deh.1922.2012.011.jpg
TAYTAY'S TALES
ELIZABETH WILLIS De HUFF
deh.1922.2012.016.jpg
During the long winter nights Taytay told tales to his little grandson.
deh.1922.2012.017.jpg
COPYRIGHT, 1922, BY
HARCOURT, BRACE AND COMPANY, INC.
Printed in the U.S.A.
deh.1922.2012.018.jpg
TO ANN, FRANCES AND JOHN DAVID, JR. WHO HAVE BEEN THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS
COLLECTION.
deh.1922.2012.019.jpg
TAYTAY'S TALES COLLECTED AND RETOLD BY ELIZABETH WILLIS DeHUFF ILLUSTRATIONS BY
FRED KABOTIE AND OTIS POLELONEMA
deh.1922.2012.020.jpg
deh.1922.2012.021.jpg
PREFACE
Taytay's Tales were collected for a little girl with an insatiable thirst for
"stories." The first ones were gotten by chance from the young Indian boy who
has kindly illustrated this collection. Ann enjoyed them so thoroughly that we
teased and cajoled other Indians into telling us other folktales, and so the
number and our joy in them grew. We think perhaps other little
children—and some grown-ups, too—may derive the same pleasure from
them, so we should like to share our stories. As mentioned above, the
illustrations have been sketched and painted by a seventeen-year-old Hopi boy
Fred Kabotie, whose Indian name is Na-kah-woh-ma (It
happens again and again like the sunrise), with the exception of a few of the
pen-and-ink sketches drawn by Otis Polelonema, another Hopi boy. Neither of
these boys has had any training in art. They have drawn and painted the pictures
according to their own conceptions of
deh.1922.2012.022.jpg
the stories. The dance pictures
all represent real ceremonies still celebrated yearly by the Pueblo Indians of
the Southwest. The medicine men's ceremony is "secret"; nobody is allowed to
witness it except the nearest relatives of the sick person upon whom they are
trying to work their charms.
As is always true with stories that are passed on orally from one generation to
another, these folktales must have been somewhat changed in the relating; but
judging from the accuracy of detail insisted upon when they were told to me, I
believe that the change has been very slight. To what extent, if any, they have
been influenced by the folklore of other countries and races, or the Indian
tales have influenced those of other races, I do not know. There is a marked
similarity between Little Red Riding Hood and Juanita, Marianita, the Cat and the Bear, and also
between Uncle Remus's Tar Baby and The Gum Baby; but the Indian relaters insist that these two tales were
told to them by their grandfathers, and they were "already then very old when my
grandfather heard them."
deh.1922.2012.023.jpg
PREFACE
It is interesting to compare the stories of the different pueblos, where the
Indians have intermarried among themselves for so many generations that each
pueblo is a distinct world unto itself. In Schatchen, a
book of myths collected from the Laguna Pueblo by John M. Gunn, the story The Coyote and the Horned Toad is almost identical with
The Fox and the Lizard, which was also gotten from
the Laguna Pueblo, but told by a different narrator.
In Charles F. Lummis's Pueblo Indian Folk-Stories, told
by the Indians of Isleta Pueblo (there are none from that source in this
collection), there are several incidents somewhat similar to The Coyote and the Fox, Deh-a, The Fox and the Skunk, Dy-yoh-wi and
His Eagle, The Fate of the Boy Witch, The Fate of the Witch Wife and The
Man-Eater. While these stories differ widely from the ones contained in
this volume, they show a decided relationship of origin.
The choice of the title was suggested by the fact that the Indian "Taytay" or
grandfather is usually the one who tells the stories to the children.
deh.1922.2012.024.jpg
PREFACE
In order to help mothers, and other readers of these tales-to-little-folks,
answer the question after question—almost ad infinitum—that such
little folks like to ask, I have added a glossary of explanatory notes.
I very much appreciate the kind criticism of Mrs. Mary Austin who suggests that I
make it clearer in these notes that "the tales are not nearly so cruel to the
Amerind mind as they seem to us. There is the same childlike spirit of fun
behind them that prompts children to snow ball one another, and play such pranks
as throwing one another in the creek. There is another item of primitive
psychology which renders the tales innocuous to the tribal mind, and that is the
idea of physical life, especially for animals, as a kind of masquerade,
something that can be put on and off at will. In the fox and coyote stories the
victim is continually being resuscitated by this magic power of putting on and
off his animal life, and there is no more cruelty in the idea than in the East
Indian idea of transmigration."
These Indians of the Rio Grande valley of New
deh.1922.2012.025.jpg
Mexico and the north central
mesas of Arizona are not only superstitious and fatalistic; but they are
believers in immortality of animal as well as human hearts, except when burned.
If a tale ends with the death of an animal its heart in new dress is simply
transferred to some other place, and not extermination but a great joke has
taken place—the primitive idea of fun-making.
I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness and express my thanks to the Indian men and
children who have kindly related these folktales to me. I have attempted to
write them in as simple and direct a manner as they were told; and Ann and I
hope that other little children may enjoy them as much as she does.
Elizabeth Willis De Huff
deh.1922.2012.027.jpg
CONTENTS
PAGE |
THE COYOTE AND THE FOX |
3 |
JUANITA, MARIANITA, THE CAT AND THE BEAR |
8 |
THE OLD LADY FOX AND THE OLD HEN |
14 |
THE COYOTE AND THE TURTLE |
18 |
THE FOX AND THE TURKEY |
22 |
THE ENVIOUS COYOTE |
25 |
MR. "GET-EVEN" COYOTE |
30 |
BUNNY COTTONTAIL AND THE CRANE |
33 |
THE MAN-EATER |
36 |
THE FOX THAT FLEW |
40 |
A WAR BETWEEN THE BIRDS AND THE ANIMALS |
44 |
THE FOX AND THE LIZARD |
46 |
THE ROBIN AND THE BEAR |
51 |
WHITE CORN AND HER SONS FIRE |
55 |
THE PINE-GUM BABY |
61 |
THE FOX AND THE INDIANS |
65 |
THE COYOTE AND THE BLACKBIRDS |
70 |
PAH-TAY AND THE WIND-WITCH |
72 |
MR. COYOTE AND TWO PRETTY GIRLS |
80 |
DEH-A |
83 |
THE CONCEITED ANT |
88 |
THE FOX AND THE SKUNK |
92 |
TEN LITTLE PRAIRIE DOGS |
95 |
THE BEE AND THE FOX |
98 |
deh.1922.2012.028.jpg
PAGE |
THE FOX AND THE MICE |
100 |
DY-YOH-WI AND HIS EAGLE |
105 |
THE THIEVING FOXES |
109 |
BUNNY RABBIT AND THE KING OF BEASTS |
112 |
THE LITTLE INDIAN BOY WHO WAS CHANGED INTO AN OWL |
116 |
THE FOX AND THE SHEEP |
119 |
WHITE CORN AND THE GRASSHOPPERS |
122 |
POH-VE AND PAH-DAY |
125 |
THUN-TSAY AND COHN-NAH |
132 |
THE MEADOW LARK AND THE FOX |
137 |
THE FATE OF THE BOY WITCH |
141 |
JUAN HALF-BEAR |
PART I |
149 |
PART II |
153 |
THE MAN FROM THE NORTH, THE GIRL AND THE TURTLE |
159 |
THE DEER AND THE COYOTE |
162 |
THE BOY AND THE PIG |
165 |
THE FOX AND THE CROWS |
168 |
THE RABBIT AND THE CROW |
170 |
THE FATE OF THE WITCH WIFE |
172 |
GREEN CORN, YELLOW CORN AND THE DANCING FOX |
183 |
A LITTLE CINDERELLA |
186 |
THE BOY, THE COYOTE AND THE MAGIC ROCK |
191 |
THE BAD LITTLE GIRL OF ACOMA |
194 |
GLOSSARY |
199 |
deh.1922.2012.029.jpg
COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE |
DURING THE LONG WINTER NIGHTS TAYTAY TOLD TALES TO HIS LITTLE
GRANDSON |
frontispiece |
THE FOXES CAME AND HAD A MERRY DINNER |
14 |
PO-KONG-WHO-YER AND PAH-LOONG AH-WHO-YER STOPPED RUNNING AND TURNED
AROUND |
38 |
MR. COYOTE DASHED OUT ON THE ICE BESIDE THE BLACKBIRDS |
70 |
THE MEDICINE MEN WERE DANCING WITH THEIR RATTLES |
78 |
THE INDIANS WERE HAVING A BIG KACHINA DANCE |
108 |
POH-VE SAW HIM COMING, SO SHE HELD HER HEAD DOWN |
130 |
MR. FOX CAME UP THE LADDER AND BEGAN DANCING ON THE ROOF |
184 |
deh.1922.2012.031.jpg
TAYTAY's TALES
deh.1922.2012.033.jpg
THE COYOTE AND THE FOX
(San Juan Pueblo.)
O-way-way-ham-by-yoh, which means long time ago, a fox felt very hungry, so he
went down into prairie-dog town and caught a fine fat prairie dog. Then he built
a fire of dry rabbit brush. When the brush had all burned up and left a pile of
coals, Mr. Fox took his prairie dog and covered him all up with the hot ashes.
That was the way he always roasted meat for his dinner. It required some time
for the prairie dog to roast, so Mr. Fox lay down and went to sleep.
Very soon Mr. Coyote came along. Sniff! sniff! he could smell meat roasting and
it smelt very delicious. He saw Mr. Fox fast asleep; so he slipped quietly over
to the pile of ashes, stuck his paw in and pulled out the prairie dog. He ran
behind a bush and ate all of the meat off, but he left the bones. Then he took a
bone and greased
deh.1922.2012.034.jpg
[illustration - Then he took a bone and greased the fox's mouth ] the fox's mouth all around with a greasy end of it. After that he put
the bones back under the hot ashes and ran away.
When Mr. Fox awoke, he could smell prairie dog grease. He licked his tongue out
and tasted grease all around his mouth. "Surely I have not eaten the prairie dog
while I was asleep. No, I feel too hungry; but where did this grease come from
on my mouth, if I did not eat him?" Mr. Fox was very much puzzled. He went over
to the ashes and caught hold of a prairie dog foot and pulled. Out came a long
leg bone without any meat on it. "This is funny," thought he.
Just then he spied some tracks in the sand. "Oho!" said he, "Now I understand it
all. Coyote-man
deh.1922.2012.035.jpg
[illustration - Mr. Fox leaning hard against the cliff ] has played a trick on me and eaten my prairie dog. I'll catch him
and kill him for this."
So Mr. Fox trotted off following the coyote tracks. He found the coyote by a high
cliff. Mr. Coyote saw Mr. Fox coming and he knew he was angry. He did not have
time to run away, so he just leaned against the cliff and called, "Oh, Fox-man,
come here quick and help me! Look up there, this cliff is falling! It will kill
us both!" Mr. Fox looked up. The clouds were passing over the cliff and made the
cliff look as if it were really falling Fox jumped quickly over by Mr. Coyote
and leaned against the cliff Just as hard as he could to hold it up. As soon as
Mr. Fox leaned on the cliff, Mr. Coyote jumped away. He made a big jump, just as
if the cliff might really fall on him.
"Hold the cliff up, Fox-man, while I go to get a stick to prop it with."
deh.1922.2012.036.jpg
Then Mr. Coyote ran away and left Mr. Fox leaning hard against the cliff.
Mr. Fox stayed there all day waiting for Mr. Coyote to come with the stick. Late
that evening he looked up and there were no clouds passing, so he could see that
the cliff was not falling. He knew that the coyote had played another trick on
him, so he was angrier than ever.
Again he followed the coyote tracks and found the coyote down by the river.
When Mr. Coyote saw Mr. Fox coming, he called:
"Oh, Fox-man, come quick and see what I have for you. I found a cheese and I
saved half of it for you; but it has fallen into the river. Look!"
And Mr. Fox looked down into the water. There was the reflection of the half-moon
in the water. It looked just like the half of a round cheese and Mr. Fox's mouth
began to water for a taste of it. He was very hungry.
"I wonder how I can get that cheese!" he said.
"I'll tell you how. Let me tie the end of this
deh.1922.2012.037.jpg
rope"—for
Mr. Coyote had a rope all ready—"around your tail and tie the other end to
this big stone. Then you can jump into the river and get the cheese. When you
have got hold of it, call me and I will pull you out."
Mr. Fox thought that was a good scheme, so he let Mr. Coyote tie the rope around
his tail and around the stone. Then Mr. Fox jumped into the river with a big
splash.
As soon as he did, Mr. Coyote threw the stone in after him, and if the rope had
not slipped off of Mr. Fox's tail when it got wet, that would have been the end
of poor old Mr. Fox.
deh.1922.2012.039.jpg
JUANITA, MARIANITA, THE CAT AND THE BEAR
(San Juan Pueblo.)
O-way-way-ham-by-yoh, the meaning of which you already know, an Indian man and
woman had two daughters, Juanita and Marianita. Juanita was older than
Marianita, so whenever their father and mother went to a fiesta—that is, a kind
of picnic and dance—they always took Juanita and left Marianita at home with the
cat.
One day the father and mother and Juanita went to a fiesta to stay all day and
all night. That afternoon when Marianita was cutting up meat to make a stew for
her supper, the cat sat down beside her and begged for some of the meat. She
gave him some; then she got him some water; she stroked his fur; and she did all
sorts of nice things for him.
That evening when it began to grow dark Marianita was
deh.1922.2012.040.jpg
afraid; for there
was no one in the house with her, you know, but the cat.
"Don't be afraid," said the cat, "You fasten the door and the windows tight and I
will take care of you."
So Marianita locked the door and fastened the windows.
That night a bear came to the door and knocked. The cat peeped out through a
crack to see who was knocking. He saw the bear—for cats can see at
night—so he called out: "I am sorry we cannot open the door for you,
Bear-man, but we are busy making a fire."
The bear waited a while and then knocked again. But the cat said, "We are making
bread now, so we cannot open the door."
The bear waited and knocked a third time. "Open the door. I have presents for
you." This time the cat called, "I am sorry but we are baking the bread and we
cannot open the door."
The bear grew tired of waiting. He tried to break the door down but it was too
strong so he
deh.1922.2012.041.jpg
[illustration - She dressed the cat up in a pretty little dress ] started away. Just then the cat opened the door and jumped out upon
the bear's back. It startled the bear so, that he dropped the bundle of
presents. The bundle fell open and the most beautiful jewelry and dresses and
fine things that Marianita had ever seen fell out.
The bear was so frightened that he ran away and Marianita went out and gathered
up all of the beautiful things. She dressed the cat up in a pretty little dress
and some beaded shoes, that just fitted him. Then she dressed herself in a new
dress and put on all of the jewels. When the father, mother and Juanita came
home next morning, the cat ran out to meet them. They were surprised to see his
dress and shoes and wondered what had happened. He told them, but they could not
understand him. He told them again and they still did not understand so they
went into the house in a hurry to sec what the cat meant. They were so pleased
to see Marianita looking so fine that they hugged her up tight.
deh.1922.2012.042.jpg
"Where did you get these lovely things?" And Marianita told them all about the
bear.
The next time the Indians had a fiesta, Juanita let Marianita go with their
father and mother. She wanted to stay at home, so that the bear could bring her
some pretty things.
That afternoon, when Juanita was cutting up meat for her stew, the cat sat
beside her and begged for some of the meat; but Juanita would not give him any.
Instead she struck at the cat with her knife and treated him mean.
The cat climbed up on the window and went to sleep. When it grew dark and Juanita
began to feel afraid at "being all alone, the cat pretended to still be asleep.
He did not say anything to her about the door and windows and Juanita did not
think to fasten them.
That night when the bear came to knock on the door, he found the door unlocked,
so he walked right into the house. Juanita thought he had come to bring her some
fine clothes, so she said, "Good-evening,"
deh.1922.2012.043.jpg
[illustration - Juanita talking to the bear ] Bear-man, won't you have a seat?" and the bear sat down
beside her.
"What makes your feet so big, Bear-man?"
"To walk the faster, little one."
"Well, what makes your nose so long?"
"To scent the keener, little girl."
"And what makes your ears so big?"
"To hear the better, my dear."
"What makes your eyes so bright?"
"To see the farther."
"What makes your teeth so long?"
"To eat you up."
And the bear ran away with Juanita to eat her up.
deh.1922.2012.044.jpg
But when the cat saw how Marianita grieved for her sister, he ran to the Bear's
den; jumped on the back of the Bear's head; scratched out his eyes and took
Juanita back home again.
deh.1922.2012.045.jpg
THE OLD LADY FOX AND THE OLD HEN
(Nambé Pueblo.)
Once upon a time there lived near Nambé, an old Lady Fox and an old Hen.
This old Lady Fox lived in a cliff and the old Hen lived in a hut nearby. Of
course, they appeared to be friendly; but at the same time, old Mrs. Fox was
jealous of Mrs. Hen, because the hen was more industrious than she was, and she
often thought what a delicious dinner Mrs. Hen would be. Each of them had six
children.
One day Mrs. Hen decided to give a dinner party for her friend Mrs. Fox and the
little foxes. She killed all of her own children but one. This one she kept to
run errands for her. Then she put her chicks on to boil and made a big pot of
chicken stew. Afterward she made a delicious corn meal pudding.
The foxes came and had a merry dinner. Please
deh.1922.2012.046.jpg
[illustration -
The foxes came and had a merry dinner.
]
deh.1922.2012.048.jpg
[illustration - Then all of her chickens came out of the water ] put all of the chicken bones back into the dish when you finish,"
politely asked Mrs. Hen; "and please you go, my little chick, into the next room
and bring me my magic rod." The little chick hurried back with the rod. Mrs. Hen
took it and struck herself across the nose. Instantly an empty dish was full of
piñon nuts for dessert, which the greedy foxes soon devoured.
"Come with me now to the river," invited Mrs. Hen.
There she threw the chicken bones into the water and at the same time, she threw
in some sacred corn meal as she repeated an Indian prayer, "Pee-pee sah-key, my
children come out of the water." Then all of her chickens came out of the water
safe and sound. All this time old Lady Fox watched her friend very closely; for
she intended to do just as Mrs. Hen had done, when she returned the dinner
party.
deh.1922.2012.049.jpg
The very next week Mrs. Fox invited Mrs. Hen and her baby chicks to dinner.She
killed all of her baby foxes for a stew. She even forgot to leave one to help
her.She cooked the stew only half done and made a soggy corn meal pudding. When
Mrs. Hen and her chicks arrived, they could only eat part of the dinner; for it
was so poorly cooked.
"Put the bones back into the dish," said Mrs. Fox.
Then she got a stick and struck herself across the nose, as Mrs. Hen had done, to
fill the dish with pinon nuts; but no nuts came. Instead she struck herself so
hard that the blow made her nose bleed. Mrs. Hen and her chicks wanted to laugh;
but they did not dare. They had to look down and hold their breath to keep the
laugh inside.
"Now we shall go down to the river," said Mrs. Fox. And down at the river she
threw the little fox bones into the water, and called her children just as she
had seen Mrs. Hen do; but the little foxes did not appear. She called and
called; and
deh.1922.2012.050.jpg
finally she grew so angry at the chickens,
that she jumped at them to catch them and eat them up. But Mrs. Hen and her
chicks were too smart for her. They jumped also and flew away. Old Lady Fox flew
into a rage; she screamed and rolled herself over on the ground; then she clawed
the ground until she wore her claws all off; and finally she bit rocks until her
teeth were all broken off. She had no babies, no claws and no teeth.
deh.1922.2012.051.jpg
THE COYOTE AND THE TURTLE
(Hopi, 2nd Mesa.)
Early one summer morning, once upon a time, when the ground was cool and damp, a
turtle crawled up out of his home in the river. He crawled along hunting things
to eat. He found so many good things that he crawled farther and farther away
from the river. He forgot all about old Father Sun, who would come peeping up
over the hills after awhile. If he had been a wise little turtle, he would not
have wandered so far away from home. River turtles have to keep themselves damp.
If they become too dry they cannot walk, and if the sun shines too hot upon
them, they die.
