Post by blackcrowheart on Mar 4, 2007 21:52:26 GMT -5
Coyote Kills Bears - Nez Perce
Coyote [itsaya' ya] asked, "What are you people doing? Are you rounding-up an killing buffalo?"
They replied, "Yes, we are rounding-up and killing buffalo. But Bear [xa' xats] takes our hill from us if, from the young Bears who scout around and examine all the kills, he learns that someone has killed a fat one."
"Well, as if he were ferocious! What manner of brazen thing is this he does!" said Coyote. Now they had another roundup of buffalo in which Coyote participated, and I killed an exceptionally fat buffalo.
They said to him, "Why have you killed such a fat one? Bear will take it from you. He is to be feared."
Coyote told them, "I, too, happen to be fearsome. Why should you be afraid of him His ferocity is created only by your talk." Coyote now began to carve his buffalo.
The people saw the young Bears coming and shouted, "Here come the young Bears. And now the Mice [laqa' tsma] fled.
"Come here! Why do you run away when you are even unafraid of me? Come and hold this beef for me."
By this time the young Bears dashed up and said one to another, "Oh, our uncle has a very fat one!" With that they began all together to snap, bite and tear at Coyote's kill.
Thereupon, Coyote said angrily to them, "Get away from here!" And point blank struck one of the cubs on the nose with his knife. The young Bear staggered off to the side writhing in agony, and dropped dead.
"Egad! What is this that Coyote does? He strikes the young Bear dead," the people sai to one another. They informed Bear, "Coyote has struck your child dead."
Bear became very deeply angry. "Now I'm going to kill Coyote! Why did he ever come. I'm going to kill him now." He dressed himself in full regalia and went forth. Meanwhile Coyote started a fire and placed two stones to heat.
All the people gathered to watch Coyote. They knew that Bear was coming. The Mice was very frightened. "He will kill Coyote," the people said.
Then Fox [tilt' ptsxi'] told them, "No, Coyote is to be feared. Presently, he and I will eat heartily of Bear meat."
Soon Bear stormed along, bent upon revenge, saying to himself, "Coyote, you are brazen fellow! You are the inveterate Coyote! I'll not spare you, whatever you may have say to me."
The people now saw him coming, and they shouted, "He comes!"
Coyote kept on carving while the others just scattered. "Why do you run away? Hurry and assist me! Hold this for me to carve!" he shouted to the Mice. Now in cutting up the beef Coyote took out the lacy stomach fat which he put aside. Then he took out a hot stone from the fire. He watched Bear come closer. He wrapped the hot stone in the lacy fat and, as Bear came right up close, said to him, "Cousin, wait here! Let me toss a bit of fat into your mouth lest my fur cause you to vomit!"
Bear came to a sudden stop and stood there puzzled. He opened his mouth, and Coyote hit it, exactly, with the fat. The hot stone went clear down inside. Bear went into convulsions and forthright turned around and dashed away.
Coyote shouted after him, "Go to your majesty's retreat!" But his retreat was singed, and it began to sizzle from the heat. Coyote shouted to him again, "Go to your majesty's swimming hole!" Thither went Bear, but the water just boiled. From there Coyote shouted to him again, "Go to your majesty's dance grounds!" This was all to no avail, for the stone kept burning him just the same. Then Bear fell dead.
"Egad! Coyote has killed him already," the people said.
"Well didn't I tell you?" Fox spoke up. "My brother and I will eat well."
But they said, "Wait, the Bear woman will kill him without fail."
"Impossible, when even the terrible one failed to do it."
Now the woman charged upon him, having been informed that Coyote had killed her husband. Coyote carved on his beef again, and he still had one stone in the fire. The people now shouted, "The woman is coming!"
Again Coyote rolled a hot stone in fat. Just as she dashed up to him, he said to her, "My cousin's wife, wait! Let me toss fat into your mouth lest you be caused to vomit by my fir." She, too, stopped and opened her mouth. He threw the fat exactly down her throat, and now she, too, started away writhing in agony.
Coyote shouted after her, "Go to your majesty's retreat!" Bear's retreat just sizzled from the heat. Again he shouted to her, "Go to your majesty's swimming hole!" and now she went there. The water just boiled. From there Coyote said to her, "Go to your majesty's dance grounds!" She even went there, but to no avail. There she, too, Bear's wife, fell dead.
"Gad! He has killed the woman too," the people said in amazement. Now they all dashed off to ransack Bear's lodge for booty.
"No," Coyote told them. "All of it is mine just as it stands. My elder cousin used to say to me, 'If anything should happen to me, everything shall become yours.' Thus my elder cousin used to say to me." Then Coyote moved in, and he took the Mice in with him. They lived there.
Taken from Tales of the Nez Perce by Donald M. Hines, Ye Galleon Press; Fairfield, Washington, 1999 [gathered from other source books dated between 1912 and 1949].
