Post by Okwes on Apr 14, 2008 12:29:36 GMT -5
Girl who was the Ring - Pawnee
By the bank of a river stood a lodge, in which lived four brothers and their
sister. The boys made arrows. To the branch of a tree in front of the lodge
they had hung a rawhide strap, such as women use for carrying wood, so as to
make a swing for the girl. Whenever their meat was all gone and they began
to get hungry, the girl used to send her brothers into the timber to cut
dogwood shoots to make arrows. When the arrows were ready, she would get
into the swing and the boys would swing her. As the swing moved, they would
see dust rising all around the horizon, and would know that the Buffalo were
coming. Then all four boys would take their bows and arrows, and stand about
the swing so as to protect the girl and not let the Buffalo come near her.
When the Buffalo had come close, the boys would kill them in a circle all
about the swing. They would quickly carry the girl into the lodge, and would
kill so many Buffalo that the rest would be frightened and run away. So they
would have plenty to eat, and the dried meat would be piled high in the
lodge.
One day the boys went out to get woods for arrows, and left the girl in the
lodge alone. While they were away a Coyote came to the lodge and talked to
the girl. He said to her: "Granddaughter, I am very poor, and I am very
hungry. I have no meat in my lodge, and my children also are hungry. I told
my relations that I was coming to ask you for food, and they have been
laughing at me. They said, 'Your granddaughter will not give you anything to
eat.' "
The girl answered him: "Grandfather, here is plenty of meat. This house is
full of it. Take what you want. Take the fattest pieces. Take it to your
children. Let them eat."
The Coyote began to cry. He said: "Yes, my relations laughed at me when I
said I was going to visit you and ask you for something to eat. They said
you would not give me anything. I do not want any dried meat -- I want some
fresh meat to take to my children. Have pity on me, and let me put you in
the swing, so as to bring the Buffalo. I do not want to swing you hard so as
to bring the Buffalo in great herds. I want to swing you only a little so as
to bring a few Buffalo. I have a quiver full of arrows to keep the Buffalo
off."
The girl said: "No, grandfather, I cannot do this. My brothers are away.
Without them we can do nothing."
Then the Coyote slapped his breast and said: "Look at me. Am I not a man and
strong? I can run around you fast, after you are in the swing, and I can
keep the Buffalo off. I can shoot clear through a Buffalo. I have plenty of
arrows, and I need only use a single one for each Buffalo. Come on, I want
to swing you just a little, so that but few Buffalo will come."
So he coaxed the girl, but still she refused. After he had begged her for a
long time, she agreed to let him swing her a little, and got in the swing.
He began to swing her, at first gently, but all at once he pushed her very
hard, and kept doing this until she swung high. She screamed and cried, and
tried to get off the swing, but it was now too late.
All around -- from all sides -- the Buffalo were coming in great crowds. The
Coyote had made ready his arrows, and was running around the girl, trying to
kill the Buffalo and keep them off, but they crowded upon him -- so many
that he could do nothing -- and at last he got frightened and ran into the
lodge.
The Buffalo were now just all over the ground about the lodge, and suddenly
one of the young Bulls, the leader of a big band, as he passed under the
swing, threw up his head, and the girl disappeared, but the Coyote, peeping
out of the lodge door, saw on the horn of this Bull a ring, and then he knew
that this ring was the girl.
Then the Bull ran away fast, and all the Buffalo ran after him. When the
Buffalo had gone, the Coyote came out of the lodge and saw that the girl was
not there. He did not know what to do. He was frightened.
Pretty soon he heard the girl's brothers coming. They had seen the dust, and
knew that some one was swinging their sister, and that the Buffalo had come.
They hurried back, running fast, and when they reached the lodge they found
the Coyote just dragging himself out of a mud-hole. He crawled out crying,
and pretended that the Buffalo had run over him and trampled him. His bow
and arrows were in the mud. He told the brothers his story and said that he
had tried hard to save the girl, but that he had not known that so many
Buffalo would come. He said he had thought that the girl must be swung high,
so that the Buffalo could see her from a long way off.
The brothers felt very sorry that their sister was lost. They counseled
together to see what they should do, trying to decide what would be the best
plan to get her back again.
While they were talking about this, the Coyote, with all the mud upon him,
stood before them and said: "Brothers, do not feel sorry because your sister
is lost. I will get her back again. Live on just as you always do. Do not
think about this. Do not let it trouble you. I will get her back again."
After he had spoken thus, he said, "Now I am going to start off on the
war-path," and he left them and went away. He journeyed on alone considering
what he should do, and at length, as he was travelling along over the
prairie, he met a Badger, who said to him, "Brother, where are you going?"