Now while this little turtle was trudging slowly along, the sun came up and shone
right down upon him. He turned around and started back to the river; but turtles
travel so slowly and the sun was
deh.1922.2012.052.jpg
[illustration - He climbed into a shady hole in a big rock ] so hot, that he could only get half way there. when he saw what
trouble he was in, he climbed into a shady hole in a big rock and began to
cry.
He cried so hard and so loud that a coyote, who was passing near by, heard him.
The coyote's ears were not very keen so he thought it was somebody singing.
I must find out who that is singing," said Mr. Coyote, "and get him to teach me
that song."
So Mr. Coyote peeped around the rock and found the turtle with big tears in his
eyes.
"Good-day," said Mr. Coyote, "that was a nice song you were singing. Won't you
teach it to me?"
"I was not singing," replied the turtle.
"I know you were, for I heard you and I want to learn your song. If you do not
teach it to me I will swallow you whole!"
deh.1922.2012.053.jpg
[illustration - Mr. Coyote threw the turtle into the river ]
"That cannot do me any harm," said the turtle, "for I have a hard shell that will
hurt your throat.
"Well, if you do not sing for me I'll throw you in the hot sun!"
"That cannot harm me either," said the turtle "for I can crawl under my
shell."
"Well then," said Mr. Coyote, "I will throw you into the river if you do not
sing."
"Oh, please Coyote-man do not throw me into the river. I might drown if you do.
Please do not throw me in!"
"Yes, I will!" and Mr. Coyote took up the turtle in his mouth and threw him into
the river.
deh.1922.2012.055.jpg
The little turtle swam out under the water where the coyote could not reach him.
Then he stuck his head up out of the water:
"Thank you very much, Coyote-man, for throwing me into the river. This is my
home. I had no way to get here. Thank you for helping me."
And old Mr. Coyote trotted away very angry.
deh.1922.2012.056.jpg
THE FOX AND THE TURKEY
(San Juan Pueblo.)
O-way-way-ham-by-yoh, long time ago, a fox went out to hunt. He had such a good
place to hunt in, for just north of his den was a stretch of woods, where wild
turkeys and many kinds of animals lived. He and Mrs. Fox had ben living on cow
sinews for many days, so he was hungry for something different to eat.
He hunted for a long time until he grew tired. When suddenly he found—what
do you suppose?—a big fat turkey. He was just ready to stick his sharp
teeth into the turkey to drag him to his den. when the turkey said; "Wait,
Fox-man, are you ill, you look very pale? You look as if you will faint. Don't
you want to take a nap? You lie down and go to sleep and I'll go down to your
house and tell Mrs. Fox to cook me for your dinner. Poor fellow, you look so
weary!" This made Mr. Fox really feel ill.
deh.1922.2012.057.jpg
[illustration - Then the turkey ran away ]
"That will be kind of you, Turkey-Man."
So the turkey started off towards the fox's den and the fox watched him until he
reached the door, then he lay down under a tree and went to sleep.
When the turkey reached the door of the fox's den, he knocked loudly.
"Who's there?", asked Mrs. Fox.
"Just a friend with a message for you."
"Won't you come in?"
"No, thank you, I am in a hurry. Mr. Fox asked me to come by to tell you that he
will be back soon. He is very hungry and wants you to cook him a mess of cow
sinews for his dinner."
And then the turkey ran away.
Mrs. Fox got busy and cooked some cow sinews. Very soon Mr. Fox came home
smacking his lips, He was so pleased to think what a delicious turkey dinner he
was going to have.
Mrs. Fox brought the dinner and set it on the
deh.1922.2012.058.jpg
table before Mr.
Fox. He bit off a big piece and began to chew.
"This is the toughest turkey I have ever tasted, said he. "It tastes more like
cow sinews than turkey to me. What is the matter with it?"
"Turkey!" exclaimed Mrs. Fox. "Why I have no turkey! These are cow sinews. Some
one knocked at the door this morning. He told me you were hungry and wanted me
to cook cow sinews for your dinner right away."
"Oh," groaned Mr. Fox, "that must have been the turkey!"
deh.1922.2012.059.jpg
[illustration - He pushed the five little coyotes in and shut the door ]
THE ENVIOUS COYOTE
(Hopi, 2nd Mesa.)
Once there was an old coyote with five ugly, snarling baby coyotes. They lived
near a deer, who had two pretty spotted baby deer, called fawns. One day Mrs.
Coyote said to Mrs. Deer: "How pretty your fawns are, Mrs. Deer. How did you
make the spots on them? I should like to make my babies spotted too."
"Oh, I smoked them with corn cobs. I made a fire of cobs in my house and as soon
as the house was full of smoke, I
deh.1922.2012.060.jpg
[illustration - Set out in a hurry for the deer's house ] shut my babies up tight in there and let them stay all night. Next day
they were spotted, as you see."
So Mrs. Coyote found a lot of corn cobs and built a fire with them in her den.
When it was full of smoke, she pushed the five little coyotes in and shut the
door tight.
Mrs. Deer took her fawns and set out in a hurry for the deer's house on a high
mountain near Flagstaff; for she knew what would happen to the little coyotes
and how angry the old coyote would be. She also knew that Mrs. Coyote had been
waiting for an excuse to eat her and her babies up.
On their way the deer had to cross a river. When they reached the river, the old
turtle-man, who always ferried people across, took them safely over on his back.
"Turtle-man, very soon a coyote will follow us and ask you to take her
deh.1922.2012.061.jpg
[illustration - Old turtle-man took them safely over ] across the river. Please keep her here as long as you can, so we may
reach the deer's house before she catches us and eats us up."
The next morning when the deer had almost reached the deer's house, old Mrs.
Coyote was back at her den opening the door to call her babies out. When the
door opened, the smoke blew in her face so thick that it almost blinded her.
"Come out, my beautiful spotted babies! We will eat up those spotted fawns some
day and then you will be the only pretty children here."
But the little coyotes did not come. Mrs. Coyote went in to sec why and she found
them dead. The smoke had smothered them to death. She was so angry that she ran
as fast as she could, following the deer's tracks to catch them and eat them up.
deh.1922.2012.062.jpg
When she reached the
river the old turtle-man was digging in the ground and singing a song.
"Hurry, Old Turtle-man, and take me across the river; for I have no time to waste
here!" yelled Mrs. Coyote. But the old turtle-man kept on digging until he had
finished his song. Then he took the coyote on his back to carry her across, and
when they reached the middle of the river, he pretended to cough and dropped
Mrs. Coyote off his back right down into the water. When she climbed up again on
Turtle-man's back she had to sneeze the water out of her nose and lick her wet
fur; so it took them a long time to get across the river. By that time the deer
were all safe in the deer house with other deer; and the only door to the house,
as you perhaps know, was a hole in the top.
Mrs. Coyote ran to the deer's house; climbed up on the roof and yelled down:
"Send that deer-woman with her spotted fawns up here!"
"Come down and get them if you want them," answered an old grandfather deer with
long horns. And then he stood right under the door.
deh.1922.2012.063.jpg
Down leaped Mrs. Coyote and fell right on Granddaddy Deer's sharp horns. His
horns made a hole in her side. Granddaddy Deer threw her onto the horns of
another deer; he threw her to another; and they tossed her until her body was
cut into pieces and she was dead.
deh.1922.2012.064.jpg
MR. "GET-EVEN" COYOTE
(Hopi, 2nd Mesa)
Just at the foot of Second Mesa, long, long ago, lived a water snake in a mud
hole. Not far away coyote lived at "Coyote Springs." They often passed each
other and grew very friendly.
"Come over to see me sometime, Snake-man," invited the coyote one day. "Come
tomorrow at noon when the Indians will all be in their houses and cannot see
you."
"With pleasure," replied the snake. So next day at noon the snake crawled down
into the coyote's den. His tail was so long that he had to coil it around and
around in order to get into the den, and when he did get in he took up all of
the room. Mr. Coyote had to get on the outside, and they talked to each other
with the snake in the nice warm den and the coyote outside in the cold. Mr.
Coyote did not like that very well, you may be sure.
deh.1922.2012.065.jpg
[illustration - The snake visits Mr. Coyote ]
"You must come to see me tomorrow at noon," said the snake as he left.
Now in order to get even with the snake and to push him out of his hole, as the
snake, because of his long tail, had pushed the coyote out, Mr. Coyote made a
long tail of ever-green branches and fastened it to his own tail. He tied it
with a hard knot so that it would not come off. At noon he went to return the
snake's call.
Mrs. Snake laughed and laughed when he saw Mr.
deh.1922.2012.066.jpg
[illustration - His long tail was on fire ] Coyote's new tail. It looked so funny that when Mr. Coyote started
home, Mr. Snake decided to play a joke on him. He slipped his flint stones out
of his pocket and set the end of the ever-green tail on fire. The boughs began
to crackle and make a noise. Mr. Coyote looked around to see what was the
matter. When he saw that his long tail was on fire, he quickly tried to untie it
from his own bushy tail; but the knot was a hard knot. He was so excited he
could not untie it. Then he became so frightened that he began to run. The
faster he ran, the bigger and closer the fire burned behind him; until it burned
all the way up to his bushy tail. Then his tail burned off, the fur on his body
caught fire and all of it burned off.
deh.1922.2012.067.jpg
BUNNY COTTONTAIL AND THE CRANE
O-way-way-ham-by-yoh a mother rabbit and her son Bunny Cottontail lived in a hole
in Prairie-dog-town. One day Bunny Cottontail slipped away from home in search
of something to eat. We hopped away across the hills, and across a deep arroyo.
An arroyo is a deep dry ditch in dry weather; but whenever it rains the water
rushes down the arroyo and makes it a deep river. Now when Bunny Cottontail
hopped across the arroyo it was dry; but after he got across, the rain fell very
hard and fast. You have seen how hard it can rain, sometimes, and how fast the
water runs down the ditches. Well that is the way it rained when Bunny
Cottontail hid under a sage brush bush to keep himself dry. He was so
frightened, that as soon as the rain stopped falling he started back home as
fast as he could run. But when Bunny Cottontail reached the arroyo he could not
get across. It had turned into a big river.
deh.1922.2012.068.jpg
[illustration - The crane took Bunny Cottontail on his back and crossed the river ]
Poor Bunny Cottontail was cold and hungry. He wanted to go home to his mother. He
was beginning to cry when a crane came along. The crane was walking in the water
catching fish. He can take me across, thought Bunny Cottontail.
"Good afternoon, Uncle Crane," said Bunny Cottontail, "my mother was talking to
me just yesterday about you. She says you are my uncle and belong to our tribe.
I am so glad to meet you. Won't you please take me across the water so that I
can run and tell my mother I have seen you?"
Now whenever two animals belong to the same tribe they have to help each other
when either one
deh.1922.2012.069.jpg
gets into
trouble. If the crane really belonged to Bunny Cottontail's tribe, of course he
had to take him across the arroyo. So the crane took Bunny Cottontail on his
back and crossed the water.
When they got across, Bunny Cottontail jumped down off the crane's back, ran up
the steep little hill and called back to the crane:
"You are not my uncle. I just told you that to get a ride across the water."
And Bunny Cottontail ran home as fast as he could to keep the crane from catching
him and giving him the spanking he deserved.
deh.1922.2012.070.jpg
THE MAN-EATER
(Hopi, 2nd Mesa)
Once upon a time, long, long ago, Grandmother Spider lived in a little Indian
village, called a Pueblo. She lived with her two little grandsons,
Po-kong-who-yer (youth) and Pah-loong-ah-who-yer.
Grandmother Spider was friendly with the fairies and with the sun-god and with
the moon-man and all of the animals. She used to talk to them and they helped
her to do many things. She did so many things, which the other Indians did not
understand, that they called her a witch and drove her with her two little
grandsons outside of the village. Outside she built a little mud house where she
and her little grandsons lived happily; for thc fairies and the kind old Sun-God
brought them food to eat.
Soon after the Indians drove Grandmother Spider out of their pueblo, a huge
Man-Eater came
deh.1922.2012.071.jpg
[illustration - The Indian Chief makes presents to Grandmother Spider's grandsons ] to live near there. Whenever the men went out to hunt game, or to
gather wood; and whenever the women or children went to fill their jars with
water, the Man-Eater caught them and swallowed them alive. The poor Indians
began to cry and to sing songs while they beat sad music on their drums. They
did not know what to do! If they stayed inside the pueblo where there were no
corn fields, no buffalo, no deer, no rabbits and no squashes, they would surely
starve to death; and
deh.1922.2012.072.jpg
if they went outside the
village the Man-Eater would swallow them alive.
One day the Indian chief remembered what wonderful things Grandmother Spider
used to do before the Indians drove her from the pueblo; so he decided to take
presents to her to see if she could not help them out of their trouble, and
drive the Man-Eater away. The next day he made a ball and two little bows and
arrows. He took them out to Po-kong-who-yer and Pah-loong-ah-who-yer.
When old Grandmother Spider saw the arrows, she was pleased and she asked the
kind fairies to rub magic on them, so that the arrows might kill all things that
harmed her little boys.
That same afternoon Po-kong-who-yer and Pah-loong-ah-who-yer, with their bows
and arrows slung over their shoulders, were playing with their ball outside
their mud-house. One of them threw the ball too high for the other to catch and
it bounced away off over the prairie. They both ran after it as fast as they
could. Each one was trying to see who could get the ball first. They did
deh.1922.2012.073.jpg
[illustration -
Po-kong-who-yer and Pah-loong-ah-who-yer stopped
running and turned around.
]
deh.1922.2012.075.jpg
not know until too late
that they were running right up to the spot where the Man-Eater was. They
stopped running and turned around, but before they could get away, the Man-Eater
opened his big mouth and swallowed them down. And down there in the Man-Eater's
stomach they found all the other people he had swallowed still living and crying
to get out.
Po-kong-who-yer and Pah-loong-ah-who-yer drew their bows and shot their magic
arrows right through the Man-Eater's heart. The Man-Eater opened his mouth and
yelled, just like thunder, and then he fell over dead.
"Po-kong-who-yer and Pah-loong-ah-who-yer and all of the people inside him came
out and returned to their homes.
All that night the Indians beat their drums fast and danced and sang their
happiest songs, for the old Man-Eater was dead and could not trouble them any
more.
deh.1922.2012.076.jpg
[illustration - Yah - ah - mé rooh - rooh, Yah - ah - mé rooh - rooh,
Up and down, we go— Up and down, we go—
She - ee - it - soot, sin - soot en - yeh en - yeh.
Our corn we grind, we grind for food, for food. ]
THE FOX THAT FLEW
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo) One bright sunny morning, some
quails were busily grinding corn and singing when Mr. Fox came along. What a
delicious dinner those quails will make, thought Mr. Fox.
"Good morning, Misses Quail," said he, "what a fine occupation for so pleasant a
morning. May I grind with you?"
"Certainly, Mr. Fox," replied the quails, "if you have any corn to grind."
"I shall find some," and Mr. Fox trotted away in search of corn. But he could not
find any anywhere.
deh.1922.2012.077.jpg
[illustration - He fell and spilled all his cedar berries ] He had to gather a basket of cedar berries instead.
While he was gone the quails decided to play a prank on him, so they put some
branches across his path. Mr. Fox did not see the branches, of course, so he
tripped, and down he fell and spilled all of his cedar berries. The quails
laughed at him and began to eat the berries.
"Stop!" cried Mr. Fox, "you cannot have my berries; but if you will help me pick
them up, I will give one to each of you."
So the quails helped him to pick up the berries and he ground them into meal.
It is time now to bake our corn cakes," said the quails, and they baked and ate
their cakes.
deh.1922.2012.078.jpg
[illustration - Mr. Fox was fitted with wings ]
"I am thirsty," said one, let us all fly up to the lake on the mountain top for a
drink."
"I cannot fly," moaned Mr. Fox, "please do not leave me."
"I tell you what we will do," suggested one of the quails, "we will each lend a
feather to make wings for Mr. Fox, so that he may fly with us.
Thereupon each quail lent a feather and soon Mr. Fox was fitted with wings. He
did not know just how to manage them. Indeed he was as clumsy as could be; but
he flipped and flopped until he finally reached the steep mountain top as soon
as any of the quails. For the quails were
deh.1922.2012.079.jpg
laughing so hard over
Mr. Fox's ridiculous efforts, that they could scarcely fly themselves.
After they had all had a drink from the lake, the quails took their feathers away
from Mr. Fox and pushed him down the mountain side. He fell on the rocks far
below and broke his leg. He went about limping the rest of his life and never
tried to catch another quail.
deh.1922.2012.080.jpg
[illustration - Then the birds all flew away to fight the animals ]
A WAR BETWEEN THE BIRDS AND THE ANIMALS
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo)
Once upon a time all the animals declared war upon the birds. Each held a council
of war to talk over what they should do.
A tiny black ant slipped into the animals' council and listened to their plans;
then he went to the birds and told them:
"The fox is to be war-chief of the animals and his tail is to be their signal. As
long as the fox holds his tail up, the animals are to go ahead and
deh.1922.2012.081.jpg
[illustration - Mrs. Bee lit on his tail and began to sting it ] fight; but as soon as the fox drops his tail down, the animals are to
run away."
The eagle was war-chief of the birds, so he sent a messenger to bring in the bee
to their council.
"Mrs. Bee," said the eagle, "please sting the fox's tail for us so that we may
win this war."
Then the birds all flew away to meet and fight the animals. The little bee went
and found the fox. The fox was leading the animals with his tail held up high.
Mrs. Bee lit on his tail and began to sting it.
She kept stinging and stinging until the fox could stand it no longer. He
dropped his tail down and ran away with all of the animals following him. And
the birds won the war.
deh.1922.2012.082.jpg
[illustration - Mo-ki, mo-ki, mo-o - ki. Mo-ki, mo-ki, mo-o - ki. Yow-nei ku-chin nei
Tra-la tra-la - tra-a - la. Tra-la, tra-la, tra-a-la. Hanging rock is here.
Yow - nei ku-chin-nei I - sin-nuh dal - la - ma. Unhum unhum.
Hang-ing rock is here A hap - py home for me. Unhum unhum. ]
THE FOX AND THE LIZARD
Down near the Indian village of Laguna, there is a big sandstone rock
over-hanging the roadside. Once upon a time a little lizard lived on the sunny
side of this big rock. She was a happy little lizard and sang songs all day
long.
One day a fox was going along the road and he heard the lizard singing:
Now everything nice or pretty that anybody else has, the fox immediately wants,
so he wanted the lizard's song. "I must get the lizard to teach me that song,"
so up on the rock he jumped to find the little lizard.
"Good morning, my friend," said the fox, "this
deh.1922.2012.083.jpg
[illustration - "Good morning my friend," said the fox ] is a beautiful day, and your song sounded so fine that I wish you
would teach it to me."
"With pleasure," replied the obliging lizard and she sang the song over and over
until the fox said he knew it.
"Thank you my friend," said he, "and now good-day, for I must be off to hunt my
dinner," and away he trotted down the road singing as he went, "Mo-ki, mo-ki,
mo-ki—."
He came to a small pond where a flock of wild
deh.1922.2012.084.jpg
ducks were feeding
on the grass seeds. He did not see the ducks, but they saw him and they flew up
suddenly out of the water flapping their wings and quacking. The noise
frightened the fox so much that he forgot his song. Try as hard as he might, he
could remember only the first part.
He went running back to the lizard's house on the big rock. "My friend, I have
forgotten the song you taught me; won't you please sing it again for me?"
The little lizard sang it again and once more the fox trotted down the road
singing:
"Mo-ki mo-ki mo-o-ki,
Mo-ki mo-ki mo-o-ki,
Hanging rock is here.
Hanging rock is here. A happy home for me.
Unhum unhum." But he had not
gone very far before a rabbit suddenly jumped across his path from behind a
bush. The rabbit startled him so that again he forgot the song he was
singing.
So a third time the fox went to find the lizard.
deh.1922.2012.085.jpg
This time he found
her asleep in the warm sunshine "I am sorry to disturb you, Miss Lizard, but I
have forgotten my song again and I want you to teach it to me once more."
But the sleepy little lizard did not answer.
"I will ask you four times to sing," growled the fox "and if you do not sing, I
will eat you up."
The little lizard kept her eyes closed and paid no attention to him. The fox
asked her four times to sing, and then he opened his big mouth and swallowed her
down.
