Post by blackcrowheart on Mar 4, 2007 21:51:49 GMT -5
Coyote Kills His Children (Apache/White Mountain)
Coyote started to trot along. While he was on his way he met Turkey and her children. When he saw them the mother turkey was in front and all her children were following in a line behind her. Coyote thought this looked nice, with all the little turkeys in single file, so he said to Turkey, "Why is it, my cross-cousin, that your children always follow you in a line like that?" Then Turkey said, "I put a little hole through my children's bills and tie a string through it and then from one to the other this way. What string is left from the front one I put around my waist and lead them along. When they grow larger I don't use the string any more, but my children still follow that way and it looks better." Then Coyote said, "Now that you have told me how you did it, I am going back home before I forget and do the same with my children." So Coyote started off home. When he got there he said to his children, "I have good news for you that I heard from Turkey. I'm going to make a hole in your jaws and tie a string through from one to the other. What string is left I will tie around my belly. This way I will lead you in a line. When you are older you will do it naturally, without any string, just as Turkey's children do." Then he pierced a hole through the lower jaws of his children and put a string through them. His children hollered and cried, but he did it all the same. When it was all finished, he took his children outside and told them to line up with him at their head. Then he tried to make his children walk in line after him, but it hurt them so that they fell on the ground and were dragged along behind. Coyote kept on dragging them till they were all killed. He took the string off his children and left them to hunt for Turkey, because it was Turkey who had told him about this. He was mad about it and was going to eat all the turkeys up. But before he got there, Turkey saw him and flew up into a tree and sat there. Coyote came under the tree and sat down. "My cross-cousin, come on down with all your children. I want to see you walk in line with them as you did before," he said. But Turkey would not come down because she thought Coyote would kill her and her children. "My children have been walking all day and they are tired so I will sit here till sunrise and get down then," Turkey said. "I want you to come down just for a little while so I can see you line up," Coyote pleaded. But Turkey said, "No, I will stay here all day and not come down." Coyote was having a hard time of it so he gave up and left.
While he was on his way he met Deer and her two fawns. They looked good to him, the little deer with white spots all over them. "My cross-cousin, how did you put spots on your children like that ? It looks good to me with spots all over. I think my children should wear them also," Coyote said. Deer told him, "I put my children in a hole and then at the mouth of the hole I build a fire of juniper wood and back it in with rocks. Then I go over the hill and stay quite a while, till the fire is burnt down. When I come back I find my children spotted from the ashes. That's the way I always do it." Coyote said, "I'm going to do the same with my children." So he went on home to where his children were. He told them, "I have good news for you. I want you to wear white spots on your body just like I saw on Deer's children." Then he took his children to where there was a rocky hole close by, and put them inside it. He started to gather up juniper wood and pile it at the mouth of the hole. Then he set fire to it and went off over a hill and stayed there a long time. When the fire was all burnt up he came back to the hole. He looked down into the hole where his children had been burnt all over their bodies. Their lips were burnt away so that Coyote could see their teeth. "You are laughing at me now, but when you come out you will look nice," Coyote said. He went down into the hole to take them out but he found his children were all cooked and dead so he left them there.
After he had done this he was very mad at Deer for telling him to do this way. He said to himself, "I'm going to find Deer with her two young children and I will kill and eat all of them." So he started off. After a while he found Deer with her two children. He told them to stop, that he wanted to tell them about something. This was the way Coyote always did when he was going to kill some one. He said to Deer, "There are liable to be people hunting deer in here and they may set fire around in a circle so the deer can't get out. Then they will kill all the deer. I want you to cross out by here because this will be the only place you can escape if a fire should be set. That is why I have come to tell you this."
Then the deer and the two children deer went to that place. Coyote left and circled around in front of them. Then he shot an arrow of willow wood ahead of the deer and from where the arrow lit, fire started. Coyote ran back as fast as he could to where he had told Deer to pass by and escape. Then he hid and peeped out, watching for Deer. When Deer came by Coyote shot at her from hiding, so she never saw him. When she was shot Deer started to walk slowly and in a little way stopped and lay down. Then Coyote went to her and said, "My cross-cousin, I told you not to walk but to go fast. That's why you have been shot. I told you there were lots of people hunting deer. I thought you understood me, but I guess you didn't do what I said. Now you are shot." Coyote had done all this himself and was lying. "Over there is good shade. I will carry you to it and doctor you there. Maybe you will get well," Coyote said. Deer said to her children, "This Coyote, when he packs me over there means to kill me and he is going to kill you when he has killed me. If he kills me, then one of you run one way and one the other so Coyote won't catch you." Coyote carried Deer over to the shade. His arrow was sticking in her side. Coyote said, "I am going to try to suck the blood out of your wound where it has gone into your stomach. That is the only way I think you will get better." So he sucked on the wound, but all he was doing was sucking the blood out so he could drink it. When he had drunk nearly all the blood he just let the rest bleed out on the ground.
"Now I am going to sing over you," he said to Deer. "Big Medicine, big medicine, get dry and soft." Then he started over again and sang-as before. Deer was just about dead so Coyote jumped on her neck and bit her. After he bit her he turned and went for the two deer children. But before he got there, they each went a different way. He tried to catch both of them but he could not do it, so he gave up and came back.
My yucca fruits lie piled up.
