Then Eagle and Coyote looked around. Inside the lodge everything was beautiful, and there were many spirits. They were dressed in ceremonial robes, beautifully decorated with shells and with elk teeth. Their faces were painted, and they wore feathers in their hair. The moon, hanging from above, filled the big lodge with light. Near the moon stood Frog, who has watched over it since he jumped into it long ago. He saw to it that the moon shone brightly on the crowd of dancers and singers.
Eagle and Coyote knew some of the spirits as their former friends, but no one paid any attention to the two strangers. No one saw the basket that Coyote had brought with him. In the basket he planned to carry the spirits back to the land of the living.
Early in the morning, the spirits left the lodge for their day of sleep. Then Coyote killed Frog, took his clothes, and put them on himself. At twilight the spirits returned and began again a night of singing and dancing. They did not know that Coyote, in Frog’s clothing, stood beside the moon.
When the dancing and singing were at their gayest, Coyote swallowed the moon. In the darkness, Eagle caught the spirit people, put them into Coyote’s basket, and closed the lid tight. Then the two started back to the land of the living, Coyote carrying the basket.
After traveling a great distance, they heard noises in the basket and stopped to listen.
“The people are coming to life,” said Coyote.
After they had gone a little farther, they heard voices talking in the basket. The spirits were complaining. “We are being banged around,” groaned some. “My leg is being hurt,” groaned one spirit. “My legs and arms are cramped,” groaned another. “Open the lid and let us out!” called several spirits together.
Coyote was tired, for the basket was getting heavier and heavier. The spirits were turning back into people.
“Let’s let them out,” said Coyote.
“No, no,” answered Eagle quickly.
A little later Coyote set the basket down. It was too heavy for him.
“Let’s let them out,” repeated Coyote. “We are so far from the spirit land now that they won’t return.”
So he opened the basket. The people took their spirit forms and, moving like the wind, went back to the island of the dead.
Eagle scolded at first, but soon he remembered Coyote’s earlier thought. “It’s now autumn. The leaves are falling, just as people die. Let us wait until spring. When the buds open and the flowers bloom, let us return to the land of the dead and try again.”
“No,” replied Coyote, “I am tired. Let the dead stay in the land of the dead forever.”.
So Coyote made the law that after people have died they shall never come to life again. If he had not opened the basket and let the spirits out, the dead would have come to life every spring as the grass and flowers and trees do.
COYOTE STEALS FIRE
{Klamath}
There was a time when people had no fire. In winter they could not warm themselves. They had to eat their food raw. Fire was kept inside a huge white rock that belonged to Thunder, who was its caretaker. Thunder was a fearful being. Everybody was afraid of him. Even Bear and Mountain Lion trembled when they heard Thunder’s rumbling voice.
Coyote was not afraid of Thunder. He was afraid of nothing. One day, Thunder was in an angry mood and roared and rumbled his loudest, so that the earth trembled and all animals went into hiding. Coyote decided that this was the time to get the fire away from Thunder. Coyote climbed the highest mountain on which Thunder lived. Thunder was at home. “Uncle,” said Coyote, “let us play a game of dice. If you win, you can kill me. If I win, you have to give me fire.”
“Let us play,” said Thunder.
They played with dice made from the gnawing teeth of beavers and woodchucks. The beaver teeth were male dice. The woodchuck teeth were female dice. A design was carved on one side of these teeth. The teeth were thrown on a flat rock. If the male teeth came up with the carved sides, they counted two points. If the female teeth came up with the carved sides, they counted one. If the dice came up uneven, they did not count. There was a bundle of sticks for counting, for keeping track of the points scored.
Now, Coyote is the trickiest fellow alive. He is the master at cheating at all kinds of games. He continuously distracted Thunder so that he could not watch what Coyote was up to. Thunder was no match for Coyote when it came to gambling. Whenever Thunder took his eyes off Coyote’s hands, even for just the tiniest part of a moment, Coyote turned his dice up so that they showed the carved sides. He turned Thunder’s dice up so that they showed the blank sides. He distracted Thunder and made him blink. Then, quick as a flash, he took a counting stick away from Thunder’s pile and added it to his own. In the end, Thunder was completely confused. Coyote had all the counting sticks, Thunder had none. “Uncle, I won,” said Coyote. “Hand over the fire.” Thunder knew that Coyote had cheated but could not prove it.