The warm sun on the rock made the fox sleepy too, so he lay down and went to
sleep. While he was sleeping, the little lizard took a knife out of a pocket in
her skin, with which she removes her old skin for a new skin dress each year,
and she cut cut the fox's side until she cut a hole big enough to slip out
through. Then she took a sharp rock and put it inside the fox where she had
been. After that she took a piece of sinew thread from her pocket and sewed the
fox's side together again. Then she ran quietly home.
deh.1922.2012.086.jpg
[illustration - He fell into the deep water and drowned ]
All this time the fox was fast asleep. When he awoke he felt thirsty, so he
trotted back to the little pond for a drink. The stone in his side cut and felt
very uncomfortable; and when he leaned down to drink, it overbalanced him and he
fell, splash, down into the deep water and drowned.
deh.1922.2012.087.jpg
THE ROBIN AND THE BEAR
(Taos Pueblo.)
One winter, a long time ago, an Indian village called Taos was all covered with
deep, deep snow. The Indians could not find any flint stones to make a fire
with. They shut themselves up in their houses and were almost freezing to death;
when one day a little brown robin with a brown breast came flying over the
village. He was so cold that he fell in the plaza. The plaza is a big square
place in the center of the village, where there are not any houses nor any
trees.
A bear came along. "Pretty soon the Indians will all die from the cold and I'll
be ruler of all this country," said the bear.
"Not if I can help it," replied the robin. "I will save the Indians even if it
takes my life."
So the little robin flew away to the south. He found another Indian village where
they had a big
deh.1922.2012.088.jpg
[illustration - The bear came and blew his breath on the fire ] fire burning in the plaza. The robin picked up a piece of burning stick
and flew back to Taos with it. He guarded the little flame from the wind by
stretching his wing over it. When he reached Taos, he scratched a hole in the
snow with his feet, and put the burning stick into the hole. Then he flew away
and brought some twigs to put on it. Very soon the twigs began to burn and Robin
flew away for more. While he was gone the bear came and blew his breath on the
fire. He wanted to put it out so the Indians would freeze. And the fire did go
out all but a few little sparks.
When Robin came with the twigs he had to fan the sparks with his wings to make
the fire
deh.1922.2012.089.jpg
[illustration - But Robin kept fanning the flame with his wing ] burn again. "Burn, fire, burn for the freezing Indians!"
The fire burned and Robin flew away for more twigs.
As soon as Robin left, the bear came and blew his breath twice on the fire. The
fire almost went out again, and when Robin came back, he had to fan and fan and
fan it with his wing to make the little twigs catch fire and burn.
The third time Robin flew away for more twigs, the bear came and blew his breath
three times on the fire. This time the fire all went out except just one very
tiny little spark; and the bear said, "Now I'll be ruler of this country."
deh.1922.2012.090.jpg
But when the robin came back with his twigs, he fanned and fanned that little
spark with his wings. For a long time the little spark would not blaze. But
Robin kept fanning and begging, "Please, fire, burn for the Indians." All the
time he was fanning, the fire was burning his breast; but he kept on fanning
until the fire did burn, and burned too big for the bear to blow out.
The Indians saw a red light through their peephole windows. They looked out and
saw the fire with Robin still fanning it with his wing. Then the freezing
Indians all ran out; each took a piece of burning wood into his house and made a
nice warm fire inside.
Nobody thought of Robin—poor little tired Robin—except an old, old
woman, who was tired, too. She picked up the tired little bird and carried him
into her house. She put him by her fire to warm him; but it was too late. Tired
little Robin was dead. The old woman picked him up and found that his breast had
burned red. And since that time all the robins' breasts are red.
deh.1922.2012.091.jpg
WHITE CORN AND HER SONS FIRE
(San Juan Pueblo)
O-way-way-ham-by-hoh, old man Shrivelled Corn had a beautiful daughter named
White Corn. White Corn was a widow with two sons both named Fire. They all lived
together at San Juan.
Now Faint Star lived up in the sky, and was in love with the beautiful White
Corn. Every night Faint Star came to beg White Corn to go up and live with him
and be Mrs. Faint Star.
The Sun was in love with White Corn too, so every day he came to her house to beg
her to be Mrs. Sun.
But White Corn loved her old father and her little sons Fire, so she would not go
with either of them.
Faint Star grew tired of begging, so one night he slipped down to old man
Shrivelled Corn's house and stole White Corn away. He took her away up to his
house in the sky.
deh.1922.2012.092.jpg
When the Sun came next day, he found that White Corn had been taken away. "In
four days I'll meet that star," said the Sun, "and take White Corn away to live
with me."
Sure enough in four days the Sun took his peace pipe with some strong tobacco and
went to Faint Star's house. Faint Star said good-morning to the Sun and invited
him to sit down and tell what the Sun had come to see him about. They sat down
and the Sun took out his peace pipe and filled it with the strong tobacco. He
was accustomed to that strong tobacco, so when he look a puff on the peace pipe,
it did not hurt him at all. He passed the pipe to Faint Star for him to have his
turn at a smoke. But when Paint Star drew a puff of the strong tobacco smoke he
fell over dead. Then the Sun caught up White Corn in his arms and carried her
away to his house.
The two little Fire boys grew to be big boys and all the time they were wondering
how they could
deh.1922.2012.093.jpg
[illustration - Grandmother Spider cooking her dinner ] ever get their beautiful mother back again. They knew that the Sun had
stolen her to live in his house; but they did not know how they could reach the
Sun's house to get her away. Now that they were big the Fire boys decided to try
to get to their mother anyway. So they went East and climbed over the highest
mountain they could find, looking for a path to the Sun. While they were on top
of the high mountain they saw a tiny line of smoke coming from the valley below
them. They ran down to see from whence that smoke came. What do you think they
found? Why, old Grandmother Spider cooking her dinner of corn meal mush. Her
fire was made of tiny straws and her pot was no bigger than your thimble; but
she invited the Fire boys to sit down and share her dinner with her. The Fire
boys laughed:
"All of your dinner, Grandmother Spider, would not even be a taste for one of
us!"
"Never mind," replied Grandmother Spider,"
deh.1922.2012.094.jpg
you are
tired and hungry from your long journey and I bid you eat."
Just for fun the Fire boys dipped their fingers into the mush to taste it. It was
delicious and as fast as they ate it, more mush came into the little pot. They
ate and ate until they had a plenty; and when they finished, the little
thimble-pot was still full of mush.
"Now," said Grandmother Spider," you are ready to continue your journey and I
will help you get your mother White Corn back from the Sun."
She took from her pocket a long peace pipe, a buckskin bag of tobacco and a
little bag of medicine.
"Take these with you, Fire boys, and when you reach the Sun's house, fill the
pipe with tobacco and smoke it. But when you pass the pipe to the Sun for his
turn to smoke, drop this medicine into the pipe quickly. Now shut your eyes
tight and do not open them until you hear the Sun speak to you."
deh.1922.2012.095.jpg
[illustration - She took the Fire boys up on the web ]
The boys took the pipe, the tobacco and the medicine and then shut their eyes as
Grandmother Spider had told them. Then Grandmother Spider spun a web all the way
up to the Sun's house. She took the Fire boys up on the web and set them down at
the Sun's door.
"Good-morning, Strangers," said the Sun, "what do you wish at my house?"
The Fire boys opened their eyes.
"Let us smoke together," replied the Fire boys," "while we tell you our
errand."
So they all sat down to smoke. The Fire boys took out the pipe that Grandmother
Spider had given them and filled it with tobacco. Then each of them drew a long
puff from the pipe; but when they passed it to the Sun, they dropped in the
medicine, just as Grandmother Spider had told them to do. The Sun drew a puff
from the pipe and immediately he fell back fast asleep. All the
deh.1922.2012.096.jpg
earth and
everywhere grew dark. The Fire boys grabbed White Corn from the Sun's house and
ran outside. Grandmother Spider was there waiting.
"Shut your eyes quick, boys."
The Fire boys shut their eyes and when they opened them again they were safely
back in old man Shrivelled Corn's house with their beautiful mother White Corn
and the Sun was shining outside once more.
deh.1922.2012.097.jpg
THE PINE-GUM BABY
(Taos Pueblo)
A long time ago a beautiful river, that ran through the Indian village of Taos,
went dry; for no rain had fallen for months and months and months. There was no
water anywhere to drink, except in one little spring; and that little spring
belonged to a coyote.
One morning a rabbit passed by the coyote's spring. "Good-morning, Rabbit-man,"
said the coyote, "how are you getting along this dry weather? You must get very
thirsty."
"Oh no," replied the rabbit, "I get along fine. I have plenty of water, for I
drink the dew from the cabbage leaves."
"But suppose the drought takes all the dew from the cabbage leaves, then what
will you do?"
"I will find water somewhere else," replied the rabbit; and he hopped away.
Still there was no rain and everything was as
deh.1922.2012.098.jpg
dry as could be, except
the coyote's spring. The rabbit grew very thirsty; so four days later when the
coyote was away from home, the rabbit went to the coyote's spring and drank and
drank the water. Later in the day the coyote met him: "Good day, Rabbit-man, how
are you enjoying the dew from the cabbage leaves these days? Are you finding
very much?" And the coyote threw back his head and laughed.
"Oh, I am finding enough!", and again the rabbit hopped away.
The next day the rabbit waited until the coyote went out to hunt for his dinner,
then he went to the spring and drank and drank.
When the coyote came back home, he went to his spring for a drink. There was very
little water left in it. "Who has been taking my water?", he growled. And then
he saw rabbit tracks around the spring.
"So Rabbit-man has been stealing my water. That is why he is getting along so
well this dry weather. I shall have to put an end to him."
deh.1922.2012.099.jpg
[illustration - He grabbed the gum baby and pushed him into the water ]
So the coyote went out and found a piece of wood and cut out of it a baby animal.
Then he got gum from the piñon trees and smeared it all over the baby. He
put the gum baby beside the spring and hid himself in the bushes.
Very soon the rabbit came along for a drink at the coyote's spring. When he saw
the gum baby, he bowed and said, "Hello, what are you doing here?" But the gum
baby just sat still and said nothing. This made Mr. Rabbit angry.
"I say 'hello', and if you don't speak to me politely I'll push you into the
spring."
deh.1922.2012.100.jpg
The gum baby did not say anything. Mr. Rabbit grew so angry that he grabbed the
gum baby and pushed him into the water.
But the gum on the baby made the rabbit stick hard and fast to him; and when he
fell into the spring, Mr. Rabbit fell in, too, and got a good ducking that he
did not soon forget.
deh.1922.2012.101.jpg
THE FOX AND THE INDIANS
(San Juan Pueblo)
O-way-way-ham-by-yoh, a fox, was living near an Indian village when the chief of
the Indians died.
"Now I shall be chief of those people," said the fox; so he went to the village
and called a council of all the Indians. A council means a meeting of people in
a house; and the Indians' meeting house is the kiva. So
when all the Indians came into the kiva, the fox said to them, "I am going to be
your new chief." The Indians talked it over and said all right. But when the fox
left the council, the Indians changed their minds and decided that they did not
want the fox to be their chief.
They sent a messenger to the fox and told him that he could not be their chief,
for they had changed their minds about it.
deh.1922.2012.102.jpg
[illustration - It was the fox playing ]
The fox was sorry to hear the message, but he was determined to be chief of the
Indians.
So the fox went out and gathered sunflower stalks. He took them to his den and
began making flutes out of them. He blew on each flute that he made; and he kept
throwing them away and throwing them away, because he did not like the tone of
them. At last he made one that he liked, for it had a beautiful soft tone. He
put it carefully away in his den. Then he went to the Indian village and told
the Indians, "If I am not made your chief in four days, the water from the lake
will come up and drown you."
The Indians did not believe what the fox said. They held another council in the
kiva, and again sent word to the fox that he could not be their chief.
deh.1922.2012.103.jpg
[illustration -
Slowly
]
The fox then set to work and dug a tunnel—a long hole under the
ground—almost to the edge of the lake. He took his flute—the
sweet-toned one he had made from the sunflower stalk—and went into the
tunnel. There was just a little bit of ground between him and the water in the
lake.
Early the next morning an Indian went to the lake to get a jar of water. He heard
a flute song coming out of the lake. It was the fox playing, but the Indian
thought it was the water-god playing this tune:
The Indian ran back to the village and told the other Indians what he had heard;
but they did not believe him.
The next morning another Indian went to the lake for water. He heard the fox
playing on his flute in the tunnel. Again it sounded as if the water-god were
playing in the lake. This Indian
deh.1922.2012.104.jpg
went back and told
all the Indians what he had heard; but still they did not believe it was
true.
But on the third morning, the two Indians who had heard the music by the lake
asked many of the Indians to go down to the lake with them to listen for the
water-god's music. The Indians went down and they heard the fox playing again.
They all believed it was the water-god; so when they got back to the village,
they called a council. They told all of the Indians:
"We have heard the music of the water-god. The fox told us that if he were not
made our chief in four days, the water would come up out of the lake and drown
us. The water-god is playing his flute. What the fox said must be true. The fox
must be made our chief before tomorrow."
All the Indians agreed. They sent a messenger to the fox and told him to come and
be chief. But the fox pretended he did not want to come. He wanted all of the
Indians to come together to his den to invite him to be their chief.
That night the fox broke the ground away at the
deh.1922.2012.105.jpg
end of the
tunnel, right next to the lake, so that the water could run into the tunnel.
When the Indians awoke the next morning, they heard the water rushing under the
ground near them. They thought the water from the lake was coming to drown them;
for it was the fourth day and the fox had not been made their chief. They all
ran down to the fox's den just as fast as they could. They begged him, "Oh,
please, Mr. Fox, come and be our chief, so that we may not be drowned!"
"If you are quite sure that you want me for your chief, I'll come," replied the
fox.
"Oh, we are quite sure, quite sure, Mr. Fox!"
That was just what the fox wanted; so he went to the village with the Indians and
they made him their chief and he ruled long and well and wisely.
deh.1922.2012.106.jpg
[illustration - O - ye-kay-wa-bah. Pung-sah-sah. Pung-sah-sah Yah-gee-woo-nang-
Up - on the ice we jump and skate, jump and skate, Our red shoulders
gah-koo-woo Pi - yer-mong Pi - yer-mong ong - yes - suh - ru.
so pret - ty, Shin - ing, glow - ing now off we go. ]
THE COYOTE AND THE BLACKBIRDS
(San Ildefonso Pueblo)
A party of red-winged blackbirds were frolicking on the ice one winter day. They
were laughing, skating and singing and having the gayest time.
"Upon the ice we jump and skate.
It crackles under all our weight.
Our
red shoulders shine and glow.
And now together away we go.
Ong-yes-suhru."
And across the ice they skated together when they sang ong-yes-suhru.
Mr. Coyote heard their singing, so he trotted over to the ice.
deh.1922.2012.107.jpg
[illustration -
Mr. Coyote dashed out on the ice beside the
blackbirds.
]
deh.1922.2012.109.jpg
[illustration - The blackbirds flew away ]
"Let me skate with you, Blackbirds," he said.
"Oh, no one can skate with us who hasn't red shoulders," they answered. "You will
have to get a sharp stone and cut your shoulders so that the blood will make
them red, before you can skate with us."
So Mr. Coyote took a sharp stone and gashed both of his shoulders until the blood
ran out and stained them red.
"Now I have pretty red shoulders, too. Now I can skate with you."
"Oh no, not unless you can sing our song," they said.
Mr. Coyote tried to sing in his big deep voice; and dashed out on the ice beside
the blackbirds.
The blackbirds flew away. They knew that Mr. Coyote only wanted to catch them to
eat them up. And Mr. Coyote was so angry when they flew away, that he ran along
the ice clawing at the blackbirds' shadows, until his feet were torn and
bleeding and he had to give up the chase.
deh.1922.2012.110.jpg
PAH-TAY AND THE WIND-WITCH
(San Juan Pueblo)
Pah-tay was a little Indian boy who lived long, long, long ago. One night when he
was going to bed on his pile of pretty red and yellow blankets, he said to his
mother:
"Ye-ah, it is going to snow tomorrow. I will go hunting and kill you some
rabbits. Please put my quiver of arrows, my new bow that Tay-tay made me, and
some lunch by the door before you go to bed; for I shall leave early in the
morning."
Just like all other mothers, Pah-tay's mother did as he asked her. She put his
new bow and arrows against the door-post. She wrapped up some hard baked bread
in some corn husks for his lunch. She put this lunch beside the bow and arrows;
and right on top of it she placed a little bag made of buckskin filled with
corn meal. Ye-ah wanted Pah-tay to sprinkle a little sacred meal over all the
water he
deh.1922.2012.115.jpg
[illustration - Pah-tay wandered about killing rabbits ] passed, so that the Rain-God would give him luck and bring him safely
home again.
Next morning when Ye-ah awoke, the little bed on the floor next to her
blanket-bed was empty, She looked over by the door and the things she had placed
there were gone. She got up quickly and looked out of the little Peep-hole
window; it was snowing and the big round red sun was hidden. Pah-tay had already
gone out over the prairie to hunt rabbits. Quickly Ye-ah went into the little
room where outsiders were never allowed to go, and took some sacred corn meal
out of a jar. Sne dropped the meal into the center of a round pile of sacred
rocks; so that the good spirits would take care of her little boy out in the
snow.
For many hours Pah-tay wandered about in the snow storm killing rabbits. He
killed so many that they were hanging thick all around his belt.
deh.1922.2012.111.jpg
It had been growing dark and the snow had gotten so deep that it was difficult to
walk through it; but little Pah-tay had been so interested in his rabbits, that
he did not notice either the darkness or the snow until he had used his last
arrow.
Then he was ready to go home; but when he turned around all parts of the country,
being covered with snow, looked just alike and he did not know which way to go.
He went up on top of a little hill to look for a light. He knew that if he saw a
light it would come from a house.
Sure enough he saw a light. He went to the light, and climbed the ladder he found
beside the house. Then he called down through the open door, "Does a friend live
here?"
"Yes, a friend lives here, come down!"
Pah-tay climbed down the inside ladder to the floor, and an old woman roughly
caught his arm.
"I am glad you have come for I eat little children," she said, "and I am starving
for raw meat."
Poor Pah-tay began to tremble. He tried to pull
deh.1922.2012.112.jpg
his arm away
from the old witch, for that is what the old woman was, but she held him
tight.
"Aha, what is this you have here! Rabbits!", and the old witch began to smack her
lips.
"I shall eat these rabbits first and then I will eat you."
She pushed Pah-tay down into the corner and began to skin the rabbits. She ate
the rabbits one by one with her sharp teeth. Pah-tay tried to slip by her to run
away; but she pushed him back with her bloody hands. He watched her eat all of
the big pile of rabbits but two, and he shivered to think how soon she would eat
him.
"It is warm down here. I would like to go up and sit on the roof," he said. "No,
replied the witch, "I will not give you a chance to get away."
"But if I am too warm, I will not taste good."
"That is true; but you will taste better than no boy at all."
There was only one more rabbit!
"You tie all of your belts together," suggested
deh.1922.2012.113.jpg
[illustration - he women were grinding corn ] T Pah-tay," to make a strong rope, and then tie one end to my leg and
hold the other end while I go up on the roof."
The old witch agreed, so she made a rope of all of her belts. She tied one end to
Pah-tay's leg and he climbed up the ladder. As soon as he was up, he untied the
rope from his leg and tied it to the ladder. Then he whispered: "Little fairy in
the ladder, whenever the old witch calls me, please answer 'here I am'". And
then he climbed quickly and quietly down the outside ladder and ran up on the
hill to look for another light. He saw one and ran to it.
In the doorway of the house, Pah-tay found two men singing and beating a
drum.
"Please, let me in. An old witch is trying to eat me up and I want to hide."
The men let him in, and inside some women were
deh.1922.2012.114.jpg
[illustration - She changed herself into the north wind ] grinding corn on big stones. Pah-tay hid behind one of the stones.
All the while the witch was eating the last rabbit, she kept jerking the rope and
calling, "Are you there, little boy?" And each time the little fairy in the
ladder answered, "Here I am."
But the last time she jerked, the rope came untied. The witch looked up and did
not see Pah-tay. "He has run away, but I'll catch him," and she showed her sharp
teeth.
