AMERICAN INDIAN MYTHS AND LEGENDS

by Richard Erdoes

  “Can you see now?”

  “Yes. I can see well.”

  Coyote told her where he was going. She told him to be careful and gave him some food to take with him.

  Coyote went on until he came to a woman working on a canoe. He went over and pinched the feet of her baby. The child began to cry, and the woman said, “Don’t touch my child. He has never cried.”

  She went back to working on the canoe, chipping at the inside, but she cut a hole through the bottom.

  “Look what you’ve done. Are you blind?” asked Coyote.

  “Yes I am,” answered the woman.

  Coyote chewed some pine gum and spat into her eyes. And then she could see.

  “Where are you going?” asked the woman.

  “I am going to marry the daughter of Always-Living-at-the-Coast.”

  “You should be careful with her: she has teeth in her vagina. This is how she kills all the young men who come to see her. Take my stone chisel, and when you go to bed with her, stick this up in there and break the teeth off.”

  The woman rubbed Coyote’s back with a stone and gave him the masks of the wren, the deer, the mountain goat, and the grizzly bear.

  Coyote put on a mask that made him look older and went into the country of Always-Living-at-the-Coast, where he sat down by a river. He had not been there long when the man’s daughter, Death-Bringing Woman, came by with her friends and saw him.

  “Oh, he would make a good slave,” she said. “Let’s take him with us.” So they took Coyote back to camp with them. That night Death-Bringing Woman asked Coyote to sleep with her.

  Coyote could hear the sound of grinding teeth coming from under her clothes. When he got into bed with her, he heard the sound of rattlesnakes. He pushed the stone chisel in and twisted it sharply, and broke off all the teeth in Death-Bringing Woman’s vagina. Then Coyote took off his mask. He said he was Coyote and he had come to marry her. They slept together.

  The next night they arrived at the house of Always-Living-at-the-Coast. That night Always-Living-at-the-Coast heard laughing coming from his daughter’s bedroom. He got up from his bed and came into her room.

  “Who is that you’re laughing with, my daughter?”

  “This is my husband. Welcome him.”

  Always-Living-at-the-Coast welcomed Coyote and returned to his room. The next morning Always-Living-at-the-Coast split some cedar and stripped the bark, and made a snare trap. Then he went into his daughter’s bedroom and said, “Son-in-law, I want you to jump through that door into the center of the house.” Coyote put on his deer mask and jumped through the door of the room right into the trap, where the deer died.

  “It serves him right, coming into my house and embarrassing me like this,” said the old man.

  But Coyote took off the mask of the deer and went back into his wife’s room.

  That night the old man heard his daughter laughing again.

  The next morning he made another cedar bark trap and told his son-in-law to jump through the door into the center of the house. Coyote put on the mask of the mountain goat and jumped into the trap, where he died at once. When the old man went out, Coyote took off the mask of the mountain goat and returned to his wife.

  That night Always-Living-at-the-Coast heard the sounds of two people making love again and he called out, “Who’s in there with you, daughter?”

  “My husband,” she answered.

  The next morning the old man did as he had done before, making the trap and telling his son-in-law to jump into the dimness where it was concealed. This time Coyote put on the mask of the grizzly bear and went out into the other room and crushed the trap. Then he sat down to eat.

  The old man was still thinking how he might kill his son-in-law. He asked Coyote to go with him by canoe across an inlet to the other shore where they would begin work on another canoe.

  Coyote and the old man paddled across the water and went into the woods, where they felled a tree and began splitting the log. Coyote took up some alderwood and chewed on it while he worked. They were working along like this when Always-Living-at-the-Coast dropped his hammer into the split. He asked Coyote, who was smaller, to go down into the crack and get the hammer. When Coyote went in, the old man quickly knocked out the wedges holding the split open. Coyote spit out the alderwood, which looked like blood, and the old man thought his son-in-law was dead.

  “This serves you right for thinking you could come and marry my daughter,” he said, and left.