Coyote called upon all the animals to come up to the mountaintop to help him carry the big rock that contained the fire. That rock was huge and looked solid, but it was very fragile, as fragile as a seashell. So all the animals prepared to carry the rock away. “Not so fast,” growled Thunder. “Coyote won the game and so I give him the fire. But he cheated, and for that I shall take his life. Where is he so that I can kill him?”
Now, Coyote had read Thunder’s mind. He had anticipated what Thunder was up to. Coyote could pull the outer part of his body off, as if it were a blanket, so he put his skin, his pelt, his tail, his ears—all of his outside—close by Thunder, and with the inside of his body, his vitals, moved a distance away. Then he changed his voice so that it sounded as if it were coming not from a distance, but like from just a few feet away. “Here I am, Uncle,” he cried. “Kill me if you can.” Thunder picked up the huge rock containing fire and hurled it at what he thought was Coyote. But he hit only the skin and fur. The rock splintered into numberless pieces. Every animal took a little piece of the fire and put it under its armpit or under its wing, and they hurried all over the world, bringing fire to every tribe on earth. Coyote calmly put on his outer skin and fur again. “Good-bye, Uncle,” he said to Thunder. “Don’t gamble. It is not what you do best.” Then he ran off.
COYOTE KILLS TERRIBLE MONSTER
{Salish}
Coyote was wandering about, enjoying himself, singing a merry tune. On the branch of a tree sat Tomtit. As Coyote walked beneath it, the little bird chirped: “Grandfather, I am hungry. Do you have something for me to eat?”
Always, when wandering about, Coyote carried with him a bag of pemmican—dried meat pounded together with kidney fat and berries. A handful of this could keep him going for a whole day. He took the pemmican and broke off a few small pieces, which he fed to the little bird. Tomtit said: “Thank you, grandfather. You have been kind to me. In return I will do something for you. I will give you good advice. Toward the north, where you are going, lives Terrible Monster. He swallows up whoever goes there.”
“How does Terrible Monster look?” asked Coyote. “How do I recognize him?”
“Grandfather,” Tomtit answered, “Terrible Monster is so big, eyes cannot encompass him. His body is so large, it stretches from horizon to horizon. You might imagine you are entering a valley and find out that the valley is Terrible Monster’s mouth. He eats up everybody who enters this valley.” “I guess I can distinguish a valley from Terrible Monster’s mouth,” said Coyote.
“Don’t be so sure,” said the little bird.
Coyote wandered on. He came to a pine tree. It was the tallest one in the world. Coyote had an idea. He uprooted the tree and laid it across his shoulders. He carried it that way. “Now Terrible Monster cannot swallow me. This tree trunk is too long. It would stick out of Terrible Monster’s mouth on both sides. So he could never gulp me down.”
Coyote came to a broad, mile-wide canyon. Immensely tall reddish cliffs rose on either side. “This is neither a valley nor a monster’s mouth,” Coyote said to himself. “This is safe
to enter.”
Coyote wandered on. Then he noticed that the canyon floor was entirely covered with dry bones. They made a crackling noise under Coyote’s feet. “This is most peculiar,” Coyote said to himself. “I am walking through a desert of bones.” He saw a man sitting on a heap of human skulls. The man was as thin as a reed. He was horribly emaciated—almost a skeleton himself.
“Friend, have you something to eat?” said the man in a very weak voice. “I am dying of hunger.” Coyote gave him a few handfuls of pemmican from his possible bag. “Thank you,” said the living skeleton. “You have saved my life—for a little while, at least. But tell me, why are you carrying this enormous pine tree across your shoulders? It must be heavy.”