She turned around and around and changed herself into the north wind.Then she
went whistling after Pah-tay. She followed him to the house where the men were
singing. There she changed herself back from the wind to an old woman.
"Where is that little boy who came here a few minutes ago? I want him," she
wheezed.
"Go in," replied the men," and if you find him, he is yours."
The old witch went in and looked in all of the
deh.1922.2012.116.jpg
[illustration - Yoh - oh, yoh - oh, har - lo-chay. Tsay-ay-ay shun-ă po - yee - mah.
Yoh - oh, yoh - oh, har - lo-chay. He - yah, yah - lay, har-yah- see.
Es - say - ee, shah - er, poyee-yer-mah. ] dark corners.
When Pah-tay saw her coming towards the stone where he was hiding, he ran
outside again. He saw another light and ran to it. This light was in a kiva and
the medicine men were dancing inside with their rattles. Down into the kiva
climbed Pah-tay. He jumped into a hole in the big rattle of one of the medicine
men. He bumped around in the rattle with a funny noise; but the medicine men
kept on singing and dancing.
As soon as the old witch found that Pah-tay had left the house where the women
were grinding meal, she whirled around and changed herself again into the north
wind and followed him. She went down into the kiva to get him; for she had
changed into an old woman again. But the sound of the rat-
deh.1922.2012.117.jpg
[illustration -
The medicine men were dancing with their
rattles.
]
deh.1922.2012.119.jpg
tles confused her. She tried to climb the ladder to get out again, but before she
reached the top the rhythm made her fall back dead.
And Pah-tay went back home to Ye-ah.
deh.1922.2012.120.jpg
[illustration - He hid in the bushes and dropped the fruit down into the water ]
MR. COYOTE AND THE TWO PRETTY GIRLS
(Santa Clara Pueblo) Mr. Coyote was walking along the
river's edge one morning, when he saw two pretty young girls filling their water
jars from the river. He ran up into the mountains, collected all kinds of fruit
that grew there, and hurried back to the river with it. He hid in the bushes and
dropped the fruit down into the water near the two girls.
The girls were greatly surprised when they saw
deh.1922.2012.121.jpg
the fruit. Where
had it come from, they wondered. they looked all around and could see no one, so
they dipped up the fruit with their gourds and had a big feast.
When they went home with their water jars the girls told their parents; "Oh, Tah
and Ye-ah, we found the most delicious fruit in the river this morning. It was
floating all around in the water. But we ate it all up."
Their father and mother said, "Tomorrow you must bring some fruit home to
us."
The next morning when the girls went to the river with their water jars, there
was not any fruit m the water. "What shall we do? Tah and Ye-ah will think we
have been deceiving them and will punish us. What shall we do?"
Mr. Coyote, who had been awaiting them in the bushes, just laughed. Then he
trotted up into the fountains again and brought more fruit and dropped it
quietly into the water. Then he laughed to see how eagerly the girls dipped it
up with their gourds.
deh.1922.2012.122.jpg
The girls took the fruit home to their parents. It tasted so delicious that the
father said, "Tomorrow your mother and I will go for water so that we can get
the fruit."
So the next day the father and mother went down to the river with their water
jars. They looked and looked, but there was no fruit in the water. Mr. Coyote,
who had been waiting to see the pretty girls, saw them searching for fruit. He
rolled over and over with laughter and then he ran away still chuckling.
deh.1922.2012.123.jpg
DEH-Ā
O-way-way-ham-by-yoh, in the land of the Taos Indians, all of the tribe went out
in the forest to gather nuts. While they were there a young girl with a cruel
heart found a little baby boy. She did not tell anybody about the baby boy; and
she had no way to carry him home with her, so when they returned to the village
she left the little fellow in the mountains.
Ten years later a party of Taos Indians went up into those same mountains with
long bows and arrows to hunt deer. While they were slipping around quietly
behind the trees, they saw an old coyote with some little coyotes; and standing
beside them was a little naked boy ten years old. The Indians did not dare to
shoot at the coyotes for fear they might kill the little boy, so they jumped out
from behind the trees and tried to catch the boy. But he was too quick for them.
He could run faster than the coyotes, and they all ran into the coyote's den in
the side of the mountain.
deh.1922.2012.124.jpg
[illustration - He could run faster than the coyotes ]
The mother coyote had found that little baby and taken him to her den. She had
fed him and kept him all those years.
The Indians went back home and called a council of all of the tribe. They told
them about the little boy they had seen in the mountains.
"He belongs to our tribe, we must go up into the mountains and get him," said the
old chief.
So the warriors went up into the mountains. One warrior went to the mouth of the
coyote's den. The other warriors made a big circle around the place where the
little boy and the coyotes were, in order to try to catch him. The little boy
was so quick, he ran right through the circle and ran as fast as he could toward
his den-house; but the man there caught the boy in his arms and held him
tight.
It was so late that the Indians had to camp in
deh.1922.2012.125.jpg
the woods that night. They
made a big fire and roasted some deer meat for their supper. The little boy
would not eat any cooked meat. The Indians had to feed him raw meat just like
the coyotes had fed him.
When they got back home the Indians named the little boy Deh-ā, which means
"fox"; because he came from the woods. They put Deh-ā down into the cellar
of a house for a year to tame him, and all the Indians prayed that the Great
Spirit would give him magic.
Deh-ā had learned all the animal languages while he lived with the coyotes.
He knew all the signs of the weather—when it would rain and when it would snow.
When he heard the coyotes howl, Deh-ā knew there was danger from other
animals; and so he became a very wise little boy.
One day Deh-ā looked at the clouds growing dark all around the village. He
told the Indians it was going to rain for forty days and forty nights. He begged
them to pack up all the food they would need for forty days and to climb to the
top
deh.1922.2012.126.jpg
[illustration - All kinds of animals climbed the mountain ] of the highest mountain, so that the rain might not drown them.
Half of the Indians did not believe him and stayed at home. The other half took
food and climbed up the highest mountain they could find. When they reached the
top of the mountain, the rain began to fall and all kinds of animals climbed the
mountain too, until the top of the mountain
deh.1922.2012.127.jpg
was all covered with Indians and animals. The turkeys were the last ones to get
there. It rained so hard and so fast that water covered all of the low places.
It drowned all of the people who stayed at home and washed away their houses.
The water covered all of the trees, all of the hills and all of the mountains,
except the one where the Indians had gone with Deh-ā. It ran around the
mountain top so fast that it became covered with white foam, little bubbles, you
know—and the foam touched the tails of the animals that were on the lowest
ting around the mountain and those animals have white tips on their tails to
this very day.
deh.1922.2012.128.jpg
THE CONCEITED ANT
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo)
One winter morning when the ground was covered with snow, an ant came up out of
his house.
"Snow," he said, "I am the strongest thing in the world. I am stronger than
you!"
The snow made no answer, but he silently froze the little ant's feet.
"Oh, Snow, you are stronger than I, for you have frozen my feet and I have not
even made an impression upon you. Are you the strongest thing in the world?"
"No," replied the snow, "the sun is stronger than I am; for he can shine down
upon me and melt me."
Then the ant asked the sun: "Are you the strongest thing in the world, Sun?"
"Oh no, the clouds are stronger than I. When I am shining they come between me
and the earth and hide my face."
deh.1922.2012.129.jpg
[illustration - "When he catches me he will eat me up" ]
"Well, you, Cloud, are you the strongest thing in the world?"
"The wind is stronger than we are. It blows and drives us around wherever it
pleases."
So the ant asked the wind: "Are you then the strongest thing in the world,
Wind?"
"No, a house is stronger than I am; for when I am blowing, it turns me aside and
sends me on in another direction. A house is stronger than I."
"Then, House, you must be the strongest thing in the world?"
"You are mistaken, Ant, a mouse is stronger than I am, for he cuts holes in my
walls."
The ant found a mouse: "Are you, too, stronger than I am? Are you the strongest
thing in the world, Mouse?"
"Indeed no, the cat is stronger than I am. When he catches me he will eat me
up."
deh.1922.2012.130.jpg
The ant went to ask the cat, "Cat, are you the strongest thing in the world? The
mouse says you are stronger than he."
"I may be stronger than the mouse; but the poker is stronger than I am; for it
gives me hard licks sometimes."
Then the poker must be the strongest thing in the world, thought the ant; so he
went and asked the poker.
"No, I am not the strongest thing in the world," replied the poker, "for the fire
heats me and could melt me. The fire is stronger than I."
"Well, Fire," asked the ant, "are you the strongest thing in the world?"
"Water is stronger than I. It can put me out. Go ask Water."
So the ant asked the water.
"No, I am not the strongest thing in the world,' answered Water, "Ox can drink
me."
"Well, what about you, Ox?" asked the ant.
"Man drives me. He is stronger than I am.
"Then Man, you must be the strongest thing in
deh.1922.2012.131.jpg
the world. Even stronger than I am," said the ant.
"No," replied Man, "knife can cut me. He is stronger than I."
Finally the ant went to the knife: "Knife," he asked, "are you stronger than I
am? Are you the strongest thing in the world?"
"No, I am not the strongest thing in the world; but I am stronger than you are;"
and with that, the knife fell upon the ant and cut him into pieces.
deh.1922.2012.132.jpg
[illustration - The fox made a bag for the skunk ]
THE FOX AND THE SKUNK
(Santo Domingo Pueblo)
One day, once upon a time, Mr. Fox slipped into a watermelon patch and stole a
melon. He saw Mr. Skunk coming, so he ran and climbed a tree to hide and eat his
melon. But Mr. Skunk walked right under the tree and spoiled Mr. Fox's
melon.
"I shall get even with Mr. Skunk for spoiling my watermelon," said he; and down
he jumped from the tree. He was so angry that he ran up to Mr. Skunk to have a
battle with him. Very soon
deh.1922.2012.133.jpg
he found that he
could not whip Mr. Skunk, so he decided to make friends with him.
They walked along together for a short distance and then Mr. Fox looked up and
said: "It is going to rain. Let me make a bag to put you into, He threw big
rocks that hurt Mr. Skunk Skunk-Man, to keep you dry. I can find a hole
somewhere for myself." And the fox made a bag for the skunk. All the time he was
making it, Mr. Skunk was jumping around singing and dancing with joy. When it
was finished, Mr. Skunk crawled in and Mr. Fox tied him in and fastened him up
to the limb of a tree.
deh.1922.2012.134.jpg
Then the fox picked up a handful of pebbles and threw them over the bag, to make
the skunk think that it was raining. He took another handful of pebbles; then a
handful of larger rocks; and then still larger rocks, until he threw big rocks
that hurt Mr. Skunk.
"Ouch," he cried; but Mr. Fox threw bigger and bigger rocks until he had bruised
Mr. Skunk all over. Then he left him to get out the best way he could.
"Now," said Mr. Fox, "I can have all the watermelons I want and there is no one
to spoil them." And he trotted off for another melon.
But while Mr. Fox was selecting his watermelon, an Indian boy, who owned the
patch, came along and pierced him with his arrow. And to this very day Mr. Fox
carries the scar from that arrow in his right front shoulder.
deh.1922.2012.135.jpg
[illustration -
Quickly
Sair - rah - mah - dah - quee - quee, Sair - rah - mah -
"We will dance in safe - ty, We will dance
dah - quee-quee, Moo-cher-quee-quee Moo-cher-quee-quee.
in safe - ty, Who can harm us? Who can harm us?" ]
TEN LITTLE PRAIRIE DOGS
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo)
Ten little prairie dogs, one day, long time ago, started up out of their hole
with their drum. Their mother said: "Do not dance outside, my children, for if
you do an eagle will swoop down upon you and eat you all up."
But the ten little prairie dogs only laughed and went on outside to dance. They
sang as they danced:
Sure enough while they were dancing around the hole, an eagle came down and
swallowed them all.
deh.1922.2012.136.jpg
[illustration - An eagle came down and swallowed them all ] The last one she ate was the prairie dog with the drum and she
swallowed him drum and all.
Then the eagle went to get a drink of water. When she leaned down to drink, she
felt very queer and she could hear a drum beating. It was the ten little prairie
dogs dancing inside her. They danced so hard and made the eagle so sick that she
finally fell over dead. Then all of the little prairie dogs came out again and
ran home to tell their mother all about it.
deh.1922.2012.137.jpg
[illustration - "Let us see what a trap is like" ]
The next day the ten little prairie dogs started outside again to dance. "Do not
go out, my children," said their mother, "the Indians have set a trap for you.
They will catch you and eat you if you go outside."
But the little prairie dogs only laughed and went outside again.
Let us go and see what a trap is like," suggested one little prairie dog, so they
all started over the prairie in search of a trap. They found one and all got
caught in it. This time they never got back home to tell their mother all about
it; for the Indians roasted and ate them.
deh.1922.2012.138.jpg
[illustration - Sitting on a flower singing ]
[illustration -
Slowly.
Tse - ee - ee - ee Tse - ee - ee - ee ah - ă - ah tse - ee
I go buz - zing, I go buz - zing. Sip - ping flow - ers,
ah - ă - ah tse - ee Es - tse es - tse.
sip - ping flow - ers. I sip, I sip. ]
THE BEE AND THE FOX
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo)
A bee was sitting on a flower singing happily one day:
when a fox passed by.
"Why are you singing so happily, Mrs. Bee?" asked the fox.
"Because I am making honey," answered she, " and honey is sweet enough to make
anybody happy. Would you like to taste my honey, Mr. Fox?"
Then Mrs. Bee put her foot on Mr. Fox's tongue and gave him a taste of her honey.
deh.1922.2012.139.jpg
[illustration - He sat down and began to pound his feet ]
"That is the best thing I have ever tasted. How do you make it, Mrs. Bee? I want
to make some myself."
Mrs. Bee laughed and said, "I get it from my feet by pounding them with a stone.
At first when I strike them, blood comes; but beneath the blood is honey, so I
keep pounding them until the blood has all come out and then I get the
honey."
Mrs. Bee laughed again and flew away buzzing.
Mr. Fox found a big stone. He sat down and began to pound his feet. It hurt him
very much, but he wanted some honey; so he kept pounding and the blood kept
coming. He pounded his hind feet entirely away and still there was no honey.
He knew then that the bee had tricked him. He was so angry that he wanted to
pound her into pieces with that same stone; but the little bee had wisely flown
so far away that Mr. Fox could never find her.
deh.1922.2012.140.jpg
[illustration - Schkoo-weh-nyee - see - chuss - ter.
Sip, sip High, high. ]
THE FOX AND THE MICE
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo) A long, long time ago a fox
went to sleep on a sunny slope. While he was asleep four little mice pulled all
of his hair out. They sang as they worked, "The fox is dead. Hoo-ray, hoo-ray,
hoo-ray!"
When he awoke and found his hair all gone, Mr. Fox was very angry. He saw the
mice tracks and followed them to their hole. There he met the first little
mouse.
"Who pulled all of my hair out?" angrily asked Mr. Fox.
"My brother did, not I," said the little mouse, and he ran away to the north.
Mr. Fox dug down into the mice's home until he found the second little mouse:
deh.1922.2012.141.jpg
"Who pulled my hair out?"
"Not I, my brother did," replied the second little mouse and he ran away to the
south.
Mr. Fox dug deeper until he came to the third little mouse:
"Tell me who pulled all my hair out?" thundered Mr. Fox; for he was growing
madder all the time.
"I didn't pull it out," answered the third little mouse, "my brother did," and he
ran away to the east.
And so Mr. Fox dug farther down to where the fourth little mouse was.
"Did you pull all my hair out?"
"No sir, not I. It was my brother," and that little mouse ran away to the
west.
Mr. Fox kept on digging until finally he found all of his hair lying at the
bottom of the mice's home. He wanted to kill the mice; but they had all run
away. So Mr. Fox took his hair out. He gathered some gum from a pinon tree and
spread it over a flat stone. Then he put his hair on the gum and lay down with
his back on the stone, to try
deh.1922.2012.142.jpg
[illustration - He lay down with his back on the stone ] to rub his hair on again. He thought the gum would glue his hair onto
him; but instead, it glued the stone hard and fast to his back. Everywhere he
went he had to carry the heavy stone.
He looked so funny without any hair and with a stone on his back that when he met
another fox. the other fox rolled over and over with laughter.
"You need not laugh, Brother Fox. Instead, you had better wish that you were in
my place. I am carrying this stone to the beautiful daughter
deh.1922.2012.143.jpg
of the Indian chief
at Zuni for a bread stone. She has promised to reward me for it."
"Oh please let me help you carry it," begged the other fox.
"I would not let you if I were not tired," replied the first fox, "but since I am
tired, I think I will let you help me."
So the second fox took the stone off of the first fox's back and put it on his
own back. And there it stuck hard and fast, while the first fox ran away
laughing.
The second fox went along toward Zuni until he found a third fox.
"I am taking this stone to the Zuni chief's beautiful daughter in exchange for a
reward. She wants it for a bread stone," said he to the third fox; "Would you
not like to help me for I am growing weary?"
"Indeed I should," and the third fox took the stone and put it on his back. And
there it stuck hard and fast. This time the second fox ran away laughing.
deh.1922.2012.144.jpg
[illustration - The dogs almost caught him ]
Then the third fox went on toward Zuni until he met a fourth fox.
"Good-day, Brother," said the third fox, "I am very tired. Can you tell me how
far it is to Zuni; for I am carrying this stone to the Indian chief's beautiful
daughter and she will give me a reward for it?"
"Oh, it is not far. Let me help you," said the fourth fox; for he wanted the
reward, too.
So the fourth fox took the stone and it stuck hard and fast to his back. The
third fox trotted away laughing.
When the fourth fox reached Zuni, the dogs ran out and chased him. The stone was
so heavy on his back that the dogs almost caught him. For many days he wore that
stone around on his back until finally the gum wore away and the stone fell
off.
deh.1922.2012.145.jpg
[illustration -
Slowly
I - ee-nigh - oh I - ee-nigh - oh I - o Dy - yoh-wi Ee-nigh-oh.
I am sad - o, I am sad - o. Why Dy - yoh - wi why do you go. ]
DY-YOH-WI AND HIS EAGLE
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo)
Once upon a time an Indian boy, Dy-yoh-wi, had an eagle. When Dy-yoh-wi went out
to hunt rabbits and other small animals for food for his eagle, the people in
the village were mean to the eagle. They treated it so unkindly that the eagle
grew unhappy. One day he said to Dy-yoh-wi: Go put on your war clothes and I
will take you up to live among the eagles. It is pleasanter up there than
here."
Dy-yoh-wi did not like to leave his people; but the eagle insisted, so he did as
he was bid. Then the eagle took him on his back and flew four times around the
plaza. While they were flying around, Dy-yoh-wi cried and sang for he felt so
sad:
deh.1922.2012.146.jpg
[illustration - The eagle took him on his back ]
The people heard him singing. They came out of their houses in time to see the
eagle fly away to the cliffs with him. When his father and mother heard what had
happened, they wept and moaned.
Dy-yoh-wi was not very happy, either, up among the eagles. His eagle did
everything to make him happy. He took Dy-yoh-wi to visit in all the other
eagles' houses. He flew down among the Navaho Indians and brought back clothes
and skins for him; but still Dy-yoh-wi was homesick.
Two spiders saw that he was sad, so they took
deh.1922.2012.147.jpg
[illustration - The spiders pulled all the hairs out ] him down on their web one day to their home in the valley. While he
was there he hunted deer to the north, the south, the east and the west. He ate
and ate and then saved some of the meat for his eagle. The spiders spread the
skins out in the sunshine and pulled all of the hairs out of them. Then they
told Dy-yoh-wi that when he left the cliff he should stick a needle through the
skins and see what he could make. That was the way they taught Dy-yoh-wi that he
could make clothes and shoes out of buckskin; for the Indians had not known the
use of buckskin before.
But Dy-yoh-wi was not happy with the spiders either, so the eagle came down and
took him up again to his home on the cliffs.
You cannot be happy here, Dy-yoh-wi," said the eagle to him one day," and I
cannot be happy with your people, so now I will let you go home and you must let
me stay here."
So Dy-yoh-wi took all the things that the eagle
deh.1922.2012.148.jpg
had gotten for
him from the Navahos, and all of his deer skins and tied them in a bundle on his
back. Then the eagle took him to the bottom of the cliff and he walked home.
