '"e1, 'e', 'e', 'e'," Coyote said, "I'll
eat you up now all right," and he made for him. "My cross-cousin, you always
talk about eating me up. Don't talk this way. I heard the sky is falling
down and that's why I am pointing at this rock. Point at the rock as I do,"
Gray Fox said. So Coyote started to point down at the rock and say, "'e',
'e', 'e', 'e'," like Gray Fox. Some buzzards sat close by in a tree: Gray
Fox said to Coyote, "Put your hand to this rock and keep on saying as I
said. I am going over and kill some of the buzzards to get feathers for
you." Gray Fox started. Coyote waited for him, but he never came back. "All
right, I'll get you anyhow, Gray Fox. You've fooled me long enough," and
Coyote started out again.
After a while he came to Gray Fox. He was making a big basket out of
tc'idnk'u-je branches (a species of sumac). Coyote said, "I'll eat you now
all right. You have fooled with me and lied to me lots of times, but I'll
get you now." Gray Fox said, "What's the matter, my cross-cousin. You always
talk with me this way. We heard that a great wind is going to come. All the
other people are working here, making baskets in order to crawl inside them.
That's why I am doing it. You better get busy and make one for yourself. The
one I am making is as tall as I am when I stand up." Coyote said, "I don't
know how to make these things." "Then when I finish this one, I will make
one for you," Gray Fox said. After a while he said again, "Here, you say you
don't know how to make these, so this one will be for you. I will make
another for myself." "All right," and Coyote crawled inside. Gray Fox closed
him in and tied the basket up tight. He turned the basket over and with a
big rock, he pounded on it. "The wind has come," he said to Coyote.
"It's a very heavy wind," and every time he said this, Gray Fox would pound
on the basket with a rock. Then he stood on top of the basket and danced on
it. Gray Fox said to Coyote, "You are always getting after me and going to
kill me. Now I'm going to kill you," and he picked up rocks and threw them
on the basket. When Coyote stopped moving, Gray Fox went off and left him.
After a while Coyote came to and crawled out of the basket. He started after
Gray Fox. "I'll get you Gray Fox," he said. He asked the bird people to give
him some hair and they did. In about four days he had hair all over his
body. Then he asked the bird people where they had seen Gray Fox. They said
that he had gone to gather wild cactus fruits. [A favorite food of coyotes
and foxes.] "You better not let him get away from you again, or he will kill
you," they said to Coyote. Coyote started off and looked for the place where
the prickly pear fruits were getting ripe. He went where the best fruits
were and there he waited for Gray Fox. Pretty soon Gray Fox came along. He
was singing about how he had gotten Coyote into the basket and then killed
him. He was looking for prickly pear fruit. The best ones were by Coyote and
he came over and started eating them. Then Coyote jumped out and grabbed
him. Gray Fox tried to talk nicely with Coyote and promised many things, but
Coyote paid no attention and killed him right there.
Told by Francis Drake
Taken from Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache by Grenville
Goodwin, 1939.
Gray Fox used to go where the White people were living and steal wheat. He
always came at night when it was moonlight. The White people found out what
he was doing and they didn't like it. One White man made a man out of pitch
and put a hat on him. He looked like a real man. Then he set him up in the
field at the place Gray Fox always passed. When Gray Fox came along, he saw
standing there, this man of pitch. Gray Fox used to talk like a Chiricahua
and he said, "Hey, Gray Eyes, stand to one side and let me by. I want to get
some of that stuff growing in there for myself." The pitch man didn't move.
"Hey, do you hear me? Do you understand ? Move over and let me by." But the
pitch man didn't move. "What's the matter ? Do you think I'm not a man ?"
Then Gray Fox went close to him. "I tell you I want to get that wheat. Get
out of my way. If you don't, I'll hit you with my fist and knock you down."
Then he hit him and his hand stuck in the pitch. 'What's the matter ? Why do
you hold my hand tight ? My left hand here, I can kill a man with it. Before
I hit you, I want you to turn me loose." But nothing happened. Gray Fox hit
with his left fist and got caught. "Hey, what's the matter ? Why do you
catch both my hands like this ?" Now Gray Fox was standing on his hind legs.