  Coyote put on the mask of the wren and flew up out of the crack. He caught up with Always-Living-at-the-Coast.

  “Why did you leave me behind there, Father-in-law? The log closed up and I was almost trapped.”

  “Oh, I’m glad to see you! I almost cried myself to death when it happened. I was going home now to tell my daughter. I thought you were dead. I’m glad you got out; I didn’t think it was possible.”

  They both got into the old man’s canoe and started paddling toward home. Coyote was chewing a piece of wood. When it was soft, he took it out, carved it into the shape of a killer whale, and threw it into the water. “You will be the killer whales of future generations,” he said.

  Just then the killer whales came up out of the water and snatched Always-Living-at-the-Coast out of the canoe.

  When he got home, Death-Bringing Woman asked him where her father was, and Coyote said he didn’t know. Later the woman had a son. One morning Coyote took his son and went away.

  —Reported by Barry Lopez, 1977.

  GLOOSCAP GRANTS

  THREE WISHES

  [ALGONQUIAN]

  Even the great Glooscap can behave like a trickster, especially when people ask him for the frivolous.

  When men had heard that Glooscap, the lord of men and beasts, would grant a wish to anyone who could come to him, three Indians resolved to attempt the journey. One was a Maliseet from St. John, and the other two were Penobscots from Old Town. The path was long and the way hard, and they suffered much during the seven years that it took them. But while they were still three months’ journey from his home, they heard the barking of his dogs, and as they drew nearer day by day, the noise was louder. And so after great trials, they found him, and he made them welcome and entertained them.

  Before they went, he asked them what they wanted. And the eldest, an honest, simple man with no standing at home because he was a bad hunter, said he wanted to be a master at catching and killing game. Then Glooscap gave him a flute, or magic pipe, which pleases every ear and has the power of persuading every animal to follow him who plays it. The man thanked the lord and left.

  The second Indian, on being asked what he would have, replied, “the love of many women.” And when Glooscap asked how many, he said, “I don’t care how many, just so there are enough and more than enough.” The god seemed displeased to hear this but, smiling, gave the man a bag which was tightly tied and told him not to open it until he reached home. So the second Indian thanked the lord and left.

  The third Indian was a gay and handsome but foolish young fellow whose whole heart was set on making people laugh. When asked what he chiefly wanted, he said he would like to be able to make a certain quaint and marvelous sound, like breaking wind or belching, which was frequently heard in those primitive times among all the Wabanaki. The effect of this noise is such that they who hear it always burst out laughing. And to him Glooscap was also affable, securing from the woods a certain magic root which, when eaten, would create the miracle the young man sought. But Glooscap warned him not to touch the root until he got home. Elated, the man thanked the lord and left.

  It had taken the three Indians seven years to get there, but seven days were all they needed to return home. Yet only one of the men ever saw his lodge again. This was the hunter, who trudged through the woods with his pipe in his pocket and peace in his heart, happy to know that as long as he lived he would always have venison in his larder.

  But the man who loved women, yet had never even
won a wife, was anxious to know whether Glooscap’s magic would work. He hadn’t gone very far into the woods before he opened the bag. And there flew out by the hundreds, like white doves swarming about him, beautiful girls with black, burning eyes and flowing hair. Wild with passion, they threw their arms around him and kissed him as he responded to their embraces. But they crowded thicker and thicker, wilder and more passionate. He asked them to give him air, but they would not, and he tried to escape, but he could not; and so, panting, crying for breath, he smothered. And those who came that way found him dead, but what became of the girls no man knows.

  Now, the third Indian went merrily along the path when all at once it flashed on his mind that Glooscap had given him a present. And without the least thought of Glooscap’s warning, he drew out the root and ate it. Scarcely had he done this before he realized that he had the power of uttering the weird and mystic sound to perfection. It rang over the hills and woke the distant echoes until it was answered by a solemn owl, and the young man felt that it was indeed wonderful. So he walked on gayly, trumpeting as he went, happy as a bird.