His people saw him coming and ran to tell his father and mother. They all rushed
out to meet him and there was great rejoicing over Dy-yoh-wi's return.
Dy-yoh-wi grew to be a great man. He taught his people how to make clothes and
moccasins of buckskin and never again caught another eagle.
deh.1922.2012.149.jpg
[illustration -
The Indians were having a big Kachina dance.
]
deh.1922.2012.151.jpg
[illustration - I high - ee - he I - high - ee - he Oo-mung-ah-ming
Clouds are com - ing rain is com-ing near. O, come be-hold.
You - oo - young-ung Ee - kee - nee - ee Bye - you - ee - oh
Heav - y the clouds Rain is fall - ing Re - joice peo - ple
Oh-moh-wah - der Ah-bay-o - u - ee Ha - ha-we-ma-ning.
Dance and sing and sing, Heav-y are the clouds, Rain is fall - ing. ]
THE THIEVING FOXES
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo)
Once upon a time the Indians were having a big dance, because they had gathered
much corn and many squashes and other things to eat; for the Rain-God had been
very kind and sent many showers to make things grow. They were singing and
taking music with the dried shoulder blades of sheep.
A fox on top of the high mesa beside the valley saw them dancing. He howled and
howled in all directions. Blue foxes ran to him from the
deh.1922.2012.152.jpg
[illustration - They made a long chain down the steep cliff ] east; yellow foxes came from the west; gray foxes from the north; and
black foxes from the south.
"Brothers," said the first fox to them, "the Indians have much corn and many good
things to eat. They are busy singing and dancing and will not see us. Let us go
down and help ourselves to the good things."
"How can we get down the cliff?" asked one fox.
"We will make a chain," replied the first fox, "by biting each others' tails; and
then we can climb down the cliff. But not a fox must open his mouth or the chain
will be broken and we shall all fall."
So the first fox started down the cliff; the second fox caught and held his tail
tight between his teeth. The third fox caught the second fox's tail; the fourth
fox held the third fox's tail; and so on
deh.1922.2012.153.jpg
until each fox held
another fox's tail and they made a long chain down the steep cliff.
But an ant stung one of the foxes near the top and he forgot his orders, opened
his mouth to snap the ant, and let the tail he held slip out from between his
teeth. Down fell all of the foxes; down the steep cliff onto the rocks below,
and every one of them was killed.
deh.1922.2012.154.jpg
BUNNY RABBIT AND THE KING OF BEASTS
(Taos Pueblo)
Bunny Rabbit had been playing so many pranks on the other animals that the King
of Beasts decided he would have to eat him up. So he told the Fox: "Go bring
Bunny Rabbit to me, so I can eat him up and get him out of our way."
The Fox trotted off over the prairie and found Bunny Rabbit. "Come with me, Bunny
Rabbit. The King of Beasts has sent for you."
"All right," replied Bunny Rabbit,'"but before we go, don't you want some nice
apples to eat? Right over there in that field there is a tree just full of
apples. You go over and get some and I'll wait here for you."
Apples sounded very good to the Fox, so he left Bunny Rabbit and went to find the
tree. Bunny Rabbit ran away. The Fox found the apples so delicious that he
stayed under the tree
deh.1922.2012.155.jpg
[illustration - Bunny Rabbit ran away ] all night eating them. Next morning he had such a pain in his stomach
that he lay on the ground and rolled over and over, moaning and groaning.
When the Fox did not come back with the rabbit, the King of Beasts called the
coyote: "Coyote, go find the Fox and see why he hasn't brought the rabbit to
me."
So the Coyote set out to find the Fox. He found him groaning under the apple
tree.
"Where is Bunny Rabbit? Why haven't you taken him to the King of Beasts?"
"I swallowed him," said the Fox, "to keep him from getting away and he is kicking
around in my stomach so hard to get out that I have a dreadful Pain. I cannot
walk. Please go over on the other side of that hill and bring me some of the
herbs growing there. They are good medicine and will make me feel better. Then
we can take the rabbit to the King of Beasts."
deh.1922.2012.156.jpg
[illustration - He flew away with Bunny Rabbit ]
Coyote ran over the hill to get the herbs. He bit off a mouth full of herbs to
take to the Fox. They tasted so good that he kept eating and eating them. He
stayed there all night eating the herbs.
Next day the King of Beasts called the piñon jay bird: "Go, find the Coyote
and the Fox and see why they haven't brought the rabbit to me."
The piñon Jay flew away over the prairie. He found Bunny Rabbit. He did not
wait to find the Coyote and the Fox. He just flew away with Bunny Rabbit to the
King of Beasts.
The King of Beasts showed his sharp teeth and licked out his long tongue; "Well,
Bunny Rabbit, I have you at last. You have been annoying the other animals so
much with your pranks that I am going to eat you up!"
"I am very tired, King of Beasts, I shall be glad
deh.1922.2012.157.jpg
[illustration - The trap caught the King of Beasts and held him tight ] to be eaten up; but wouldn't you like some fat little prairie dogs to
eat first? I know where there are lots of fat ones. I will show you."
Now Bunny Rabbit knew where a hunter had set a trap in the woods, so he led the
King of Beasts right into the trap. The trap caught the King of Beasts' foot and
held him tight for the hunter. Bunny Rabbit ran away calling, "I hope you will
enjoy the prairie dogs, King of Beasts."
deh.1922.2012.158.jpg
[illustration - Burros loaded with wood ]
THE LITTLE INDIAN BOY WHO WAS CHANGED INTO AN OWL
(Hopi, Second Mesa) Once upon a time a little Indian boy
kept crying and crying all day long. His father and mother could not make him
stop crying, so finally they put him outside and shut the door; for they could
not stand his noise any longer.
He kept on squalling outside, so an owl came and took him away.
When the little boy's father went out to get his son—because he thought the
boy had stopped crying—he could not find him anywhere. He looked all over
the village and all over the mesa, but he could not find him. He was distressed
and he and the little boy's mother wept and mourned.
deh.1922.2012.159.jpg
[illustration - The father took the little-boy-owl by his wing ]
Several days later the father took his burros to go for a load of wood. He passed
near The Owls' Cave, where many owls live. As he passed by he heard his little
boy's voice calling, "Father, Father, here I am." He looked into the cave, but
he could see only a lot of owls up on the rocks inside. There was one owl bigger
than all the rest and that owl said, "I am your little boy, Father."
"Well, come to me if you are," replied his father.
"No," said another owl—the same owl that had taken the little boy
away—"He cannot go with you unless he promises not to cry so much and be
such a bad boy."
"I will be good," said the little-boy-owl.
"Well then, you may fly down to your father. He must put you in the kiva and keep
you there for four days; and if you have kept your promise to be good, then you
will turn back into a little boy once more."
deh.1922.2012.160.jpg
So the father took the little-boy-owl by his wing and carried him home. He put
him into the kiva, as the old owl had told him, and kept him there for four
days. And sure enough at the end of that time the owl was a little boy
again.
And the little boy was good ever after.
deh.1922.2012.161.jpg
THE FOX AND THE SHEEP
(Hopi, Second Mesa)
Once upon a time a fox and a sheep were neighbors. The sheep was so round and fat
that the fox wanted to eat him up, but since that would not be a neighborly
thing to do, he thought and thought of an excuse to eat the fat sheep. So one
day the fox went to call on the sheep.
"Let us play games together, Sheep-Man," said Mr. Fox, "Let us play hiding. I
will hide and if you cannot find me then I will eat you up."
Now since the fox was the sheep's guest, the sheep had to play with him. So the
fox hid under a pile of blankets. The sheep looked about and soon found him.
"Now it is my turn to hide," said Mr. Sheep. He hid among the rocks; but the fox
found him, too.
"Let us play rolling," suggested Mr. Fox. "We
deh.1922.2012.162.jpg
[illustration - "Let us play rolling" suggested Mr. Fox ] shall roll down the side of this wash and if I beat you then I will
eat you."
So they tumbled down the slope; but the sheep was fatter and rounder than the fox
so he reached the bottom first.
Mr. Fox was disappointed for he wanted very much to eat that nice fat sheep.
"Well, let us run a race," said Mr. Fox "and if I beat I shall eat you up." He
was sure he could run faster than a fat sheep.
So they ran a race; but the fox stepped on a sharp stone and turned his ankle. He
could not
deh.1922.2012.163.jpg
[illustration - "Now let us play jumping," said Mr. Fox ] run fast with a sprained ankle, so he just limped along and the sheep
won the race.
"Now let us play jumping," said Mr. Fox. "We will jump over this wash and whoever
does not jump across to the other side will be eaten."
The fox jumped across easily; but the sheep only got three legs over. His fourth
leg slipped into the wash.
"Good," laughed Mr. Fox, "now I can eat your leg. So the fox cut off one of the
sheep's hind legs and roasted it.
After that the lame sheep was never at home when the fox came to call.
deh.1922.2012.164.jpg
[illustration - The grasshoppers began to dance ]
WHITE CORN AND THE GRASSHOPPERS
(San Juan Pueblo)
O-way-way-ham-by-yoh, which means long time ago, old man Dried-up-Corn had two
daughters named White Corn and Blue Corn. Mr. and Mrs. Dried-Up-Corn sent their
daughters out into the garden one afternoon to pick peas for supper.
When the two Corn maidens went outside they found some grasshoppers dancing and
singing all around the garden. But when the grasshoppers saw White Corn and Blue
Corn they started to hop away.
"Oh do not go away, Grasshoppers. If you will dance and sing some more for us, we
will give you a row of peas."
deh.1922.2012.165.jpg
[illustration -
FastCume-boo-oo-yah-ah
Fing-gid-dy. Cume-boo-oo-yah-ah Fing-gid-dy
Fing - gid-dy, fing - gid-dy, wah. Tsay - ă Toomeh-tah, Fing - gid-dy
Tsay-ă Toomeh-tah, Fing - gid -dy, Wah. Fee - de - qui, quah quah. Fee - de - qui, quah
quah. ]
So the grasshoppers began to sing and dance again:
"We are bow-legged.
Our faces are as hard as can be;
But whatever else
may be,
They are alike on both sides, you see.
Fee-de-qui quah,
quah.
Fee-de-qui, quah, quah."
The Corn maidens laughed and clapped their hands. When the grasshoppers stopped
singing and ate up their row of peas, White Corn begged: "Oh please dance and
sing again and we will give you another row of peas."
So the grasshoppers kept dancing and singing until the girls had given them all
the peas. Then
deh.1922.2012.166.jpg
the
grasshoppers hopped away and White Corn and Blue Corn went back into the house
without any peas for supper.
What do you think happened to White Corn and Blue Corn then? They were spanked
and put to bed without any supper. Which was quite the proper thing, don't you
think?
deh.1922.2012.167.jpg
POH-VE AND PAH-DAY. (SISTER AND BROTHER)
(Pueblo Indian Story told by a Hopi, Second Mesa)
A long time ago in the land of the Pueblo Indians, an Indian girl and her brother
lived with their father and step-mother in an Indian village beside a river. The
brother and his father were away from home most of the time looking after their
sheep and cattle; so the little girl, Poh-ve, was left alone with her
step-mother, who was not very kind to her. She was not happy except when her
brother, Pah-day, was at home. These two were devoted to each other, but since
Pah-day was rarely ever at home, Poh-ve was very sad.
One afternoon Poh-ve's step-mother sent her down to the river with a pretty
Indian jar to get water. "Get out of my sight," she said, "and when you come
back bring me some water!" Poh-ve found several other little girls down at the
deh.1922.2012.168.jpg
river, so she set the jar down and played with them all afternoon.
Late that afternoon when she picked up her water jar to go home, it fell on a
stone and broke into pieces. Her step-mother was very angry when Poh-ve returned
home so late and without the jar, so she punished her severely.
"I did not mean to break the jar," thought Poh-ve," and I shall run away and
leave my unkind step-mother tomorrow."
So early the next morning Poh-ve went down to the river. She walked up and down
along the river's edge until she found a place that she could wade across. Then
she went across the river for the first time. She looked around that strange
country until she found a path, which she followed. The path led on and on until
she reached a lake. She did not know how to cross the lake; but she was
determined not to go back to her mean step-mother. Just then a fox came along
with a bow and arrow: "Good-day, little Miss, where are you going?" asked Mr.
Fox.
deh.1922.2012.169.jpg
[illustration - "Take this arrow and shoot it across the lake" ]
"I do not know where I am going," replied Poh-ve. "My step-mother is very mean to
me, so I am going away to live. I do not know where I am going, but I must go
somewhere."
"Well, there is an Indian village on the other side of the lake. The Governor of
that village is a good man. You will find him in his corn field on the west side
of the village. Take this arrow and shoot it across the lake. Then go to this
Governor and tell him your story, and he will take you home to live with his
little girls."
So Poh-ve took the arrow and shot it across the lake. The waters separated all
along the path of the arrow, so that Poh-ve could cross on the bottom of the
lake. She found the Governor just as the fox had told her and told him her
story. He took her home to his house, where she was happy with his little
girls.
Many days later when Pah-day came home from
deh.1922.2012.170.jpg
minding the sheep, he
asked his step-mother, "Where is Poh-ve?"
"I do not know," she said, "she left home many days ago and I have not been able
to find her since."
Pah-day was grieved and frightened, so he set out to hunt for her. After a long
time he found her tracks down by the river and saw where she had gone across. He
crossed the river, too, and found the same path; but when he reached the lake he
did not know what to do, for there was no way to get across. "Surely, Poh-ve
could not have gotten across this lake! Where shall I go now?" and Pah-day sat
down to think.
Then a voice beside him said, "Good-day, young man, what makes you so sad?" He
looked up and saw the fox with his bow and arrow.
"I am sad," answered Pah-day, "because I have lost my sister and I do not know
where to look for her."
"What is she like and when did you lose her?" asked Mr. Fox.
deh.1922.2012.171.jpg
[illustration - Pah-Day shot the arrow across the lake ]
Then Pah-day told the fox what Poh-ve was like and when she had gone away.
"There is a village on the other side of this lake," said Mr. Fox, "Take this bow
and shoot this arrow across the lake. Then go to the house of the Governor of
that village and you will find your sister."
So Pah-day shot the arrow across the lake, and again the water separated along
the path of the arrow, so that he could go across on the bottom of the lake. He
went to the Governor of the village just as the fox had told him to do. He told
the Governor about his sister and asked, "Is she here?"
"I think she is," replied the Governor, "Go into the house where all the village
girls are grinding corn and see if you can find her. If she wishes to go home
with you, you may take her."
So Pah-day went into the room where all the
deh.1922.2012.172.jpg
girls were grinding
corn. Poh-ve saw him coming, so she held her head down. She knew he had come for
her, and she did not want to go home to be alone with her step-mother again.
Pah-day looked at all of the girls, but he did not see his sister because her
head was down. Then he sat down and mournfully sang:
"When I come back from my hunting And when I come back with the sheep, There is
no one to greet me or feed me So I fall on my face and weep."
He sang so sadly and looked so grieved that Poh-ve ran to him.
"I ran away from our mean step-mother, Pah-day," she said, "and I do not want to
return to her, but I love you and I will go back with you."
And the two set out for home together. When they reached the lake the fox was
waiting for them.
"Here are the bow and arrow," said he.
Pah-day shot the arrow across the lake and all three of them went across
together.
deh.1922.2012.173.jpg
[illustration -
Poh-ve saw him coming, so she held her head
down.
]
deh.1922.2012.175.jpg
"You may have your choice of my cattle, Mr. Fox, for helping me find my
sister."
So they took the fox and gave him a fat calf to eat, and he went away smacking
his lips. When they crossed the river their father and step-mother ran to meet
them. They were so glad to find Poh-ve alive that even the step-mother was
pleased and treated her kindly ever after.
deh.1922.2012.176.jpg
THUN-TSAY AND COHN-NAH
(Laguna Pueblo)
Long, long time ago the Laguna Indians used to live down by the ocean. One of the
Indian men lived alone with his little daughter Thun-tsay (Sunlight). Thun-tsay
did not have a mother. Her father thought she was lonely, so he brought a new
mother to his house. This new mother had a little girl of her own, Cohn-nah
(Darkness). She did many nice things for her Cohn-nah; but she treated Thun-tsay
very unkindly. So Thun-tsay used to run away from her step-mother down to the
beach, and make herself happy gathering shells and playing in the sand.
One day she found a little fish that had been left in a pool of water on the sand
when the tide went out.
deh.1922.2012.177.jpg
"Thun-tsay," said the little fish, "I am hungry. Won't you please give me
something to eat?"
So Thun-tsay ran home and got bread crumbs for the little fish; and every day for
four days she fed him. On the fourth day he asked her, "Please throw me back
into the ocean and I will give you a present."
Thun-tsay picked up the little fish and threw him back into the ocean; and as she
did so he said to her, "Go home and comb your hair and you will find my
present."
Thun-tsay ran home as fast as she could and got her bunch of straw, that she
brushed and combed her hair with, and began brushing it at once. And as she
brushed all kind of beautiful things fell out. She was rich with gifts and she
had plenty to share with her father.
When her step-mother found out what had happened to Thun-tsay, she sent her own
daughter Cohn-nah down to the beach to look for the little fish, so that he
might give Cohn-nah presents, too.
She found the little fish once more in a pool of water.
deh.1922.2012.178.jpg
"Please give me
some food, Cohn-nah," asked the little fish, "for I am very hungry."
But Cohn-nah laughed and threw sand into the water. Then she went away and left
the little fish.
Next day Cohn-nah went down to the beach where the little fish begged again for
food; and again she threw sand at him. He begged her on the third day and on the
fourth day he said, "Please throw me back into the ocean and I will give you a
present. Go home and comb your hair and you will find my present."
Cohn-nah picked him up quickly and threw him into the ocean. Then she ran home
and told her mother, "Get my comb. The fish has promised me a present, too." But
when Cohn-nah combed her hair, it all fell out over the floor and there were no
presents.
Her mother was angry and she treated Thun-tsay meaner than ever. So Thun-tsay
began to go to the beach again every day to get away from her step-mother.
One day a big fish came up out of the water
deh.1922.2012.179.jpg
near her.
"Thun-tsay," he said, "I am the little fish that you fed. I have grown to be
chief of the fishes now. Won't you come down into the ocean with me and be my
bride? I have beautiful things waiting for you."
So Thun-tsay jumped into the ocean and went down to live with the big Fish-Chief.
She lived happily with him for a long time; until one day she grew homesick to
see her father.
"Please let me go back home to see my father, Fish-Chief?" asked Thun-tsay.
"All right, you may go," said Fish-Chief," and here are presents to take to him;
but you must promise me to come back again at the end of six months."
"I will come back," replied Thun-tsay, so Fish-Chief took her up to the shore
and she went home.
She found her father so sick from grieving over Thun-tsay's disappearance that
even her step-mother was glad to have her return. Her father got well and
Thun-tsay was again so happy that she forgot all about her promise to
Fish-Chief.
deh.1922.2012.180.jpg
But one day as she was walking along the beach, she saw poor Fish-Chief lying on
the sand almost dead. He was grieving himself to death, Thun-tsay ran to
him.
"I can not live without you, Thun-tsay. It is too lonely in my palace when you
are gone. He was grieving himself to death If you do not go back into the ocean
with me, I shall die. You may live with your father half of the time; but if you
do not come back to me for the other half I cannot live."
So Thun-tsay went back with Fish-Chief and lived happily ever after, spending
half of the time in the Fish palace and half of the time with her father.
deh.1922.2012.181.jpg
[illustration - "Ha, ha!" laughed Mrs. Fox and spilled all of her water ]
THE MEADOW LARK AND THE FOX
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo and Cochiti Pueblo) Long, long
ago, in the time of my grandfather's grandfather, there was a drought over all
of the land. A fox and her little foxes grew very thirsty; So the mother fox
left her babies to go far away in search of water. She found a spring; and
without drinking any herself, she filled her mouth with water for her babies,
for she had no other way to carry it, and her babies would die for want of
water.
As she was setting out for home a meadow lark,
deh.1922.2012.182.jpg
sitting on a
rock, saw her and sang, "Fox, fox has a sharp mouth."
"Ha, ha!" laughed Mrs. Fox and spilled all of her water.