"My leg is the worst one; worse than my hands. When I kick a man, part of
him goes one way and part the other.
You better hurry up and turn me loose." "All right then," and Gray Fox
kicked the pitch man and his foot stuck. "What's the matter ? You grab my
foot. Turn it loose." Now he was standing on one leg. "My left leg is worse
yet. When I kick with it, you will fly into pieces. You better turn me loose
right away. All right then," and Gray Fox kicked with his left foot and got
it stuck in the pitch.
"What's the matter. Turn me loose, you. You grab both legs and both hands.
My tail is the worst yet. When I hit a man with it, part goes one way and
part the other. You better turn me loose before I hit you with it. All right
then, I'll do it," and he hit with his tail and got it stuck in the pitch.
"Hey, what are you trying to do. You hold both my hands, my legs, and tail.
My teeth here are the worst of all. When I bite a man with these, I bite him
in two. You better turn me loose. All right then, I'll do it," and Gray Fox
bit, getting his teeth stuck in the pitch. Now he couldn't talk. He was held
there.
In the morning, about sunrise, the White man came and found Gray Fox. He
tied a rope around him and led him off to his house. "He he+" [The common
expression when an individual catches someone in a misdeed, or has an enemy
in his power.] he said. When he got home, he tied Gray Fox up to the comer
of the house. Then he put a kettle of water to heat on the fire, so he could
scald his hair off. While the water was heating, Coyote came trotting along
on the other side of the river. Gray .Fox saw Coyote and whistled to him.
Then he picked up some chips of wood and pretended to be eating them. "This
is bread," he hollered to Coyote. Coyote came. across to the place Gray Fox
was tied. Gray Fox said, "You're too late. I just ate up all the bread. But
go over and look in that pot. There are potatoes in it cooking for me." Then
Gray Fox said, "I want you to take this rope I am tied with and put it about
your neck. Then you can have those potatoes for yourself." "All right, but
hurry up," said Coyote. The rope was tied around Coyote's neck and Gray Fox
went off. He never came back. In a little while the White man's boy came to
the place Coyote was tied. He hollered to his father, "The one that was tied
here was smaller. Now this one is large." Coyote said, "That's the way I
always do, change my size." Then the White man came and grabbed Coyote, tied
up his legs, picked him up, and threw him in the pot of water. All Coyote's
hair came off and he lay there as if dead. But later that night, he woke up
again and started away. He had no hair and he was cold. His skin was all red
from the water.
"You can't get away from me, Gray Fox, I'll catch you wherever you are," he
said to himself. On the way Coyote passed by a den in the rocks where Bear
was living. Bear saw his red body; "Hey, my cross-cousin, give me some red
cloth," he said. "I have no red cloth. A white man threw me in a kettle of
boiling water and all my hair came off. Gray Fox was the one who got me into
this trouble.
Where can I go to find him ?" he asked. "Right below, where the two rocks
come out to meet each other. Gray Fox always goes there for water about
midnight," Bear said. Coyote went there and looked for the best place to
hide. He hid right by the trail. He waited, lying down till Gray Fox should
come along. Near midnight, Coyote heard Gray Fox coming. He was singing
about how he had fooled Coyote. Then he saw Coyote. "Hey, what's that lying
so still ? It must be the red rock I saw on top of the mountain and it has
rolled down by itself." Gray Fox came close and Coyote jumped at him. "I'm
going to catch you and eat you up. You did wrong to me. Because of it, I got
thrown in the kettle, lost all my hair and almost was killed. Now I will fix
you." Gray Fox said, "Hey, my cross-cousin, don't talk like that about
eating me up. Come on, let's go over here. There is some 'ashes bread' and
we will eat it soon. Come on, and I will show it to you." Gray Fox took
Coyote to the water hole and showed him the reflection of the moon. "I
always drink all the water and then I get to the 'ashes bread' on the bottom
of it." So they both started in to drink.
