Wolf and Coyote

wolf and coyote

In the beginning, Wolf wanted to make everything easy and pleasant for the Indians, Coyote tried to make them work hard as they must do to-day. Wolf had all the game shut up so that people could easily take what they wanted; Coyote released the game so that people had to go hunting. Wolf said, "The Indians shall not die." "Why should they not die?" asked Coyote, "they must die." An Indian was lying sick in his tent. The medicine-man was treating him, but he died. Coyote taught the Indians to cry and to cut their hair when any one died, and told them that the dead go to another world.

Wolf said to Coyote, "Let there be no menstruation." Coyote thought it was proper that women should menstruate; so he took some somebloodlo and threw he iti atthsduhe.Sebgnstru to menstruate and went to a menstrual lodge. Lupus, "Homines oportet ex digito nasci sine coitu," inquit. Coyote disagreed. "Bonus est coitus, ex utero nasci oportet. Melli est coitus." To-day things are as Coyote wished them.

Wolf and his younger brother Coyote were living together. Every day Wolf went to his aunt Bear for dinner. She prepared every kind of food for him; when he came home, he used to tell Coyote of the good things he had eaten. Coyote said he would also visit his aunt in order to get something good to eat; but Wolf advised him not to go, because, he was afraid Coyote would play some trick on their aunt. Coyote promised to behave well, but Wolf still kept on warning him. "When she sits down to cook," he said, "she always spreads her legs wide apart. Conspectis pudendis muliebribus tu certe coitum concupisces." Nevertheless Coyote went to the Bear's wikiup. When Bear began to cook, she spread out her legs. Conspectis pudendis Canis libidine accensus se continere non potuit. Prostrata muliere cum ea concumbere conatus est. Bear closed her arms about him and tore his loins. Coyote howled with pain. Bear got up and ran away.

Wolf was waiting for Coyote to come home. When Coyote did not return, his brother went to look for him at Bear's wikiup. When he found out what had happened, he said, "Did n't I tell you to stay home ?" He treated Coyote's wound, and cured him. Then he got into a passion, because Bear had hurt his brother. He went away and found his aunt gathering wild carrots.

He killed her, went back and ordered Coyote to bring her home, but to leave all the inside of the Bear's body intact. Coyote skinned and butchered the Bear; but disobeyed his brother, cutting out the he'gwi (an unidentified part of the body). When he got home, Wolf noticed that something was missing and said, "You have cut out the most important part. Now Indians will often attack us. They will surround us while we sleep. You must look out for the hostile Indians."

After some time had elapsed, Coyote beheld many Indians coming to surround their home. Coyote went out directly in front of them. They shot at him again and again, but could only graze his skin and shoot off his hair. They failed to hurt him, though he was fighting all alone. In the mean time, Wolf stayed indoors, dressing up and painting himself. When Coyote was exhausted, he went inside, and Wolf came out to fight. Coyote became jealous of his brother, because he was so handsomely dressed. He wished the enemy would kill Wolf. Immediately Wolf was shot and killed by the Indians. They scalped him and took away his dress. Coyote fled and the Indians went off.

Coyote made many arrows; he tracked the enemy. When he came to his brother's body and saw the scalped head, he cried. Then he buried the body, and went in pursuit of the Indians. He came to the site of a camp-fire, where they had celebrated the scalp-dance. There he looked at the scalp-pole, and left a quiver on a tree. He wandered on until he reached another camp. ing-ground with a scalp-pole. Here he also left a quiver with arrows. From time to time, he wept as he journeyed along. He came to another camp-site, which had been abandoned only a short time ago, and again left a quiver there. Then he asked his anus, "When did they leave this place?" The anus replied, "Two days ago." At last Coyote got to a camp which had been broken only one day ago.

As he walked on, he saw an old Indian woman hobbling along.' Coyote quickly walked around so as to meet her from a different direction. In order to make himself irrecognizable, he put paint on both his cheeks. When the old woman saw him approaching her, she stopped to sit down. Coyote sat down beside her. The old woman asked him where he had come from. He replied, "Don't you see my paint? I came from a distant land in the East. I don't know at all what is going on here. Tell me what the people are doing." She replied, "The Indians have killed Coyote's older brother. They have taken away his scalp, and perform the scalp-dance every night." Coyote said, "Go on, tell me some more news." The old woman told him that she always walked in the rear on account of her age. As she approached the new camp, some girls were in the habit of running towards her and supporting her the rest of the way. She always took care of the children, putting them to sleep every evening. Whenever the people gave her food, she would eat a portion and stow the remainder away under her knee. When the time for dancing arrived, all the girls were put to bed together. Coyote said, "Continue, tell me some more." "They take Wolf's skin and hang it on a pole." Coyote said, "Tell me some more, tell me everything about these Indians." She told him that in the night she herself went to the dance-ground. Then the other dancers handed her the wolf-skin, she put it about her neck and danced with it. "That is all I have to do," said the woman. "Well," said Coyote, "walk on; you will reach your people some time. I am going back to my home."