Coyote [itsaya' ya] asked, "What are you people doing? Are you rounding-up an killing buffalo?"
They replied, "Yes, we are rounding-up and killing buffalo. But Bear [xa' xats] takes our hill from us if, from the young Bears who scout around and examine all the kills, he learns that someone has killed a fat one."
"Well, as if he were ferocious! What manner of brazen thing is this he does!" said Coyote. Now they had another roundup of buffalo in which Coyote participated, and I killed an exceptionally fat buffalo.
They said to him, "Why have you killed such a fat one? Bear will take it from you. He is to be feared."
Coyote told them, "I, too, happen to be fearsome. Why should you be afraid of him His ferocity is created only by your talk." Coyote now began to carve his buffalo.
The people saw the young Bears coming and shouted, "Here come the young Bears. And now the Mice [laqa' tsma] fled.
"Come here! Why do you run away when you are even unafraid of me? Come and hold this beef for me."
By this time the young Bears dashed up and said one to another, "Oh, our uncle has a very fat one!" With that they began all together to snap, bite and tear at Coyote's kill.
Thereupon, Coyote said angrily to them, "Get away from here!" And point blank struck one of the cubs on the nose with his knife. The young Bear staggered off to the side writhing in agony, and dropped dead.
"Egad! What is this that Coyote does? He strikes the young Bear dead," the people sai to one another. They informed Bear, "Coyote has struck your child dead."
Bear became very deeply angry. "Now I'm going to kill Coyote! Why did he ever come. I'm going to kill him now." He dressed himself in full regalia and went forth. Meanwhile Coyote started a fire and placed two stones to heat.
All the people gathered to watch Coyote. They knew that Bear was coming. The Mice was very frightened. "He will kill Coyote," the people said.
Then Fox [tilt' ptsxi'] told them, "No, Coyote is to be feared. Presently, he and I will eat heartily of Bear meat."
Soon Bear stormed along, bent upon revenge, saying to himself, "Coyote, you are brazen fellow! You are the inveterate Coyote! I'll not spare you, whatever you may have say to me."
The people now saw him coming, and they shouted, "He comes!"
Coyote kept on carving while the others just scattered. "Why do you run away? Hurry and assist me! Hold this for me to carve!" he shouted to the Mice. Now in cutting up the beef Coyote took out the lacy stomach fat which he put aside. Then he took out a hot stone from the fire. He watched Bear come closer. He wrapped the hot stone in the lacy fat and, as Bear came right up close, said to him, "Cousin, wait here! Let me toss a bit of fat into your mouth lest my fur cause you to vomit!"
Bear came to a sudden stop and stood there puzzled. He opened his mouth, and Coyote hit it, exactly, with the fat. The hot stone went clear down inside. Bear went into convulsions and forthright turned around and dashed away.
Coyote shouted after him, "Go to your majesty's retreat!" But his retreat was singed, and it began to sizzle from the heat. Coyote shouted to him again, "Go to your majesty's swimming hole!" Thither went Bear, but the water just boiled. From there Coyote shouted to him again, "Go to your majesty's dance grounds!" This was all to no avail, for the stone kept burning him just the same. Then Bear fell dead.
"Egad! Coyote has killed him already," the people said.
"Well didn't I tell you?" Fox spoke up. "My brother and I will eat well."
But they said, "Wait, the Bear woman will kill him without fail."
"Impossible, when even the terrible one failed to do it."
Now the woman charged upon him, having been informed that Coyote had killed her husband. Coyote carved on his beef again, and he still had one stone in the fire. The people now shouted, "The woman is coming!"
Again Coyote rolled a hot stone in fat. Just as she dashed up to him, he said to her, "My cousin's wife, wait! Let me toss fat into your mouth lest you be caused to vomit by my fir." She, too, stopped and opened her mouth. He threw the fat exactly down her throat, and now she, too, started away writhing in agony.
Coyote shouted after her, "Go to your majesty's retreat!" Bear's retreat just sizzled from the heat. Again he shouted to her, "Go to your majesty's swimming hole!" and now she went there. The water just boiled. From there Coyote said to her, "Go to your majesty's dance grounds!" She even went there, but to no avail. There she, too, Bear's wife, fell dead.
"Gad! He has killed the woman too," the people said in amazement. Now they all dashed off to ransack Bear's lodge for booty.
"No," Coyote told them. "All of it is mine just as it stands. My elder cousin used to say to me, 'If anything should happen to me, everything shall become yours.' Thus my elder cousin used to say to me." Then Coyote moved in, and he took the Mice in with him. They lived there.
Taken from Tales of the Nez Perce by Donald M. Hines, Ye Galleon Press; Fairfield, Washington, 1999 [gathered from other source books dated between 1912 and 1949].