“I carry it,” said Coyote, “so that Terrible Monster cannot swallow me.”
“My poor friend,” said the thin man, “it is already too late. You are already inside Terrible Monster. We are in Terrible Monster’s belly.”
“Then let us hurry back to where we came in.”
“It’s too late. Look, way back. There is no light at the canyon entrance. The mouth is already closed. Terrible Monster will wait now until we are dead. Then he will open his mouth again for the next batch of victims. There is nothing to eat here, not the tiniest bit. We won’t last long, friend. You’ll just live a little longer than I, because you were swallowed up later.”
“What are these strange things dangling high above us?” Coyote asked.
“These are Terrible Monster’s entrails,” said the thin man. “They might be nourishing if only we could reach them.”
“That is no problem,” said Coyote. “How smart of me to bring this pine tree.” He leaned the tall pine tree against a wall that was part of the inside of Terrible Monster’s belly. Coyote climbed up the trunk until he could reach Terrible Monster’s intestines. He took his sharp flint knife and cut off lengths of Terrible Monster’s guts. He munched on them, saying: “Ah, this is good, this is tasty.” He threw some of the entrails down for the thin man to eat. The thin man wolfed them down.
Coyote climbed higher and higher. He came to a strange, huge dark red lump, as big as a mountain. This thing contracted and expanded, making a noise like rushing water. It pounded rhythmically, sounding like a gigantic drum. It was so loud it almost busted Coyote’s eardrums. “This must be Terrible Monster’s heart,” it occured to Coyote. With his flint knife he cut the heart to bits. Terrible Monster’s body shook violently. It was like a strong earthquake. Then all was still. Terrible Monster was dead. At once there was light shining through nine gigantic body openings. Bones formed themselves up into skeletons. Skulls joined up with spines. The bones covered themselves with flesh, then with skin. All the dead people Terrible Monster had swallowed came to life again. They all shouted, “War honors to Coyote! He has saved us.” Then they streamed out into the sunlight through Terrible Monster’s nine body openings. They left in huge crowds. Coyote recognized Thin Man waving to him. He was no longer thin. He had put on weight. He looked plump and strong. He laughed. Coyote said: “Let’s get out of here!” They left through the opening underneath Terrible Monster’s tail.
THE SEVEN DEVILS MOUNTAINS
{Nez Percé}
The Seven Devils Gorge, or Hell’s Canyon of the Snake
River, forms part of the boundary between Oregon and
Idaho. On the Idaho side of the gorge, which is said to be
the deepest canyon on the North American continent,
seven high peaks stand in a semicircle. They are called the
Seven Devils Mountains. The Blue Mountains are in
eastern Oregon and Washington.
Long, long ago, when the world was very young, seven giant brothers lived in the Blue Mountains. These giant monsters were taller than the tallest pines and stronger than the strongest oaks.
The ancient people feared these brothers greatly because they ate children. Each year the brothers traveled eastward and devoured all the little ones they could find. Mothers fled with their children and hid them, but still many were seized by the giants. The headmen in the villages feared that the tribe would soon be wiped out. But no one was big enough and strong enough to fight with seven giants at one time.
At last the headmen of the tribe decided to ask Coyote to help them. “Coyote is our friend,” they said. “He has defeated other monsters. He will free us from the seven giants.”
But Coyote really did not know what to do. He had fought with giants. He had fought with monsters of the lakes and the rivers. But he knew he could not defeat seven giants at one time. So he asked his good friend Fox for advice.
“We will first dig seven holes,” said his good friend Fox. “We will dig them very deep, in a place the giants always pass over when they travel to the east. Then we will fill the holes with boiling liquid.”
So Coyote called together all the animals with claws—the beavers, the whistling marmots, the cougars, the bears, and even the rats and mice and moles—to dig seven deep holes. Then Coyote filled each hole with a reddish-yellow liquid. His good friend Fox helped him keep the liquid boiling by dropping hot rocks into it.