Back she went to the spring and filled her mouth again. But when she passed the
meadow lark, the lark sang out, "Fox, fox has a sharp mouth. And Mrs. Fox could
not help laughing again. She lost all of the water in a big spray.
Once more she went back to the spring for a mouthful of water. She thought of
her babies and she was determined not to spill the water this time; so she took
wet clay and pasted her lips together. She wanted to glue her mouth shut so that
she could not laugh and spill the water.
"Now, Miss Meadow Lark can try all she pleases to make me laugh," thought Mrs.
Fox and she trotted along toward her babies.
"Fox, fox has a sharp mouth," once more sang Miss Meadow Lark.
Mrs. Fox tried hard not to laugh; but Miss Meadow Lark twisted her head on one
side and
deh.1922.2012.183.jpg
sang again.
It sounded so funny that Mrs. Fox just had to laugh. "Crack" went the clay on
her lips and out spilled all of the water.
It was no use to try to carry water. Mrs. Fox just rolled and rolled over with
laughter. Finally she got up and went home still laughing. She was laughing so
that she had forgotten all about her babies. What a poor mother she was!
But when she reached her den, her laugh changed into a wail and poor Mrs. Fox
rolled over and over in grief; for there were all of her baby foxes dead for
want of water.
Very soon she grew so angry at the meadow lark that she wanted to go right away
and eat her up. She ran as fast as she could to the rock where Miss Meadow Lark
had been sitting; but Miss Meadow Lark had wisely flown away. So in her temper
Mrs. Fox bit the rock until she injured her mouth and broke all of her teeth
off.
Then she ran back to the spring for a drink of water, for by this time she was
nearly famished. When she leaned over the spring to drink, there
deh.1922.2012.184.jpg
was another
fox in the water with blood running out of her mouth. Mrs. Fox jumped back in
horror, "The spring is poisoned," she thought, "I cannot drink there." And so
poor Mrs. Fox ran away and died herself of thirst.
deh.1922.2012.185.jpg
THE FATE OF THE BOY WITCH
(Hopi, Second Mesa)
Once upon a time—many, many years ago,—two Indian boys were in love
with the same girl, Man-nah. One of the boys, Tee-yoh, had no mother and father.
He lived with his grandmother outside of the village and they were very poor.
The other boy, Poo-wah-ka, was a boy witch; but, as he looked just like any
other Indian boy, nobody knew that he was a witch. He lived in the village.
Every day for many days Poo-wah-ka went to Man-nah's house to talk to her, but
Man-nah did not like him so she would not answer him. One day when Man-nah was
grinding corn beside her peep-hole window, Tee-yoh came to the window and spoke
to her. Man-nah liked Tee-yoh so she talked to him. So for many days Tee-yoh
came to Man-nah's house to see her.
This made Poo-wah-ka jealous, so one day he
deh.1922.2012.186.jpg
invited Tee-yoh to go hunting with him; and after they had been
hunting for a while Poo-wah-ka said:
"I tell you what we can do, Tee-yoh. We can change ourselves into coyotes. Then
the rabbits will not hide from us and we can kill lots of them. I will show you
how to become a coyote."
Then Poo-wah-ka took a hoop that he had been secretly carrying and jumped over
it. Immediately he changed into a coyote. He handed the hoop to Tee-yoh, and as
Tee-yoh jumped over it he changed into a coyote too. Then they ran off in
different directions to hunt rabbits. Tee-yoh killed so many rabbits that he
could not carry them all, so he left them in a pile beside a rock while he
looked for Poo-wah-ka. He was ready to change back to a boy and go home. But he
could not find Poo-wah-ka, for Poo-wah-ka had been hiding and watching him. He
had not killed any rabbits. As soon as Tee-yoh left his pile of rabbits,
Poo-wah-ka slipped out from his hiding
deh.1922.2012.187.jpg
place and took
the rabbits. Then he jumped over the hoop, changed himself back into a boy and
ran home laughing to himself, "Now I shall have Man-nah for my girl, I
guess."
He left poor Tee-yoh out in the fields without any way to change back into a boy.
Tee-yoh tried to go back into the village to find Poo-wah-ka but the dogs chased
him out. His grandmother was worried about him when he failed to come home, so
she went to ask Poo-wah-ka what had become of him.
"I do not know where he is," replied Poo-wah-ka. "He is somewhere in the fields
still hunting."
For days and days Tee-yoh searched for Poo-Wah-ka and for the hoop. He could not
eat raw meat like real coyotes, and he was afraid to roast the meat in case the
Indians might see the smoke of his fire and shoot him. He dared not go back to
the village for fear of the dogs, so he was starving to death. Every night he
slept in the middle of a grass patch, and one morning he was so weak for want of
food that he could not get up. Tee-yoh was dying.
deh.1922.2012.188.jpg
The eagles up in the heavens, who see and know everything, saw Tee-yoh in his
distress. They knew what had happened, so they sent their swiftest eagle down to
him. Tee-yoh heard a thunderous noise, like a snare drum nearby. He looked up
quickly and saw the eagle swoop down beside him. "Do not be afraid. I have come
to help you, Tee-yoh. You changed yourself into coyote because you believed in
Poo-wah-ka and thought he was your friend. Here is a little corn meal mush to
strengthen you. Eat it quickly, for we must hurry. Right now Poo-wah-ka is
talking to Man-nah. He has told your grandmother that he does not know where you
are, and she is sick with grief. Get on my back, the eagles are waiting for
us."
Tee-yoh climbed on the eagle's back and circled around and around, higher and
higher with him, until they reached the eagles' village up in the heavens. Up
there the eagle messenger took into the chief's house.
When Tee-yoh saw the eagle men and eagle
deh.1922.2012.189.jpg
[illustration - He pulled all of the coyote skin off ] women and the eagle boys and eagle girls all talking around without
their eagle-feather coats—for the eagles took off their feathered coats
and hung them up on the wall when they were in their houses—he was
frightened.
"Do not be afraid, Tee-yoh. You are welcome to our village and we have brought
you here to help you," said Eagle-Chief.
The eagle-messenger brought in hot water and put Tee-yoh into a big jar full of
it. Then Eagle-Chief took a dried herb shaped like a hook and twisted it around
in the coyote skin on top of Tee-yoh's head. He pulled on the hook and pulled
deh.1922.2012.190.jpg
[illustration - Herbs shaped like hooks ] all of the coyote skin off, so that Tee-yoh was a boy once more.
The eagles washed him clean and gave him fine new clothes of buckskin and eagle
feathers. The eagle girls washed and combed his hair; and then they all had a
big feast of deer's meat.
There were white mountains, lovely trees, plenty of deer and all sorts of good
things around the eagle village. The feast lasted for four days. Tee-yoh had a
fine time and grew strong and well.
Then the eagle chief told him it was time for him to go home. They gave him a
deer which they had killed for him, and a tiny buckskin bag of
herb-medicine.
"When you reach home, Tee-yoh," said Eagle-Chief, "Poo-wah-ka will be the first
person to come to see you. Do not tell him where you have been; but invite him
to come to eat deer's meat with you. Then when he comes to the feast put this
medicine on his meat."
deh.1922.2012.191.jpg
So the eagle who had brought Tee-yoh up into the heavens took him, with his deer,
on his back and flew down to the edge of the Indian village. There he left
Tee-yoh.
Tee-yoh hurried to his grandmother's house and found her lying on her blankets
sick from grief; but she was so glad to see her grandson that she soon grew
better.
Sure enough, just as Eagle-Chief had told him, Poo-wah-ka was the first person to
come to see him. He was surprised to see Tee-yoh for he thought that he was
still a coyote if he were not already dead.
"Where have you been, Tee-yoh? We have been looking for you," said Poo-wah-ka,
deceitfully.
"Oh, I have just been hunting deer," replied Tee-yoh, "I have a fine deer. Come
over to my feast tomorrow."
Next day when Poo-wah-ka came to the feast, Tee-yoh did as Eagle-Chief had told
him and put the medicine on his meat; and when Poo-wah-ka ate the meat he turned
into a coyote. He began
deh.1922.2012.192.jpg
eating like an
animal and lapping up water with his tongue. When he did Tee-yoh picked up a
stick and drove him outside. The dogs in the village saw him and chased him away
into the fields. He could never come back again.
Some time after that Tee-yoh and Man-nah were married and lived happily ever
after.
deh.1922.2012.193.jpg
JUAN HALF-BEAR
PART I
(Cochiti Pueblo) I am going to tell you something: many,
many years ago, an Indian went out hunting in the mountains and lost his way.
For days he wandered around among the trees and at night slept on the ground,
until he grew very tired, cold and hungry. Finally one evening he saw smoke. He
ran swiftly over to the place whence the smoke came, and there he found two
bears cooking their evening meal.
"I am lost, Mr. Bear," said the man, "and I am starving to death. Please give me
food and shelter for the night?"
"You are welcome to our home and board, Mr. Man," replied Mr. Bear; and Mrs. Bear
immediately gave him some of their freshly cooked supper.
deh.1922.2012.194.jpg
[illustration - In the fall when the corn was ripe ]
All winter the bears kept the man in their cavehouse and shared their food with
him. When spring came the man said, "I am going back home now. What can I do to
repay you for all of your kindness to me?" Mr. Bear replied, "You can plant a
field of corn for our food next winter when you go back to the Indian village."
And the man went back to the village and planted the field of corn.
In the fall when the corn was ripe for gathering, the man said to the Indians in
the village, "I am going up into the mountains to hunt today. Tomorrow
deh.1922.2012.195.jpg
I shall bring down
two bears to my corn field. All of you form a circle around the field and catch
them when they come."
So the man set out for the bears' house in the mountains. When he reached there,
he found two baby bear cubs that had come since he had gone away. "All the
better," he thought, "now we shall have four bears instead of two to eat this
winter."
He spent the night with the bears. Early the next morning he said to them, "Let
us go down to the corn field today, for it is ready to be gathered."
The bears were greatly pleased; so Father Bear, Mother Bear and the two cub Bears
walked along happily behind the man. They had scarcely gone into the corn field
when they heard a loud hunter's yell, and Indians rushed upon them from all
sides with bows and arrows and tomahawks. Father Bear was killed; but Mother
Bear struck the man who had deceived them with a great blow of her paw. She tore
open his chest, snatched out his heart, and she and the baby bears ran safely
away.
deh.1922.2012.196.jpg
[illustration - She snatched out his heart and ran away ]
When they reached their cave-home in the mountains there was no one to find food
for the family; so Mrs. Bear took the man's heart and changed it into a boy that
was half-man and half-bear and named him Juan Half-Bear.
"Now," said Mrs. Bear to Juan, "you have the virtues of the man without his vices
and also the good traits of the bear. I will teach you to hunt; and after you
have provided us with food enough to atone for the trouble your wicked heart
caused us, you shall be free to go wherever you please."
So Juan helped the bears for many years until he grew into young manhood and then
he went away to seek his fortune.
deh.1922.2012.197.jpg
JUAN HALF-BEAR
PART II
(Cochiti Pueblo)
I am going to tell you something: once upon a time an Indian man and woman lived
near the Ullage of Kotyete. They had a good home, cattle, sheep, corn fields,
chickens, skins and blankets; but they had no children. They were growing old.
Every day they prayed to the Great Spirit to send them a son, so that they might
have someone to leave all of their good things to when they passed away to the
Great Spirit's home. They went to all of the sacred dances and always prayed for
a son.
There also lived near Kotyete a young man, who was half boy and half bear. It was
Juan Half-Bear; but none of the Indians had ever seen him, for he hid away in
the mountains. One day when the man and woman were in the village dancing in a
sacred dance, this half-boy and half-bear went to
deh.1922.2012.198.jpg
[illustration - Juan Half-Bear ] their house. He wanted to live among the Indians; so he crawled into
an open window to look around and see how they lived, so that he might do
likewise. But while he was in there he heard the man and woman coming home, so
he hid himself under a pile of blankets. The old people knelt down beside that
same pile of blankets to say their daily prayer for a son.
"Great Spirit, we have tried to live at peace with all of our brothers, we have
worshiped you in dance and in song; please send to us a son to take care of and
keep all of the good things you have given us!"
Then as they were getting up, the old woman saw the boy under the blankets. She
was frightened and called to her husband to "Look!"
"Do not be afraid," said the boy, "I am Juan Half-Bear. I have come to be your
son. I have a home with many skins in it. Let the old man
deh.1922.2012.199.jpg
come with me and I will
show them to him; and then if he is pleased with me, I shall come to live with
you and be that son for whom you have been praying."
So the old man went with Juan Half-Bear to his home in the mountains. In the
first room that they entered there was nothing; but in the next room there were
many skins just as Juan had said. Juan seemed to be good and capable, so the old
man took him back home with him.
"Wife," said he, "I like Juan Half-Bear. He seems a good boy and thrifty, for he
has many skins; so I have brought him home with me to be our son."
Many days after that, all of the young Indian men of the village, including Juan
Half-Bear, went out on a hunt to get meat for food and skins for clothing and
beds. They camped up in the mountains and every day a young man was left in
camp, while the others hunted, to cook for the hunters and to watch the game
that had been killed.
Each day for four days the young man who was
deh.1922.2012.200.jpg
left in camp mysteriously
fell asleep while their food was cooking; and something, that made no noise and
left no tracks, came and stole all of the food and all of the game that had been
killed. Each day the young men promised and determined not to go to sleep; but
each day something made them go to sleep against their will.
On the Fifth day Juan Half-Bear's turn came to stay in camp. "I shall not go to
sleep," he said "and I shall find out what this is stealing all of our
things."
So Juan set to work to build a fire and cook some deer meat. Suddenly he felt
himself growing very sleepy on his man's side. He grew so sleepy that he had to
lie down and let his man's side go to sleep; but his bear's eye stayed wide
awake.
Very soon a witch-giant came out of the woods and took away all of the meat and
the deers that had been killed. Juan Half-Bear jumped up and followed him. The
giant went into a big cave. The floor of the cave was covered with prickly
cactuses. The needles on the cactuses stuck Juan's
deh.1922.2012.201.jpg
man-leg so bad that he
could not stand the pain in that leg; but they could not hurt his hairy
bear-leg, so Juan hopped on his bear-leg and followed the giant through the
cactuses. When the giant saw Juan following him he laughed "Ha, Ha!" in a loud
terrible voice; for he thought that he could soon put an end to Juan. Then the
giant rolled a stone away from the door and went into another room. He thundered
to Juan, "Now follow me in here if you dare!" Juan did dare to follow him; but
just as he entered the door two mountain lions jumped at him. Juan turned his
bear side to the lions and killed them both.
The giant went into another cave room. Juan went in, too. He was determined to
catch and kill that giant and take back the Indians' deer from him. Two more
mountain lions sprang at Juan; but Juan was too quick for them and he killed
them, also. Then he grabbed the giant and killed him in a big bear hug.
In that last room Juan found many fine skins and all the deer that the witch
giant had stolen.
deh.1922.2012.202.jpg
He took all the things
that he found back to camp with him.
When the hunters returned he had delicious roasted meat ready for them. He told
them about the witch-giant and shared with them all the things he had brought
from the cave.
So when the hunters returned home, the Indians had a big buffalo and deer dance;
and they made Juan Half-Bear their great War-Chief.
deh.1922.2012.203.jpg
THE MAN FROM THE NORTH, THE GIRL AND THE TURTLE
(Picuris Pueblo)
Once upon a time an Indian lived all alone away up in the North, where it snows
and rains all the time and is very cold indeed. He went south and married a
wife. He brought her to his home to keep him company; but she soon died because
of the cold.
The Indian was so lonely after that that he went out in search of another wife.
This time he went to the East. After he had been traveling for a long distance,
he went up on a hill and looked all around. He saw smoke, so he went to see
whence it came; and he found a little house where a young girl lived all
alone.
"Come in," she said, when he knocked on her door. She was lonely too; so when the
man asked her to go to live with him and be his wife, she went.
deh.1922.2012.204.jpg
Soon after they reached the man's house away up north, the man showed his wife
where the corn was, so that she could grind some into meal for bread, while he
went out to hunt to get meat for their dinner.
The new wife sat down behind the grinding stones and tried to grind some of the
corn, but her fingers soon grew too stiff from the cold. She grew colder and
colder; and when the man came back from hunting he found her frozen to
death.
So again the man set out, to find a third wife. This time he traveled to the
West. He walked for many days until he came to a woman hoeing corn. He looked
tired, so the woman invited him to come into her house and rest a while. She
called to her daughter to cook something for the stranger to eat. While he was
eating he watched the young girl as she moved about the house, and he liked her
very much. When he finished his meal he asked the girl:
"Won't you go with me to my house in the north and be my wife?"
"No, I am sorry but I do not wish to go," she
deh.1922.2012.205.jpg
[illustration - "Take this herb with you" ] said. But her mother liked the stranger, so she made her daughter go
with him.
While they were journeying northward the sad-hearted girl heard some one calling
her. She looked all around and finally she saw a turtle.
"Where are you going, my sister?" asked Mrs. Turtle, "and why do you look so
sad?"
"I am going into the cold Northland," replied the girl, "to be the wife of that
man walking in front of me. He is good to me; but I am unhappy because I do not
want to go and my mother has forced me to. I am afraid of the cold."
"Do not be unhappy and do not be afraid," said Mrs. Turtle, "Take this herb with
you; and when you reach your new home, make some tea of it and sprinkle the tea
in all directions." The girl took the herb and journeyed on to her new home.
When the man went out to hunt, she did as Mrs. Turtle had told her; and, behold,
the house grew warm and comfortable and the girl was happy ever after.
deh.1922.2012.206.jpg
[illustration - Er - she - ah - rah, kay - yah - ah - nah, kay - yah - ah - nah.
"We are hap - py, hap - py, hap - py, hap - py, hap-py.
Er - she - ah - rah, kay - yah - ah - nah, kay - yah - ah.
We are hap - py, hap - py, hap - py— hap - py we!
Kah - shee - ee-nah. Păn - pă - tah, Shee-ee-nah, Hay, hay.
We dance and sing joy - ful - ly— It is spring—Hay, hay!" ]
THE DEER AND THE COYOTE
(Jemez Pueblo)
Wen-ter—once upon a time—long ago, six deer were lying in the sand
talking and resting.
"Let us go up on the mountain top and dance," suggested one of the deer.
"All right," said the others, and they went to a broad sandy place on the
mountain top and began to dance and sing:
deh.1922.2012.207.jpg
[illustration - "Won't you make me some antlers?" ]
Mr. Coyote heard the deer singing, so he ran up on the mountain.
"Good-day, Messrs. Deer, how happy and cheerful you sound. Let me dance with
you."
"I am sorry," replied the Chief of the Deer, "but nobody can dance with us who
hasn't antlers on his head."
"Won't you make me some antlers, so that I can dance?" asked Mr. Coyote.
"Certainly, I can do that," replied Deer-Chief. So he took a sharp stone and
sharpened the ends of two sticks; and then he hammered the sharp ends of the
sticks into the coyote's head to make antlers for him.
Then Mr. Coyote joined in the dance, expecting Very soon to grab one of the
little deer and run away
deh.1922.2012.208.jpg
with it; but he
only danced around the circle once before he dropped in a faint from the sticks
in his head.
He rolled over and over down the mountain side until he was covered with bruises,
and he had to rub himself with herbs for many moons.
deh.1922.2012.209.jpg
THE BOY AND THE PIG
(Seama, a Laguna Pueblo) Once upon a time there lived at
Laguna a lazy, kind-hearted boy. He lived alone with his grandmother. Every day
she begged him to go help the other boys cut wood or work in the corn fields;
but the boy would not go. So he did not have the good things that the other boys
had who worked. Instead he was always poor and ragged; but he Was always
generous with what he had.
One day as he was idly walking outside the village, he saw a pig.
"Please scratch my back for me, Boy," asked the pig. "I have begged everyone who
passed and no one will scratch it for me." And the boy scratched the pig's back
for a long time.
The next day he scratched the pig's back again, but he did not seem happy.
"Why are you so sad, Boy?" asked the pig.
deh.1922.2012.210.jpg
"I am sad," replied the boy, "because today is the Sia feast day, and I want very
much to go to the dance; but I have no way to go."
"Take that whip lying there," said the pig, "and strike me across the back."