Coyote pretended to depart, while the old woman slowly rose from her seat. Coyote, however, walked around her, picked up a stone and knocked her down with a blow on the back of her head. He kicked her about until her skin peeled off. Having shaken out her entrails, he put on the woman's skin. When he looked at his shadow, he saw that he exactly resembled the old woman in appearance. He imitated her walk, hobbling and supporting himself on a staff. He came to the summit of a hill, whence he beheld a wikiup. He was now walking just like the old woman and, like her, sat down for a rest at short intervals. He used both hands to grasp his stick. As he approached the camp, the girls ran up to him. He sat down to tell them of the strange Indian from the East who had met him and had returned to his people. The girls took' Coyote home, supporting him on both sides. He saw his brother's skin hanging on a pole, and began to cry; but they could' not see his tears because they were rolling down beneath the old woman's skin. When they gave him food, he acted as the old woman had told him, eating some and putting the rest under his knee. At sunset, the Indians were going to dance. The girls looked into his eyes and noticed their strange appearance. They said, "How queer her eyes look! They look like Coyote's." Coyote said, "You must not speak like that, girls. Don't mention Coyote." All the people went to the dance, leaving the children with Coyote. While the dice commenced outside, Coyote put the girls to bed. Cum earum pudendis quasi copulare vellet ludere incipiebat. The girls said, "She is acting just like Coyote." Coyote said, "Don't speak like that girls. Don't mention Coyote."

Towards evening, the people came to ask the old woman to dance. Coyote began to dance very stiffly. Unseen he shed tears under the woman's skin. Towards morning his brother's skin was tossed to him. He put it around his neck and began to dance up and down. Suddenly he jumped up, dropped the woman's skin and ran away. The Indians gave chase, and shot at him repeatedly, but could not hurt him. They shot his hair off. As he came to their former camp-sites, he took down the quivers and shot his arrows back at them. He used up all his arrows. When they had nearly overtaken him, he suddenly disappeared in a cavity in the ground. They looked everywhere. "He came this way, he must be somewhere." They could detect nothing but a heap of old Coyote excrements. They talked to each other about the dung-heap, and finally said, "That must be he." When they began shooting again, Coyote rose and ran away. lie got very tired. When he came to another cavity, he again transformed himself into old Coyote excrements. When they came up to the place, they looked around and saw' nothing. Again they had a council and decided he must be in the excrements. As soon as they began shooting, he got-up and ran away. Finally he got to a body of water and wished he would change into a water-spider. He immediately turned into one, and swam across. The pursuers got to the edge of the water, but could not see anything. They were obliged to give up the chase and return home.

Coyote walked on eastward, carrying his brother's scalp. He put it on a rock facing the east. Then he went to where Wolf's body lay buried, and went to sleep crying. Suddenly Wolf returned to life. Coyote heard him howling on the other side of the hills.

"Why did you wake me up? I was dreaming." Coyote went to the rock, brought back Wolf's skin and covered his brother's body with it. He put him together again. Wolf was restored by Coyote.

Coyote and Wolf were going to war. The hostile Indians (Andavits) were surrounding them. Wolf cautioned his brother not to peep out of their grass-lodge. "If you hear any noise outside, it will mean that I am fighting the enemy." Coyote covered his face. The enemy were jumping about, touching the lodge. He heard his brother fighting. Wolf had just shot off all his arrows, and was defending himself with his bow. The enemy were jumping against the lodge again. Then Coyote looked outside. The very moment he peeped out, Wolf was slain.

Coyote fell down, crying, "The enemy have slain my older brother." Then he fled, crying as he ran along. After a while, he returned to track the enemy. He stopped wherever they had left a camp fire. Blowing on the ashes, he secured fire for himself. The next day he caught up with an old squaw. He asked her what she was doing there. She told him she was walking behind her people on account of her old age. She showed him how she walked along. Then Coyote killed her with a rock, skinned her and put the skin on his own body. He imitated her gait and walked on until he arrived at the enemy's camp. They were having a scalp-dance around a pole with Wolf's scalp. Coyote played the part of the old woman. When he got close to the dancers, the Indians tossed the scalp at him. He seized it and began to dance lilke the other old women. When he received it the second time, he ran away with it as fast as he could. Then they recognized him. They pursued Coyote, but soon saw that they could not catch him.

Coyote walked homie crying. When he arrived at the lodge, he placed the scalp where his brother generally lay down to rest. He fell asleep. At first, he built a fire every morning; later he became so lazy that he never built one at all. He was continually lamenting his brother's death. One morning his brother Wolf shouted at him, "Get up, Coyote! Make a fire." Coyote jumped up immediately, and built a fire. He blew on the flames and looked at his brother stealthily. Wolf was alive again.

A Shoshone Legend

If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself.

- Minquass