  But by and by he began to feel weary of his performance. Seeing a deer, he drew an arrow, stole closer, and was just about to shoot when in spite of himself the wild, unearthly sound broke forth like a demon’s warble. The deer bounded away, and the young man cursed. By the time he reached Old Town half dead with hunger, he was not much to laugh over, though at first the Indians did chuckle, which cheered him up a little. But as the days went on they wearied of his joke and began to avoid him. His unpopularity made him feel that his life was a burden, and he went into the woods and killed himself.

  —From a legend reported in 1884 by Charles G. Leland.

  COYOTE’S RABBIT CHASE

  [TEWA]

  Here is another version of the Cochiti “Contest for Wives.”

  Coyote got up early one morning feeling unusually full of pep. He trotted along the ridge of a wash just as the sun was beginning to appear on the distant horizon. As he ran, he spotted a small, lumbering figure moving slowly below him. He loped down to see who it was and recognized Badger. “Greetings, brother!” he called. Quietly Badger wished him a good morning.

  Coyote had already hatched a plot to get the best of Badger, so as the two paused to visit, Coyote said: “Brother, it’s such a fine day that we shouldn’t waste it just wandering around. Why don’t we have a contest and a wager? Let’s each spend the day hunting rabbits, and at sunset we’ll return to this spot with our catch. Whoever kills the most rabbits gets to spend the night with the other’s wife. What do you say, brother Badger?” At first Badger did not think this was such a good idea, but fearing that Coyote would call him a coward, he accepted.

  As the two set out in opposite directions, Coyote felt there was no way he could lose. While he ran, he imagined how it would be to spend the night with Badger Woman. After a while he spotted a jackrabbit nibbling grass in a shady spot. He took off after it, yelling “Yip! Yip! Yip!”

  Now, this jackrabbit had also just emerged from his hole, and he too was full of pep on this morning. He led Coyote a merry daylong chase up and down washes, over hills, and through forests. Coyote was serenely confident, thinking, “This jackrabbit should be all I need to beat old Badger, so slow, so cumbersome, so nearsighted. I doubt whether he’d catch anything if he had a whole year.” In this fashion the day slowly waned.

  Just before sunset Coyote finally wore the jackrabbit down and caught it. He hurried back to the rendezvous with Badger feeling quite sure of himself.

  Meanwhile, Badger had hatched a plan of his own. Soon after their parting, he hurried to a system of rabbit holes that he knew were nearby, and at the first one he began to dig with his powerful claws and muscles. In short order he caught several half-asleep rabbits. By the time he made his way through the entire tunnel system, he had twelve of them. These he laid out in a row above the tunnels as fast as he caught them, so while Coyote was just getting into his jackrabbit chase, Badger already had twelve rabbits.

  Badger leisurely took several trips to carry his catch to the rendezvous, and then he searched until he found a spot of shade to wait for Coyote. He was surprised when Coyote appeared, worn out and dripping with perspiration, carrying one jackrabbit. When Coyote spotted Badger’s catch, he realized that his trick had backfired.

  That night Coyote had to remain outside his own den while Badger made endless love to his wife. Throughout the night these lovemaking sessions were marked with howls of pain from Coyote Woman, because Badger has a drill-shaped penis which hurt her terribly. Coyote didn’t sleep at all that night, and the next morning his wife, very sore from the exertions of the evening, said: “Old man! You think you’re so smart! You lose contests and I have to pay for your stupidity!”

  —Translated from the Tewa by Alfonso Ortiz

  COYOTE GETS RICH OFF

  THE WHITE MEN

  [WHITE MOUNTAIN APACHE]

  Once when Coyote was visiting various camps, he and Bobcat heard about a white man who was making some whisky. They went together to the man’s house and managed to steal some, and after they had run a short distance with it, they stopped to drink. Then Coyote said, “My cousin, I feel so good, I’d like to holler!” “No, we’re still close to those white men,” Bobcat said. “I won’t holler loud, cousin,” Coyote said. They kept arguing and drinking. Finally Bobcat said, “All right then, holler quietly.” Coyote intended to holler softly, but before he knew it he got carried away and was hollering as loud as he could.