"Oh, I cannot do that!" said the boy; but the pig insisted, so the boy took the
whip and struck the pig across the back. Immediately a fine horse appeared, and
the boy's ragged clothes changed into a new beaded buckskin suit. He mounted the
horse and rode happily away to Sia.
When he returned home that night his grandmother asked, "Where have you been all
day today, my grandson?"
"I have been to Sia to the feast," he said.
"That cannot be true for you had no way to go," replied his grandmother, and so
she did not believe that he had gone. She grieved because she thought her
grandson was not truthful.
Four days later when the boy was with the pig,
deh.1922.2012.211.jpg
the pig asked him
again, "why are you so sad today, Boy?"
"I am sad because I fell in love with the Chief's pretty daughter at Sia, and I
am too poor to ask her to marry me."
Again the pig told him, "Take that whip and strike me across the back with
it."
The boy did as he was told; and this time two fine horses appeared and the boy's
clothes were once more changed into fine new buckskins. He mounted one of the
horses and led the other horse over to Sia.
He went straightway to the Chief's house and asked him for his daughter. The boy
looked so fine and had such good horses, that the Chief told him at once that he
might have his daughter. The daughter was willing to go, too, so they rode back
to Laguna.
When they reached there the pig had disappeared; and in the place where he had
been a house, with cattle outside and with blankets inside, awaited the boy and
his bride.
deh.1922.2012.212.jpg
[illustration - Mr. Fox trying to catch his eye ]
THE FOX AND THE CROWS
(Taos Pueblo)
Once upon a time a group of jolly, happy crows were playing leaf-ball in the
forest. They were having such a good time when Mr. Fox came slipping along. The
crows saw him and started to fly away.
"Oh do not go away," called Mr. Fox, "I only came to play ball with you."
"Well, you will have to have a ball to play with, said the crows, and they jumped
upon his head and picked out one of his eyes.
They tossed the eye from one crow to another, laughing at poor Mr. Fox, who was
jumping around in all directions trying to catch his eye. When they grew tired
of playing, they hid the fox's eye
deh.1922.2012.213.jpg
and all of their
leaf-balls; and flew away, cawing as they went, "We don't want to play with you,
old Fox. You are too mean. Keep away from here."
And poor Mr. Fox was left searching for his hidden eye and grieving himself
sick.
deh.1922.2012.214.jpg
[illustration - Way-low, way-low, tarn - bĕ - ĕh.
Yah-ee-yah-ee-yah; tarn - be - eh.
Sadness, sad-ness, go a - way. Tra - a - la - a - la, go a - way. ]
THE RABBIT AND THE CROW
(Jemez Pueblo)
Once upon a time a rabbit lived all alone. Some times he felt very lonely. One
day when he was lonely he picked up his drum and went outside to sing. He
sang:
A crow was flying near by and heard Mr. Rabbit singing and beating his drum. He
flew down at once:
"That drum annoys me, Mr. Rabbit. You shall not beat it," said Mr. Crow. Then he
caught Mr. Rabbit's right arm, pulled it out and ate it.
Next day Mr. Rabbit came out of his hole and beat the drum with his left arm as
he sang his song.
The crow heard him again. He flew down and
deh.1922.2012.215.jpg
pulled out Mr. Rabbit's left arm and ate that up.
"I told you not to beat that drum," he said. On the third day Mr. Rabbit beat the
drum with his right foot, and Mr. Crow flew down and ate his right foot up. And
on the fourth day he ate up the rabbit's left foot.
So the fifth day Mr. Rabbit came out to sing. He beat the drum with his head.
Immediately Mr. Crow heard him and flew down. He bit off Mr. Rabbit's head and
ate it; and then he picked Up what was left of poor Mr. Rabbit and carried him
up to his baby crows in the nest.
deh.1922.2012.216.jpg
THE FATE OF THE WITCH WIFE
(Seama Pueblo, San Juan Pueblo, Sia Pueblo and Hopi, Second
Mesa)
A long time ago a woman named White Corn spent all of her days cooking. She would
cook piles of food that she never offered to her husband, Redflower; but since
the food always disappeared, Redflower began to wonder what became of it. So one
evening he decided that he would watch the pile of food and see where it went.
He took off his moccasins at bedtime and lay down as usual on his blankets. Then
he pretended to go to sleep. White Corn waited until she thought he was asleep,
then she took out her eyes, put them under her blankets, put owl's eyes in their
place, and then put an ear of corn down on the blankets beside Redflower.
"Corn," she said, "if Redflower should say anything to me during the night,
deh.1922.2012.217.jpg
answer him for
me." After that she put all of the food she had cooked into a basket and went
out.
Outside an owl met her and the two walked away across the prairie together.
Redflower jumped up off his blankets and followed them. After a long walk they
went into a cave, where there were many other people all with owl's eyes; for
they were all witches. The witches had taken off their blankets when they went
into the cave and thrown them into a big pile by the door. Redflower slipped
quietly into the cave and hid himself under the blankets.
Very soon the Chief-Witch called the council to order. "Ha," he cried, "I smell
fresh blood. I smell human flesh. There is a man inside. Let us find him!", and
so the witches began to look everywhere for the man. They discovered Redflower
under the blankets and pulled him out.
"Why do you hide, Brother?" said the Chief-Witch, "You are welcome to our
council; but
deh.1922.2012.218.jpg
first you must
bring to us the heart of the person whom you love best of all in the world. That
is the price you must pay for having come among us. Hurry and return with it
before daybreak."
Redflower went away very sad. He dared not disobey the witches, for it would mean
torture and death to him to do so. He loved his sister better than anyone else,
and he could not kill her in order to take her heart to the witches. "What must
he do!" Then he remembered his big red rooster. He hated to kill his rooster;
but he had to carry a freshly bleeding heart to the witches, so he went to the
chicken house and killed him.
When he returned to the witches' cave with the heart, there were other new
members there with freshly bleeding hearts.
"Now that you have brought the hearts of the persons whom you love best," said
Chief-Witch, "you must be initiated into our order by passing with us under the
rainbow at the other end of the cave."
deh.1922.2012.219.jpg
The witches all formed in line and passed under the rainbow. Each witch turned
into an animal. There were coyotes, foxes, bears, hawks and owls. When Redflower
passed under he became a coyote.
"Now, animals and friends, let us test the new hearts," and Chief-Witch took a
sharp stick and thrust it into each of the newly brought in hearts. The other
hearts cried out like humans in agony; "but Redflower's heart squawked like a
rooster.
"He has deceived us!" cried all of the witches. But they went on with their
ceremonies. After a short time, however, the witches told Redflower that he
might go to sleep, since he was not yet accustomed to staying awake all night;
so they fixed a bed of blankets for him, and he went to sleep.
While Redflower was asleep the witches took him and laid him on a narrow shelf of
rock half way down a steep cliff at Grand Canyon, and left him there. When
Redflower awoke and found himself in such a perilous position, for he could not
even
deh.1922.2012.220.jpg
[illustration -
Plaintifly
Schuh - nigh-ee-yer, Schuh-quee-ee-trer, Coo-oo-tee-ee-kah-ah-shah-
Schuh - nigh-ee-yer, Schuh-quee-ee-trer, So-oh cah-ah-quee-ee-cher
mah-de-ee-ah-chah-ter, coo-chee - ee-nah, Coo-oo-nigh-ter-meh-ee-eh. ] move or he
would have fallen off onto the rocks far below, he began to mournfully sing:
"Mother, Sister, she will harm me. Mother, Sister, she will take my heart out. It
will kill me to take my heart out. White Corn will harm me!"
The little chipmunks in their village among the cliffs heard Redflower singing.
They ran out of their houses in such a hurry to see what the noise was, that
they ran over Grandmother Chipmunk's freshly moulded pottery and spoiled it
all.
"Go," said Grandmother Chipmunk to one of the chipmunk boys, "and see who that is
in trouble! Perhaps we may be able to help him."
deh.1922.2012.221.jpg
[illustration - The little Chipmunks ran over Grandmother's freshly moulded pottery and
spoiled it ]
So Chipmunk ran up the cliff to Redflower. Redflower told him what had happened,
and Chipmunk hurried down into the canyon to Grandmother Spider.
"Grandmother Spider," he said, "the witches have left Redflower on a ledge of
rock to die. What shall we do?"
Grandmother Spider hurried into the house and bought out an acorn of water and an
acorn cup of corn meal mush. "First of all," she said, "take this to him and
tell him to eat. Then come back to me."
Chipmunk took the acorns to Redflower.
"Oh, Chipmunk, I am starving! This will not
deh.1922.2012.222.jpg
even be a
taste for me; but I thank you just the same."
"Grandmother Spider says eat it," replied Chipmunk and then he ran back to the
Spider village.
Redflower ate and ate and drank and drank until he had a plenty, and still the
acorn cup and the acorn were full of mush and water.
When Chipmunk returned he brought with him a pine seed. He dropped it straight
down to tn bottom of the canyon from the shelf where Red" flower was, and
immediately a pine tree began grow. "The witches will come this evening, said
Chipmunk, "and drop food down from above. They want you to try to catch it so
that you wi fall off and be killed. Grandmother Spider says for you to shut your
eyes and pretend to be as e y when they come, and do not reach out for the they
drop."
Sure enough that evening the witches came and dropped buckskin bags of food down
the cliff, but Redflower kept perfectly still until they went away.
The next day Chipmunk brought fresh food.
deh.1922.2012.223.jpg
"Beware of the
witches again tonight," he said. Then he ran up and down the growing pine tree,
chanting a song as he ran and the tree grew and grew.
The witches came again that night and dropped more food over the cliff; but
Redflower kept his eyes closed. He heard Chief-Witch say, "It is strange that
Redflower is not hungry. He does not even try to catch the food. He is not dead
for I can smell his fresh blood. Let us plan some other way to get rid of him."
And the witches went away.
The third day Chipmunk came again with food from Grandmother Spider. This time he
brought with him some herb medicine. "The witches will come tonight as snakes,"
said Chipmunk," and will crawl down and try to push you off this ledge. Take
this herb juice. When the witches come down, sprinkle it on them." Then Chipmunk
ran up and down the big pine tree chanting his little song and the tree
continued to grow and grow.
That night the witches came. Two of them
deh.1922.2012.224.jpg
were snakes,
who crawled down the face of the cliff to Redflower to push him off onto the
rocks below; but Redflower sprinkled them with the herb juice and both of them
fell dead, away down into the canyon. Then the other witches were afraid and ran
away.
The next morning the tree had grown up to where Redflower was lying. Chipmunk
came early and ran down the tree, but the top bent under his weight. He ran down
four times chanting; and each time the tree grew stronger and stronger, until
after the fourth time it was strong enough to hold up Redflower.
"Come on," said Chipmunk to him, "Grandmother Spider is waiting for us."
So Chipmunk and Redflower climbed down the pine tree and went to the Spiders'
village in the canyon.
Old Grandmother Spider met them at her door: "Come in," she said, "I have been
waiting for you and I have a feast already prepared."
For four days Redflower stayed with the spiders
deh.1922.2012.225.jpg
[illustration - The spider's village ] in their village. They gave him good food and new clothes of buckskin.
On the fourth day Grandmother Spider said to him, "It is time now for you to go
back to your home. Take this shiny disc With you and wear it on your breast.
When your wife sees you and begs for it, roll it to her and she will receive her
just punishment. Now, good-bye to you!"
So Redflower set out for his home. When he drew near some one saw him and called
to White Corn: "Your lost husband is returning home again." White Corn with her
two sisters, who had been helping her to grind corn, ran out of her house. They
saw the wonderful shining circle on his breast.
"Oh please, give that shiny circle to me?" each one cried.
deh.1922.2012.226.jpg
"I cannot give it to all of you," replied the man, "but if you will stand in a
row facing me in the plaza, I will roll it toward you, and whoever catches it
may have it."
So the three sisters stood in a row with White Corn in the center. He rolled the
disc straight toward White Corn and it struck the buckskin with which one of her
legs was wrapped. Immediately she turned into a snake with a shiny head and
wriggled hurriedly away. And ever since that time rattle snakes have had shiny
heads.
deh.1922.2012.227.jpg
GREEN CORN, YELLOW CORN AND THE DANCING FOX
(Picuris Pueblo) Once upon a time a young fox lived with
his grandmother near Nambe. He went out for a walk one day. Very soon he came to
a fence where some choke cherries were growing: "I shall adorn myself with these
like an Indian," thought young Mr. Fox, "and go over to Picuris to see those two
pretty Corn girls." Now his grandmother had warned him to keep away from the
Indians, for they would kill him; but "Grandmother is old," he thought, "and
doesn't know." So he picked some twigs of cherries and fastened them in his
hair, in his belt, on his shoulders and around his ankles. Then he hashed some
cherries, and rubbed them over his body and hands to paint himself like an
Indian.
deh.1922.2012.228.jpg
[illustration - Its - ole - lay, Its-char - lay. Mah - toll - toll - high - oh.
Green corn, Yel-low corn. I come to see you
Oh - ee - yoh, way i - yeh. Yah - hoe - ee - ah - ah - nay,
Bring - ing song and dance. Now this step, now that.
Yah-hoe - ee - ah - ah - nay, oh - ee - yoh, Whay - ye - ay-ee - ay-yeh.
Now this step, now that, Joy - ful - ly, hap - pi - ly, I come.
Yah - hoe - ee - ah - ee - ah - nay. Yah - hoe - ee - ah - ee - ah - nay.
Come be my in-spi-ra-tion! Come be my in-spi-ra-tion!" ]
When he was all decorated he danced off to Picuris singing:
Yellow Corn and Green Corn were in their house grinding corn when they heard Mr.
Fox's singing.
"Mr. Fox is calling our names," said Green Corn, "Let us go up and see where he
is."
So the two girls climbed up on top of their house. Mr. Fox was below dancing as
hard as he could. The girls cried, "Come up here, Mr. Fox, and dance for
us!"
deh.1922.2012.229.jpg
[illustration -
Mr. Fox came up the ladder and began dancing on the
roof.
]
deh.1922.2012.231.jpg
Mr. Fox felt flattered so he came up the ladder and began dancing on the
roof.
"Dance hard, Mr. Fox, dance hard!" laughed Green Corn and Yellow Corn. And Mr.
Fox danced so hard that he fell off the roof. But he jumped up from the ground
where he had fallen, climbed up the ladder, and danced and danced again on the
roof.
When the Corn girls grew tired of his dancing, they grabbed poor Mr. Fox, took
all of the choke cherries off him and ate them up.
The people in the village heard the girls laughing, so they came out to see what
was the cause of so much merriment. The men ran for their bows and arrows, and
poor Mr. Fox just did get away alive from all the arrows that flew after
him.
He bathed his wounds in the spring on his way home and decided that ever
afterward he would pay more attention to what Grandmother Fox said.
deh.1922.2012.232.jpg
[illustration - They jumped into the spring to bathe ]
A LITTLE CINDERELLA
(Picuris Pueblo) Once upon a time Yellow Corn and Blue
Corn had a little sister whom they treated very unkindly. They made her live out
in the turkey house, where she had to eat with the turkeys, and they did not
give her any clothes to wear except a few of their old ragged ones.
Every day this little girl had to go out with the turkeys and watch them to keep
them from wandering away and getting lost. One day the turkeys led her to a
spring. They jumped into the spring
deh.1922.2012.233.jpg
to bathe and each
turkey dropped something nice for their kind little keeper. The first turkey
dropped some pretty feathers as he jumped into the water; the second turkey
dropped a pair of moccasins from his feet; the third turkey dropped a belt; and
the fourth turkey, a new black dress. The little girl was very happy. She
dressed up in the new clothes and set out for home with the turkeys.
Some children in the village saw her coming. "Oh look!" they cried, "There comes
Yellow Corn's and Blue Corn's sister all dressed up in some new clothes!"
Yellow Corn and Blue Corn heard them and ran out to see if what they heard was
true. When they saw the new clothes they ran to their little sister:
"How lovely your clothes are!" said Yellow Corn, "Come, go into the house with us
and let us see them."
"Yes," said Blue Corn, "Come in and we will give you some corn cakes and deer's
meat."
deh.1922.2012.234.jpg
"No, thank you," replied the little sister, "I had rather stay with my turkeys
and eat with them just as I have always done." For she knew that Yellow Corn and
Blue Corn would be unkind to her again as soon as her clothes grew old, and
perhaps they would take her clothes away from her if she went in; but the
turkeys had always treated her kindly.
"Well, go on then with your old turkeys," said the Corn girls, and they picked up
handfuls of pebbles and threw them at the little girl and the turkeys.
Early the following morning the little girl said to the turkeys, "My sisters are
so unkind to me that I am going into the hole (The hole
that swallows people down and they never come back again); but do not follow me.
They will be mean to you, too, when I am gone, so do not let them catch you.
When they chase you, fly away to the north, the south, the east and the west."
And the little girl and the turkeys went out towards the
hole. They walked along singing. The little girl sang: "Turkeys,
deh.1922.2012.235.jpg
[illustration - Lay - loo, lay - lay, wah păhă see-er. Lay - loo, lay - loo,
wah - păhă see - er. Ah - qui - tah - oh, an - nee,
Ah - qui - tah - oh, an - nee. Piu, piu chow, chow. ] turkeys, leaf on water. Turkeys, turkeys, leaf on water. See how
it floats so light. See how it floats so light," and the turkeys answered, "Piu,
piu, chow, chow."
When they reached the river they met an old man with a load of wood on his back:
"Where are you going with your turkeys, little girl?" he asked.
"I am going into the hole," she replied, "My sisters are
so unkind to me that I am not happy, so I am going into the
hole."
The old man put down his wood and hurried to the village to find yellow Corn and
Blue Corn.
"Go catch your sister!" he told them, "and tell her you will not be unkind to her
any more; for she
deh.1922.2012.236.jpg
[illustration - She was almost down in the hole ] is going into the hole to tell the good
spirits in the earth about you."
Yellow Corn and Blue Corn ran as fast as they could to catch their sister. The
turkeys saw them coming and flew away to the north, south, east and west. When
they overtook the little girl she was almost down in the hole. They caught her
by the hair and tried to pull her out. "Come back, little sister and we will be
good to you." But the little sister knew better than that.
"How can I come out if you hold my hair? Please turn it loose," she said.
The girls thought she was coming back so they turned loose her hair; but the
little sister disappeared out of their sight forever and lived happily with the
good spirits in the hole.
deh.1922.2012.237.jpg
THE BOY, THE COYOTE AND THE MAGIC ROCK
(Sezma, a Laguna village)
Long, long ago a boy lived with his grandmother. He was a good boy so that all of
the fairies of the wood were kind to him, especially the fairy who lived in a
big rock on the side of a cliff.
One day the boy said to his grandmother, "Grandmother, let us invite our neighbor
Mrs. Coyote and her baby coyotes in to dinner with us today. They seem lean and
hungry of late. She must have a hard time providing food for so many." So the
boy went over and invited the coyotes to dine with him.
After they had eaten all the food in the house, the coyotes still seemed hungry;
so the boy invited them to go outside where he could get them more to eat.
"Little fairy in the rock," he called, "come down
deh.1922.2012.238.jpg
[illustration - Down fell a big rock right on top of the baby coyotes ] with your table!" And a big rock table came down from the cliff-side
laden with good things to eat. The hungry coyotes had a wonderful feast.
Several days later Mrs. Coyote returned the favor and invited the boy and his
grandmother to have dinner with her. She served a very poor dinner because she
thought she could do as the boy had done, and get the little rock-fairy to bring
down a table of good things. So after they had finished their poor meal, Mrs.
Coyote invited her guests to go outside with her.
"Little Fairy in the rock," she cried, "bring down your table!"
But the table did not come. Mrs Coyote called four times and then she yelled,
"Bring down that table, I say!"
Then down fell a big rock from the cliff right on top of the baby coyotes, who
were huddled together under the cliff waiting for the table. The
deh.1922.2012.239.jpg
rock was so big and fell
so hard that it killed every one of them, and reminded Mrs. Coyote that fairies
were gentle creatures and must be treated in a kindly manner.
deh.1922.2012.240.jpg
THE BAD LITTLE GIRL OF ACOMA
(Seama, a Laguna Village)
Once upon a time there lived in Acoma a very bad little girl. Her mother sent her
out one day to mind the turkeys while they grazed; but she played around and did
not watch the turkeys at all. That evening when she came home one turkey hen was
missing.