The Coyote said: "I am going on the war-path against my enemies. Will you
join my party?" The Badger said, "Yes, I will join you."
They went on. After they had gone a long way, they saw a Swift Hawk sitting
on the limb of a tree by a ravine. He asked them where they were going, and
they told him, and asked him if he would go with them. He said he would go.
After a time they met a Kit Fox, and asked him to join them, and he did so.
Then they met a JackRabbit, who said he would go with them. They went on,
and at length they met a Blackbird, and asked him to join them. He said:
"Let it be so. I will go."
Soon after they had all got together they stopped and sat down, and the
Coyote told them how the girl had been lost, and said that he intended to
try to get her back. Then they talked, and the Coyote told them the plan
that he -- the leader -- had made. The others listened, and said that they
would do whatever he told them to. They were all glad to help to recover the
girl.
Then they all stood up and made ready to start, and the Coyote said to the
Blackbird, Friend, you stay here until the time comes." So the Blackbird
remained there where they had been talking, and the others went on.
After they had gone some distance farther, the Coyote told the Hawk to stop
and wait there. He did so.
The others went on a long way, and then the Coyote said to the Rabbit, "You
stay here."
The others went on, and at the next stopping-place he left the Kit Fox; and
at the next -- last of all -- he left the Badger.
Then the Coyote went on alone and traveled a long way, and at length he came
to the Buffalo camp. He went out to the place where the young Bulls used to
play the stick game, and lay down there. It was early in the morning.
After a time some of the young Bulls came out, and began to roll the ring
and to throw their sticks at it. The Coyote now pretended to be very sick.
His hair was all covered with mud, and his tongue hung out of his mouth, and
he staggered about and fell down and then got up again, and seemed to feel
badly. Sometimes he would get over near to where the ring was being rolled,
and then the young Bulls would call out: "Here, hold on! Don't get in the
way."
After a little while the Coyote pretended that he felt better, and he got up
and went over to where the young Bulls were sitting, looking on at the game,
and sat down with them, and watched the play with the others. Every now and
then two of the young Bulls would begin to dispute over the game, each
saying that his stick was the nearer to the ring, and sometimes they would
wrangle for a long time. Once, while they were doing this, the Coyote went
up to them and said: "Here! You men need not quarrel about this. Let me
look. I know
By the bank of a river stood a lodge, in which lived four brothers and their
sister. The boys made arrows. To the branch of a tree in front of the lodge
they had hung a rawhide strap, such as women use for carrying wood, so as to
make a swing for the girl. Whenever their meat was all gone and they began
to get hungry, the girl used to send her brothers into the timber to cut
dogwood shoots to make arrows. When the arrows were ready, she would get
into the swing and the boys would swing her. As the swing moved, they would
see dust rising all around the horizon, and would know that the Buffalo were
coming. Then all four boys would take their bows and arrows, and stand about
the swing so as to protect the girl and not let the Buffalo come near her.
When the Buffalo had come close, the boys would kill them in a circle all
about the swing. They would quickly carry the girl into the lodge, and would
kill so many Buffalo that the rest would be frightened and run away. So they
would have plenty to eat, and the dried meat would be piled high in the
lodge.
One day the boys went out to get woods for arrows, and left the girl in the
lodge alone. While they were away a Coyote came to the lodge and talked to
the girl. He said to her: "Granddaughter, I am very poor, and I am very
hungry. I have no meat in my lodge, and my children also are hungry. I told
my relations that I was coming to ask you for food, and they have been
laughing at me. They said, 'Your granddaughter will not give you anything to
eat.' "
The girl answered him: "Grandfather, here is plenty of meat. This house is
full of it. Take what you want. Take the fattest pieces. Take it to your
children. Let them eat."
The Coyote began to cry. He said: "Yes, my relations laughed at me when I
said I was going to visit you and ask you for something to eat. They said
you would not give me anything. I do not want any dried meat -- I want some
fresh meat to take to my children. Have pity on me, and let me put you in
the swing, so as to bring the Buffalo. I do not want to swing you hard so as
to bring the Buffalo in great herds. I want to swing you only a little so as
to bring a few Buffalo. I have a quiver full of arrows to keep the Buffalo
off."
The girl said: "No, grandfather, I cannot do this. My brothers are away.
Without them we can do nothing."
Then the Coyote slapped his breast and said: "Look at me. Am I not a man and
strong? I can run around you fast, after you are in the swing, and I can
keep the Buffalo off. I can shoot clear through a Buffalo. I have plenty of
arrows, and I need only use a single one for each Buffalo. Come on, I want
to swing you just a little, so that but few Buffalo will come."