  Now, the white men heard the noise and headed right toward him. Bobcat had enough whisky in him to feel good, but Coyote was really drunk. When the white men surrounded them, Bobcat got up and sailed over the nearest man with one jump. In a second jump he leaped over all the rest and got away. So they arrested Coyote and took him in chains to the town jail. Later on, Bobcat used to visit Coyote from time to time, and once they arrested Bobcat and had them both locked up for quite a while.

  One day the two prisoners watched some white men breaking horses in front of the jail. There was one horse that no one could get close to, and Coyote boasted, “I could saddle that horse right away.” The prison guard told the men what Coyote had said, and they decided to let him out and see what he could do.

  Now Coyote knew horse power, and when he had used it with the horse, it wasn’t wild any more. He got on and rode it around and then thought he would have some fun. The horse balked, and though he kicked it gently with his heel, it wouldn’t move. Coyote told the white people to put on a fancy saddle. They brought out a brand new one with taps and saddle bags and everything on it, just as he wanted. He put it on the animal, remounted, and kicked it, but gently, so it wouldn’t move. “This horse is thinking about a nice white bridle and bit and lines, all covered with silver,” said Coyote. Actually the horse was ready to go, but Coyote kept holding him in. The men brought a fine bridle and put it on the horse. Then Coyote dismounted the horse and said, “I want you to fill the saddle bags with crackers and cheese; that’s what the horse wants. Also, I have to wear a good white shirt and vest, and a big show hat, and a pair of white-handled pistols in a belt. That’s what the horse likes. And good silver spurs: the horse wants these also.” They brought all this finery for Coyote and filled the saddle bags.

  Now Coyote got on the horse. Ahead by the gate were some American soldiers. He kicked the horse hard and started for the soldiers at a gallop, making it look as if the horse were running away with him. The soldiers moved back, and he and the horse tore through the gate and disappeared.

  Later Coyote sat down by a spring under a walnut tree, thinking about the soldiers that he knew were after him. He swept the ground clean under the tree and strung his money up on its branches. Pretty soon the soldiers came along, and Coyote said, “I’m going to tell you about this tree. Money grows on it, and I want to sell it. Want to buy?”

  The soldiers were interested, and Coyote told them, “It takes a day for the mone
y to grow and ripen. Today’s crop is mine, but tomorrow it’s all yours. I’ll sell you this fine tree for all your pack mules.” Coyote was always thinking about eating, and he hoped the packs held food.

  The soldiers agreed to the terms, and Coyote got a big rock and threw it against the trunk. Most of the money fell to the ground. “See, it only ripens at noon,” he said. “You have to hit it just at noon.” He whacked the tree again, and the rest of the money dropped out. Now it was all on the ground, and the white men helped him pick it up and put it in sacks. They turned all their pack mules over, and he started off.

  Coyote traveled for the rest of the day and all night, until he was in another country. Meanwhile the soldiers camped under the walnut tree waiting for noon. Then the officer told the soldiers to hit the tree, and they pounded it hard. When no money fell out, the officer ordered it chopped down, cut into lengths, and split up, in case the money was inside. No matter what they did, they couldn’t find even five cents.

  That night one of Coyote’s mules got hungry and started to bray. Irritated at the noise, he killed every mule that brayed, until at last he had killed them all. So when he came to a white man’s house, he bought a burro from him.

  Now Coyote was always thinking about how he could swindle someone, and the burro gave him another idea. Returning to his old home in the mountain, he put a lot of money up the burro’s rear end, then kicked the animal in the belly so that it expelled all the money. He tried it again, and it worked as before. “This burro is going to make me lots of money,” he thought.

  Coyote put his money in the burro’s rear end and started for town, where he went to the big man in charge. “Look at this wonderful burro! His excrement is money, and it comes out of him every day.” Coyote always talked like a Chiricahua.