"Go and find that other turkey," said her mother, "and bring her home before a
coyote gets her."
But the bad little girl did not obey her mother. She went outside, took off her
belt, her top black dress, her kerchief and her moccasins and slept night under
the ladder. Early the next morning she went out to find the turkey. The turkey
was keeping an egg warm on her nest in the hole of a big rock. When the bad
little girl found her,
deh.1922.2012.241.jpg
[illustration - An old man with a load of wood on his back passed them ]
[illustration - Shkroo-sat-suh-oo-tsay, ko-ah-cun-met-tal sue-tsay.
Toe, toe, toe, toe. ] she grabbed her up by the neck;
and then with the turkey hen under her
arm and the egg in her hand, she started across the prairie singing:
"I am going East to jump in water, water."
"Toe, toe, toe, toe," said the turkey.
"Shut up, you ugly old thing," said the bad little girl, slapping the poor
turkey's head at the same time. "You caused me to get a scolding last night, so
I am going to drown you and this egg of yours in the water."
Then the little girl sang again and slapped the turkey whenever she cried, "Toe,
toe, toe, toe." An old man with a load of wood on his back passed them.
"Why are you going into the water, little girl," asked the old man.
"So that I can be sure to drown this hateful old turkey," replied the bad little
girl.
deh.1922.2012.242.jpg
"Don't be foolish, Child," said the old man, "Come go home with me!"
"No," replied the bad little girl, "you leave me alone. I am going into the
water, I tell you, to drown myself with this old turkey that caused me to get a
scolding; and make my mother unhappy for scolding me."
So on went the little girl still singing and slapping the turkey.
The old man dropped his wood and went as fast as he could to tell the little
girl's mother what he had seen and heard. The mother picked up the little girl's
clothes and hurried after her; but before she reached the water, she saw the bad
little girl throw the turkey's egg into the water, then the turkey and, last of
all, jump in herself. The water swallowed the little girl up before her mother
could reach her.
"Oh, Water God," cried the mother, "give me back my little girl!"
But the little girl did not come back. The mother threw the girl's dress into the
water, hoping
deh.1922.2012.243.jpg
to bring her back, but it turned into a deer and ran away. She threw
the moccasins in and they turned immediately into two bears. Then she threw in
the kerchief. It turned into green slime on top of the water. Finally she threw
in the belt and it changed into a water snake. Nothing could bring the bad
little girl back, for she was far too mean to live.
deh.1922.2012.245.jpg
GLOSSARY Pueblo and Plaza: The Pueblo Indians of the
Southwest get their name from the communal houses in which they used to live at
the time of the first Spanish exploration. Pueblo is the
Spanish word for people. The Indians lived in houses two
or three stories high, all joined so as to form one or two large, irregular,
flat-topped buildings. When the Spaniards first saw them they called them
"People Houses;" and since an Indian village consisted of nothing more than
these large houses with an open court somewhere inside, which is still called by
the Spanish term, the plaza, where many of their
celebrations and ceremonies take place—the village itself soon became
known as a pueblo; and the Indians as Pueblo Indians. The only examples of these old communal houses in use
today are to be found in Taos, Acoma and among the Hopis and Zuñis. In
Taos, in the north central part of New Mexico, practically all of the
inhabitants live in two large structures. Formerly, the entrance doors were all
on top of the houses, so that one could get in only by climbing crude ladders to
the flat roofs and descending other ladders into the inside.
Adobe: The word adobe is
"traceable to an Egyptian
deh.1922.2012.246.jpg
hieroglyph signifying "brick;"
thence to Arabic, whence the Spanish adobar, "to daub,"
"to plaster," adopted in the United States from Mexico. The Pueblo houses,
called adobe houses, are made of wooden beams, etc., and adobe bricks. These
bricks are made of a peculiar clay, known in the Southwest as "adobe clay"
because of its use, mixed with wheat straw and sunbaked in the same fashion as
the bricks made by the Israelites for the Egyptians. After the brick walls are
laid they are plastered over both inside and outside with adobe clay and
frequently washed with white gypsum on the inside. The women usually do the
plastering and they use their hands as trowels.
Pueblo Indians: There are five branches of the Pueblo
tribe of Indians living in New Mexico and Arizona, each speaking a different
dialect: The Tanos, divided into the Tiwas and Tewas; the Queres; the Hopis; the
Jemez; and the Zuñis. The Tiwas comprise the villages of Taos, Picuris, the
two Isletas and Sandia; the Tewas comprise San Juan, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso,
Nambe and Pojoaque; the Queres comprise Cochiti, Santo Domingo, Sia, San Felipe,
Santa Ana, the Laguna villages and the three Acoma villages; the Jemez in Jemez
village; the Hopis (Moquis) living in nine villages on First, Second and Third
Mesas in Arizona; and the Zuñis, with whom this collection does not
deal.
deh.1922.2012.247.jpg
The Tiwas of Taos always begin their tales with the expression Kah-men-mah-tum-ka, meaning something like "once upon a time." The
Tiwas of Picuris begin Wen-ter, which has a similar
meaning. The Tewas always begin Oh-way-way-ham-by-yoh,
"once upon a time, long ago." Most of the Queres begin by saying Hum-ah-ha, meaning "long, long ago; " and the person to
whom the tale is being related replies, Eh-eh and the tale proceeds. In Santo
Domingo, and perhaps in others, they begin a story with an expression meaning,
"I am going to tell you something." The Jemez Indians begins with Dee-pa h-law, "long time ago." The vowels of their
language seem to be sounded much shorter and softer than those of the
neighboring Indians. Their dialect is exceedingly musical. The Hopis begin their
stories with the expression Hah-lick-sah-ee, the meaning
of which I have been unable to discover. It probably takes the place of our
"Well" or "Listen."
Time of tale-telling: Tales are never told by the
old-time Indians during any but the winter months. Their corn crops will be
frost bitten or poisonous snakes will bite them if they tell tales at any other
time. This superstition probably grew up among them because tale-telling during
spring, summer and autumn interferes seriously with agricultural pursuits; and
in the semi-arid country in which these Indians have lived, the raising
deh.1922.2012.248.jpg
of corn is a hard and laborious
task; but a task most vital, since corn is their main food. But during the
winter months groups of children sometimes sit around some old grandfather and
listen to tales all night long, night after night.
Songs: Many of the Indian stories burst into song at some
thrilling or dramatic point; and the same song will be sung from one to ten or
more times in the same story. For instance, if Mr. Fox is trotting along singing
as he goes, instead of expressing it like the foregoing clause and then singing
the song at its conclusion, they will say: Mr. Fox got to the arroyo and sang
(relater sings here), Mr. Fox got to a cedar tree and sang (song again), Mr. Fox
got to the stone and sang (song a third time), Mr. Fox got to a man's house and
sang (song a fourth time), et cetera, until Mr. Fox reaches the end of his
journey.
Most of the wording of the songs is mere meaningless syllables; originally sung
perhaps without rhyme or reason just as a very small child sings, and then
handed down from generation to generation with very slight changes; again the
syllables are used in imitation of the sounds of animals or nature; and,
occasionally, the syllables form a few words relative to the tales they
accompany. A few songs, however, are almost entirely made up of words and
phrases that have meaning; but as far as I can ascertain these songs are
few.
deh.1922.2012.249.jpg
Songs are generally accompanied with a drum made of dried skins and highly
colored, formerly with herb or vegetable stains or with clay washes.
Ovens: The small dome-shaped adobe ovens are used just as
the old Dutch ovens of Pennsylvania were used. A fire is built in the oven and
when it becomes sufficiently hot the coals are all raked out and the bread put
in to bake in the heat. Squashes are also baked in them and sometimes, as during
the visit of the Schah-ve-yoh, two disciplinarians, children are hidden in
them.
Ceremonies, commonly known as Indian Dances: The Pueblo
Indians have two cycles of ceremonies, the summer dances and the winter dances.
These dances originated in a quest for food. During the summer there are dance
ceremonies to bring rain for germinating and maturing the crops, especially the
corn crops. During the autumn there are harvest dances and war dances invoking
the spirits to protect their harvest from maurauding, nomadic enemies. The
winter dances are hunting dances where the Indians get into harmony with the
animal world by imitating animals of the chase in dress and movement. One of
these is the Buffalo and Deer Dance in the tale of Juan
Half-Bear. Hunters go out from the village early in
the morning and drive in the deer and the dance begins later and continues at
intervals all through the day until sundown. Like so many others,
deh.1922.2012.250.jpg
the Indian works harder at his
amusements than at anything else, consequently these dance ceremonies are
wonderfully dramatic affairs. In many of the dances there are kachinas or koshare believed to be the spirits
of the dead, who because of their positions as departed souls can the better
intercede with the deities in behalf of those still living.
The Pueblos deify and worship the forces of nature as manifested about them: the
lightning, the cloud, the wind, the snow, the rain, the rainbow, the dawn, the
sunset, the fire—all are deific beings. The sun, the moon and the sky are
beings of power. Deities preside over springs, rivers and mountains; and a Great
Spirit rules over all the surface of the earth, the underworld where all
departed Hopis are believed to go, and death. They believe in the duality of all
things both animate and inanimate, the world and all it contains is divided into
the male and female conception of duality. Every inanimate object has its little
spirit or fairy, like the fairy in the ladder in Pah-day and
The Wind-Witch. Among animals and insects there are many gods. The
eagle is considered a deity of unusual wisdom because of his position so far
above the surface of the earth, from which vantage point he is supposed to see
and know everything. Among insects the spider is most important, as shown in the
witch stories. She is the Spider Woman or Earth Goddess,
deh.1922.2012.251.jpg
and, among the Hopis, as the
spouse of the Sun, she is the mother or grandmother of the mythical warrior
heroes of the race. And so among their stories you find the eagle or the spider
the deus ex machina in relieving many difficult or
distressing situations.
Home Dance or Farewell Dance of the Hopis: The picture of
the preparation or beginning of this dance illustrates the tale of The Thieving Foxes. It is the last of the cycle of Hopi
Kachina dances. It appears to be a prayer for rain
as well as a thanksgiving dance for former harvest-gifts of the Sun and Rain
gods and the Earth-Mother. The large head masks are called kachinas. There are a large variety of them, each representing the
spirit of a departed ancestor, or sometimes a departed animal, and the person
wearing the kachina becomes the embodiment of the spirit
represented. The performers in the Home Dance ceremony often carry planting
sticks, hoes and other emblematic paraphernalia. A number of men are dressed as
female kachinas (thus carrying out the idea of the
duality of productive nature). These furnish the accompaniment to the dance
song, sung by the male kachinas, by rasping the dried
scapulae of sheep over notched sticks placed on wooden sounding boxes.
The male and female dancers stand in two lines with the food offerings in piles
between them and posture to the music. The males turn around repeatedly during
deh.1922.2012.252.jpg
the dance. When the dance is
over the piles of corn, beans, melons, cat-tails which they chew as one does
sugar-cane,—baskets of peaches and apricots, kachina dolls and bows and arrows are given to the children, who,
naturally, especially enjoy the dance. Finally the dancers carry offerings to a
shrine outside of the town and the drama of the Home Dance is over.
Snakes: To the Tanos and Queres Indians, as seen in the
stories of the fate of the witch-girl and the witch-wife, it is a severe
punishment to be turned into a snake and have to crawl on one's stomach always;
but the Hopis feel differently about the matter. In the tale Mr. Get-Even Coyote the snake is allowed to destroy the coyote, who
has a sad fate throughout all of the tales in which he figures because of his
predatory habits.
The Hopis believe that snakes are elder blood brothers of their Snake Clan, one
of the two largest social and religious orders among them. The legend relates
that an Indian youth embarked in a hollow log, closed except for one small
peep-hole, and went down the Colorado river to its mouth. There he found the
Spider woman, who advised him so wisely in his dealings with the Snake people
living there, that he won the Chief's daughter and took her home with him,
together with the rites he had learned, which are now practiced by the Hopi
Snake Clan. The first children of this union were snakes, who
deh.1922.2012.253.jpg
were driven away by the Hopis because of their bites. Later human children were
born, the ancestors of the present Snake Clan. And so the Hopis treat snakes in
a very respectful manner. Every other year they worship with them in their great
snake ceremony called the Snake Dance.
Owls and Witches: Supposedly because of their faculty to
see and hunt by night, when things seem spooky and witchy, owls are always
associated with witches and the feathers of owls have a very sinister
significance. The Indians believe firmly in witches and attribute many evils to
their machinations. Cactuses are also associated with witchcraft and are
supposed to be the chief food of the witches. Witches change themselves into
fire and can be seen all around a village when any one in the village dies. They
always possess a hoop of evil magical power.
The Value of Water: In the semi-arid Southwest during a
season of drought where animals and sometimes men are dying from thirst, it is a
crime equal to murder to steal water; and hence the fate of poor Bunny Rabbit
when he steals water at the coyote's spring in The Gum
Baby.
Corn Meal and The Most Popular Form of Bread: The Pueblo
Indians grind corn with stone slabs on metates—three or four sloping stones
ranging from rough to smooth. On the first stone they break up the corn and
reduce it to fine flour on the fourth, toasting it after each grinding. The
women do the grinding and several
deh.1922.2012.254.jpg
women grind together, as shown
in the illustration of the story, Poh-ve and Pah-day. In
olden times when the men were going to the plains to trade with the Comanches,
the women used to grind whole loads of meal for them to carry. Several women
would grind together all night. Meanwhile the men sang the grinding song or beat
a drum, and the women kept time to the music with slow regular strokes. In Hopi
land "grinding is still the daily occupation of women. Where there are several
women in a house, the unmarried girls do the grinding, while the married women
bring water. Girls grind for their father's sisters, and make parties to do the
same work in one another's houses; married women grind occasionally for their
mothers-in-law. Girls sing while they grind and smear their faces with meal
before and after grinding, and this is playfully recommended as a way of
learning the task. They also powder their faces with meal when they are in full
dress."
The buwa of the Tewa Indians and the piki of the Hopis is a wafer bread. It is a staple article of food and
is kept on hand all the time. It "is made on a rectangular slab of fine grained
stone, about 3 feet square, laboriously hewn and polished, which rests on stones
at the ends or at the four corners. This slab stands under a wide open chimney
in a special room; it is heated by a fire built beneath it. A soft liquid dough
or batter is prepared in
deh.1922.2012.255.jpg
a mixing bowl, and when the
stone has been thoroughly heated and wiped with a greasy rag, a small quantity
of the batter is spread over the surface by a quick, sweeping motion of the
hand, leaving a thin even layer. In a few seconds this layer of dough is so far
cooked that it can be peeled off entire by one of its corners; it is laid aside
on a wickerwork tray, and a second layer is spread on the stone. While this is
cooking the first sheet of buwa is laid over it again to
benefit by the heat; then the first and second sheets are removed, a third layer
is spread, and the second sheet is laid above the third for extra cooking; and
so on. When a bowlful of the batter has been used, there is a pause in the work;
the semi-transparent sheets are folded in four, and generally the four-fold
sheets are rolled into cylinders." (Bureau of Ethnology, Bulletin 55).
The buwa dough is generally made of blue corn meal from
the Hopi blue maize mixed with a few ashes to give it a greenish blue color and
with a little salt and water. Sometimes for special occasions the Hopi piki is made of very white corn meal either left white
or dyed pink or yellow with some vegetable dyes.
Sacred Corn Meal: Corn meal (white) mixed with corn
pollen and perhaps other things sacred to the Indians is used as an offering to
the gods, especially by the women, as men often use the feathers of sacred
birds, in all
deh.1922.2012.256.jpg
ceremonies and almost all daily
tasks. The throwing or blowing of a small quantity of sacred meal seems to be a
silent prayer in itself.
Piñon: A small pine tree found on the low hills and
mountains of the Southwest bearing a cone filled with small edible nut seeds.
These nuts are shaped and flavored like a tiny pistachio; but instead of green
they are brown in color. They are considered a great delicacy by the natives,
who try to get ahead of certain rodents and a blue jay, known as the piñon
jay, in collecting the nuts. A piñon pine is shown in the illustration of
The Fox and The Mice; and a piñon jay is flying
with Bunny Rabbit in Bunny Rabbit and the King of
Beasts.
The Hole: The Hole in the story,
A Little Cinderella, is a crater of an extinct
volcano. The crater is supposed to lead down into spirit-land.
Going Into The Water: Some of the Indians used to believe
that there were spirits living at the bottom of large bodies of water, who would
receive drowned people into their villages. So the girls in stories who go into the water, simply move to a new and different
kind of village.
Eagles: Eagles like Dy-yoh-wi's
eagle are often owned and kept tethered in a village by some men, or group of
men, for the sake of their feathers. The poor things look half-picked all the
time.
Meaning of some of the names used, not explained in the
deh.1922.2012.257.jpg
text: Tee-yoh, Hopi for
boy; Man-nah, Hopi for girl; Poo-wah-ka, Hopi for witch; and Ye-ah, Tewa
for mother.
Personification of Corn: The Blue Corn, Yellow Corn,
Green Corn, White Corn and Dwarf Corn maidens used in the tales are
personifications of the growing corn; Blue Corn representing the maiden of the
corn bearing a blue ear, et cetera.
Arroyo: "The dry bed of a stream" is explained in Bunny Cottontail and the Crane.
Kiva: Kivas were originally circular chambers built
almost wholly underground with the entrance through a hatchway on top, by means
of a ladder, which was always made with long poles pointing skyward. Kivas were
the "club houses," so to speak, of the different clans or religious orders of a
village; each village having as many kivas as there were separate orders. The
kivas were for the men; women were permitted entrance only to take food to the
men or to witness certain ceremonies. All the clan's special secret rites and
ceremonies take place in the kiva; and formerly young unmarried men belonging to
a certain clan slept in that clan's kiva.
Medicine Men's Ceremony: The medicine or mystery men were
supposed to have obtained from the deities powers of recognizing and removing
the mysterious causes of disease. He was "given" appropriate songs, chants or
prayers and became possessed of one or more powerful
deh.1922.2012.258.jpg
fetishes. They used sleight of
hand in removing the disease, generally feigning to extract soiled rags from the
affected parts of the sufferer's body.
In the picture of the medicine-men's ceremony in Pah-day and
The Wind-Witch, the ceremony was described by a Tewa as follows:
The main business of the chief medicine-man, seated in the picture, is to furnish
the music by singing and shaking his rattle. First they make a rainbow on the
floor with sacred corn meal, with lightning symbols shooting off from the ends
of the rainbow. The inside of the rainbow is then checked off with meal; and the
fetishes, consisting of clay-washed stone bears, wooden dolls painted white and
adorned with turquoise ear-rings and feathers, and gray stone dolls, are placed
in the checks. In the center of all is a charmed bowl of sacred water.
Then the ceremony proper begins. Each medicine man takes a bit of meal from his
little sacred meal-bag, places it to his lips and blows it toward the four
cardinal points. The two standing medicine-men examine the patient and draw out
from the painful spots, by sleight-of-hand, sticks, stones, rusty nails, dirty
rags et cetera, supposed to be the materialization of the disease. These they
immediately destroy. Then the men sit down on the floor beside the singer. He
puts into the mouth of each of them a bit of herb medicine and they begin to
deh.1922.2012.259.jpg
"act crazy." Then they both peer
into the bowl of water, where they are supposed to see and find out the
where-abouts of a witch, who is responsible for the disorders of the patient.
After that the two men rush out of the house and return after a short interval
with a witch made of vari-colored rags, with corn husks in her hair. They dance
around with the witch to the accompaniment of the third man's singing, shaking
their rattles as they dance. After so long a time the witch mysteriously
disappears. One of the medicine-men then lends to the patient the fetish
considered the proper one for his case; and the ceremony is over. The patient
ties the fetish—generally a stone bear, with a little sacred meal, up in a
rag and fastens it around his waist. He wears this for four days: and, at the
end of that time, it is returned with an offering to its owner, the
medicine-man. Recently, the offering has consisted of a certain amount of wheat
flour. "In four days," said the Tewa relater, "the sick person is generally
well; but sometimes he is dead."