Gray Fox drank a little and then he merely held his mouth to the water and
pretended he was drinking. Coyote kept on drinking and drinking till his
stomach was bulging and water was running out through his nose. His body was
shaking. "My cross-cousin, you are getting cold." "Yes, I am cold all
right," said Coyote. "Well, I know where an old woman has set fire to some
dry wood. I will go there and bring fire for you," and Gray Fox started off.
Coyote waited for him, but he never came back. Then Coyote started to trot
after Gray Fox. He had so much water in him that he kept breaking wind,
"bad, bad, bad, bad," he went as he trotted. Coyote thought to himself.
"That must be some White people traveling along," and he kept turning around
to look. Then he found out where the noise came from. "Yes, this noise, is
in my anus," he said and he started on his way again. "I'll catch you, Gray
Fox," he said.
Finally he came to Gray Fox. As soon as Gray Fox saw Coyote, he started to
point downwards at a rock and say, '"e1, 'e', 'e', 'e'," Coyote said, "I'll
eat you up now all right," and he made for him. "My cross-cousin, you always
talk about eating me up. Don't talk this way. I heard the sky is falling
down and that's why I am pointing at this rock. Point at the rock as I do,"
Gray Fox said. So Coyote started to point down at the rock and say, "'e',
'e', 'e', 'e'," like Gray Fox. Some buzzards sat close by in a tree: Gray
Fox said to Coyote, "Put your hand to this rock and keep on saying as I
said. I am going over and kill some of the buzzards to get feathers for
you." Gray Fox started. Coyote waited for him, but he never came back. "All
right, I'll get you anyhow, Gray Fox. You've fooled me long enough," and
Coyote started out again.
After a while he came to Gray Fox. He was making a big basket out of
tc'idnk'u-je branches (a species of sumac). Coyote said, "I'll eat you now
all right. You have fooled with me and lied to me lots of times, but I'll
get you now." Gray Fox said, "What's the matter, my cross-cousin. You always
talk with me this way. We heard that a great wind is going to come. All the
other people are working here, making baskets in order to crawl inside them.
That's why I am doing it. You better get busy and make one for yourself. The
one I am making is as tall as I am when I stand up." Coyote said, "I don't
know how to make these things." "Then when I finish this one, I will make
one for you," Gray Fox said. After a while he said again, "Here, you say you
don't know how to make these, so this one will be for you. I will make
another for myself." "All right," and Coyote crawled inside. Gray Fox closed
him in and tied the basket up tight. He turned the basket over and with a
big rock, he pounded on it. "The wind has come," he said to Coyote.
"It's a very heavy wind," and every time he said this, Gray Fox would pound
on the basket with a rock. Then he stood on top of the basket and danced on
it. Gray Fox said to Coyote, "You are always getting after me and going to
kill me. Now I'm going to kill you," and he picked up rocks and threw them
on the basket. When Coyote stopped moving, Gray Fox went off and left him.
After a while Coyote came to and crawled out of the basket. He started after
Gray Fox. "I'll get you Gray Fox," he said. He asked the bird people to give
him some hair and they did. In about four days he had hair all over his
body. Then he asked the bird people where they had seen Gray Fox. They said
that he had gone to gather wild cactus fruits. [A favorite food of coyotes
and foxes.] "You better not let him get away from you again, or he will kill
you," they said to Coyote. Coyote started off and looked for the place where
the prickly pear fruits were getting ripe. He went where the best fruits
were and there he waited for Gray Fox. Pretty soon Gray Fox came along. He
was singing about how he had gotten Coyote into the basket and then killed
him. He was looking for prickly pear fruit. The best ones were by Coyote and
he came over and started eating them. Then Coyote jumped out and grabbed
him. Gray Fox tried to talk nicely with Coyote and promised many things, but
Coyote paid no attention and killed him right there.
Told by Francis Drake
Taken from Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache by Grenville
Goodwin, 1939.