Soon the time came for the giants’ journey eastward. They marched along, all seven of them, their heads held high in the air. They were sure that no one dared to attack them. Coyote and Fox watched from behind some rocks and shrubs.
Down, down, down the seven giants went into the seven deep holes of boiling liquid. They struggled and struggled to get out, but the holes were very deep. They fumed and roared and splashed. As they struggled, they scattered the reddish liquid around them as far as a man can travel in a day.
Then Coyote came out from his hiding place. The seven giants stood still. They knew Coyote.
“You are being punished for your wickedness,” Coyote said to the seven giants. “I will punish you even more by changing you into seven mountains. I will make you very high, so that everyone can see you. You will stand here forever, to remind people that punishment comes from wrongdoing.
“And I will make a deep gash in the earth here, so that no more of your family can get across to trouble my people.”
Coyote caused the seven giants to grow taller, and then he changed them into seven mountain peaks. He struck the earth a hard blow and so opened up a deep canyon at the feet of the giant peaks.
Today the mountains are called the Seven Devils. The deep gorge at their feet is known as Hell’s Canyon at the Snake River. And the copper scattered by the splashings of the seven giants is still being mined.
PART TWO
UP TO NO GOOD
COYOTE TAUNTS THE GRIZZLY BEAR
{Kutenai}
This is a typical rendition of a Kutenai story.
Coyote went along. There was a hill. He went up and saw Grizzly Bear eating there. Coyote thought: “I will play with him.” He said to him: “Grizzly Bear, Short Tail!” He hid behind the hill.
Grizzly Bear heard Coyote talking, calling him bad names. Grizzly Bear thought: “You are sure to say that again.” Grizzly Bear did not look.
After a while Coyote looked again at Grizzly Bear. He said to him: “Grizzly Bear, Left-Handed One!”
Then Grizzly Bear knew that Coyote was on the hill calling him. He pretended to eat again. He was looking without letting Coyote see it.
It was not long before Coyote looked over the hill at Grizzly Bear. He said to him: “Grizzly Bear, Small Eyes!” Coyote hid again.
Then Grizzly Bear ran. He pursued Coyote. It was not long before he looked over the hill again to say something to Grizzly Bear. Coyote said: “Grizzly Bear—” He stopped quickly in his speech. Coyote saw that Grizzly Bear was already coming right up to him. Then Coyote began to run away. He was pursued by Grizzly Bear. Coyote said: “Things that want to catch each other do not run fast together.” Then Coyote left him behind.
Coyote was going along. He turned in a circle and got up to Grizzly Bear from behind. Grizzly Bear was going along in the tracks of Coyote. Coyote he
ard him panting. He was getting near him. He thought he would catch up with him on the right side. Then Coyote jumped along his side. Then he jumped around on the left side of Grizzly Bear. Coyote went past. Grizzly Bear was going along, and Coyote did the same again.
Grizzly Bear thought: “Now I’ll catch Coyote. I’ll bite him.” Coyote jumped along on the other side. Then Grizzly Bear turned to the right side quickly to catch him, but again he could not catch him. Grizzly Bear went along a short distance and saw Coyote. He was going along tired. Grizzly Bear overtook him. Then Coyote was looking from one side to the other. His tongue was lolling. There was a big stone.
Coyote thought: “Now Grizzly Bear will bite me.” Grizzly Bear chased him around the stone. Then Grizzly Bear was about to catch him, and Coyote was out of breath. Coyote fell down there. He lay there for a time, and thought: “Why doesn’t Grizzly Bear bite me?” Then he felt something on his hands. He looked at it, and saw that he had his hands in the horns of a Buffalo Bull. He looked at the Grizzly Bear. He was standing by his feet. Coyote stood up quickly and ran after him. He spoke to him in the way a bull bellows. The bear trembled. Then Coyote knew that Grizzly Bear was afraid of him. He pursued him. The way Grizzly Bear had done, that way Coyote did to him. He also did the same. Grizzly Bear looked from side to side over his shoulders.
American Indian Trickster Tales (Myths and Legends) Page 4