So he coaxed the girl, but still she refused. After he had begged her for a
long time, she agreed to let him swing her a little, and got in the swing.
He began to swing her, at first gently, but all at once he pushed her very
hard, and kept doing this until she swung high. She screamed and cried, and
tried to get off the swing, but it was now too late.
All around -- from all sides -- the Buffalo were coming in great crowds. The
Coyote had made ready his arrows, and was running around the girl, trying to
kill the Buffalo and keep them off, but they crowded upon him -- so many
that he could do nothing -- and at last he got frightened and ran into the
lodge.
The Buffalo were now just all over the ground about the lodge, and suddenly
one of the young Bulls, the leader of a big band, as he passed under the
swing, threw up his head, and the girl disappeared, but the Coyote, peeping
out of the lodge door, saw on the horn of this Bull a ring, and then he knew
that this ring was the girl.
Then the Bull ran away fast, and all the Buffalo ran after him. When the
Buffalo had gone, the Coyote came out of the lodge and saw that the girl was
not there. He did not know what to do. He was frightened.
Pretty soon he heard the girl's brothers coming. They had seen the dust, and
knew that some one was swinging their sister, and that the Buffalo had come.
They hurried back, running fast, and when they reached the lodge they found
the Coyote just dragging himself out of a mud-hole. He crawled out crying,
and pretended that the Buffalo had run over him and trampled him. His bow
and arrows were in the mud. He told the brothers his story and said that he
had tried hard to save the girl, but that he had not known that so many
Buffalo would come. He said he had thought that the girl must be swung high,
so that the Buffalo could see her from a long way off.
The brothers felt very sorry that their sister was lost. They counseled
together to see what they should do, trying to decide what would be the best
plan to get her back again.
While they were talking about this, the Coyote, with all the mud upon him,
stood before them and said: "Brothers, do not feel sorry because your sister
is lost. I will get her back again. Live on just as you always do. Do not
think about this. Do not let it trouble you. I will get her back again."
After he had spoken thus, he said, "Now I am going to start off on the
war-path," and he left them and went away. He journeyed on alone considering
what he should do, and at length, as he was travelling along over the
prairie, he met a Badger, who said to him, "Brother, where are you going?"
The Coyote said: "I am going on the war-path against my enemies. Will you
join my party?" The Badger said, "Yes, I will join you."
They went on. After they had gone a long way, they saw a Swift Hawk sitting
on the limb of a tree by a ravine. He asked them where they were going, and
they told him, and asked him if he would go with them. He said he would go.
After a time they met a Kit Fox, and asked him to join them, and he did so.
Then they met a JackRabbit, who said he would go with them. They went on,
and at length they met a Blackbird, and asked him to join them. He said:
"Let it be so. I will go."
Soon after they had all got together they stopped and sat down, and the
Coyote told them how the girl had been lost, and said that he intended to
try to get her back. Then they talked, and the Coyote told them the plan
that he -- the leader -- had made. The others listened, and said that they
would do whatever he told them to. They were all glad to help to recover the
girl.
Then they all stood up and made ready to start, and the Coyote said to the
Blackbird, Friend, you stay here until the time comes." So the Blackbird
remained there where they had been talking, and the others went on.
After they had gone some distance farther, the Coyote told the Hawk to stop
and wait there. He did so.
The others went on a long way, and then the Coyote said to the Rabbit, "You
stay here."
The others went on, and at the next stopping-place he left the Kit Fox; and
at the next -- last of all -- he left the Badger.
Then the Coyote went on alone and traveled a long way, and at length he came
to the Buffalo camp. He went out to the place where the young Bulls used to
play the stick game, and lay down there. It was early in the morning.
After a time some of the young Bulls came out, and began to roll the ring
and to throw their sticks at it. The Coyote now pretended to be very sick.
His hair was all covered with mud, and his tongue hung out of his mouth, and
he staggered about and fell down and then got up again, and seemed to feel
badly. Sometimes he would get over near to where the ring was being rolled,
and then the young Bulls would call out: "Here, hold on! Don't get in the
way."
After a little while the Coyote pretended that he felt better, and he got up
and went over to where the young Bulls were sitting, looking on at the game,
and sat down with them, and watched the play with the others. Every now and
then two of the young Bulls would begin to dispute over the game, each
saying that his stick was the nearer to the ring, and sometimes they would
wrangle for a long time. Once, while they were doing this, the Coyote went
up to them and said: "Here! You men need not quarrel about this. Let me
look. I know