Told by Bane Tithla
Taken from Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache by Grenville Goodwin, 1934
Coyote started to trot along. While he was on his way he met Turkey and her children. When he saw them the mother turkey was in front and all her children were following in a line behind her. Coyote thought this looked nice, with all the little turkeys in single file, so he said to Turkey, "Why is it, my cross-cousin, that your children always follow you in a line like that?" Then Turkey said, "I put a little hole through my children's bills and tie a string through it and then from one to the other this way. What string is left from the front one I put around my waist and lead them along. When they grow larger I don't use the string any more, but my children still follow that way and it looks better." Then Coyote said, "Now that you have told me how you did it, I am going back home before I forget and do the same with my children." So Coyote started off home. When he got there he said to his children, "I have good news for you that I heard from Turkey. I'm going to make a hole in your jaws and tie a string through from one to the other. What string is left I will tie around my belly. This way I will lead you in a line. When you are older you will do it naturally, without any string, just as Turkey's children do." Then he pierced a hole through the lower jaws of his children and put a string through them. His children hollered and cried, but he did it all the same. When it was all finished, he took his children outside and told them to line up with him at their head. Then he tried to make his children walk in line after him, but it hurt them so that they fell on the ground and were dragged along behind. Coyote kept on dragging them till they were all killed. He took the string off his children and left them to hunt for Turkey, because it was Turkey who had told him about this. He was mad about it and was going to eat all the turkeys up. But before he got there, Turkey saw him and flew up into a tree and sat there. Coyote came under the tree and sat down. "My cross-cousin, come on down with all your children. I want to see you walk in line with them as you did before," he said. But Turkey would not come down because she thought Coyote would kill her and her children. "My children have been walking all day and they are tired so I will sit here till sunrise and get down then," Turkey said. "I want you to come down just for a little while so I can see you line up," Coyote pleaded. But Turkey said, "No, I will stay here all day and not come down." Coyote was having a hard time of it so he gave up and left.
While he was on his way he met Deer and her two fawns. They looked good to him, the little deer with white spots all over them. "My cross-cousin, how did you put spots on your children like that ? It looks good to me with spots all over. I think my children should wear them also," Coyote said. Deer told him, "I put my children in a hole and then at the mouth of the hole I build a fire of juniper wood and back it in with rocks. Then I go over the hill and stay quite a while, till the fire is burnt down. When I come back I find my children spotted from the ashes. That's the way I always do it." Coyote said, "I'm going to do the same with my children." So he went on home to where his children were. He told them, "I have good news for you. I want you to wear white spots on your body just like I saw on Deer's children." Then he took his children to where there was a rocky hole close by, and put them inside it. He started to gather up juniper wood and pile it at the mouth of the hole. Then he set fire to it and went off over a hill and stayed there a long time. When the fire was all burnt up he came back to the hole. He looked down into the hole where his children had been burnt all over their bodies. Their lips were burnt away so that Coyote could see their teeth. "You are laughing at me now, but when you come out you will look nice," Coyote said. He went down into the hole to take them out but he found his children were all cooked and dead so he left them there.
After he had done this he was very mad at Deer for telling him to do this way. He said to himself, "I'm going to find Deer with her two young children and I will kill and eat all of them." So he started off. After a while he found Deer with her two children. He told them to stop, that he wanted to tell them about something. This was the way Coyote always did when he was going to kill some one. He said to Deer, "There are liable to be people hunting deer in here and they may set fire around in a circle so the deer can't get out. Then they will kill all the deer. I want you to cross out by here because this will be the only place you can escape if a fire should be set. That is why I have come to tell you this."
Then the deer and the two children deer went to that place. Coyote left and circled around in front of them. Then he shot an arrow of willow wood ahead of the deer and from where the arrow lit, fire started. Coyote ran back as fast as he could to where he had told Deer to pass by and escape. Then he hid and peeped out, watching for Deer. When Deer came by Coyote shot at her from hiding, so she never saw him. When she was shot Deer started to walk slowly and in a little way stopped and lay down. Then Coyote went to her and said, "My cross-cousin, I told you not to walk but to go fast. That's why you have been shot. I told you there were lots of people hunting deer. I thought you understood me, but I guess you didn't do what I said. Now you are shot." Coyote had done all this himself and was lying. "Over there is good shade. I will carry you to it and doctor you there. Maybe you will get well," Coyote said. Deer said to her children, "This Coyote, when he packs me over there means to kill me and he is going to kill you when he has killed me. If he kills me, then one of you run one way and one the other so Coyote won't catch you." Coyote carried Deer over to the shade. His arrow was sticking in her side. Coyote said, "I am going to try to suck the blood out of your wound where it has gone into your stomach. That is the only way I think you will get better." So he sucked on the wound, but all he was doing was sucking the blood out so he could drink it. When he had drunk nearly all the blood he just let the rest bleed out on the ground.
"Now I am going to sing over you," he said to Deer. "Big Medicine, big medicine, get dry and soft." Then he started over again and sang-as before. Deer was just about dead so Coyote jumped on her neck and bit her. After he bit her he turned and went for the two deer children. But before he got there, they each went a different way. He tried to catch both of them but he could not do it, so he gave up and came back.
My yucca fruits lie piled up.
Told by Bane Tithla
Taken from Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache by Grenville Goodwin, 1934