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The bluebird is very blue, as blue as a brilliant lake. Many moons ago the bluebird used to be white. One day he was flying and came upon a lake and saw how blue and beautiful it was. He stopped and asked Grandfather, 'Grandfather, can I be as blue as that lake?' So Grandfather gave him a song to sing. He told him what to do. Every morning for five mornings the bluebird would dive down into the lake singing the song taught to him by Grandfather then come back up. The whole time he was doing this the coyote was watching him. On the fifth day, the bluebird dove into the lake, and when he came back out, he was as blue as he is today.
The coyote saw this and thought to himself, 'Hmmmm... I'd like to be as blue as that bluebird.' So he said to the bluebird, 'Teach me your song.' So every morning for the next five days the coyote would take a bath and sing the song from Grandfather. And on the fifth day the coyote came out and was just as blue as the bluebird. The coyote looked at himself in the reflection of the water and thought, 'My, I'm the prettiest coyote there is. There is none prettier than me.'
So he strutted down the road, not unlike a peacock, looking around to make sure all the other animals could see him and see how truly beautiful was his color. He was so intent on having everyone know how colorful and beautiful he was that he paid no attention to where he was going in the road. He ran into a tree, fell down into a dirt road, rolled around and came up. That's why, when you look today, he's brown and dirty. That's how he got the color of his fur.
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How Chipmunk Got His Stripes Story |
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It has always been said that bears think very highly of themselves. Since they are big and strong, they are certain that they are the most important of the animals.
One day, Bear went along turning over big logs with his paws to look for food to eat. He felt very sure of himself. 'There is nothing I cannot do,' said Bear.
'Oh, really?' said a small voice. Bear looked down. There was Chipmunk looking up at Bear from his hole in the ground.
'Yes,' Bear said, 'that is true indeed.' He reached out one huge paw and rolled over a big log. 'Look at how easily I can do this. I am the strongest of all the animals. I can do anything. All the other animals fear me.'
'Can you stop the sun from rising in the morning?' said the Chipmunk.
Bear thought for a moment. 'I have never tried that,' he said. 'Yes, I am sure I could stop the sun from rising.'
'You are sure?' said Chipmunk.
'I am sure,' said Bear. 'Tomorrow morning the sun will not rise. I, Bear, have said so.' Bear sat down facing the east to wait.
Behind him the sun set for the night and still he sat there. Chipmunk went into its hole and curled up in his snug little nest, chuckling about how foolish Bear was. All through the night Bear sat. Finally, the first birds started their songs and the East glowed with the light that comes before the sun.
'The sun will not rise today,' said Bear. He stared hard at the glowing light. 'The sun will not rise today.'
However, the sun rose, just as it always had. Bear was very upset, but Chipmunk was delighted. He laughed and laughed. 'Sun is stronger than Bear,' said the chipmunk, twittering with laughter. Chipmunk was so amused that he came out of his hole and began running around in circles, singing this song:
'The sun came up, The sun came up. Bear is angry, But the sun came up.'
While Bear sat there looking very unhappy, Chipmunk ran around and around, singing and laughing until he was so weak that he rolled over on his back. Then, quicker than the leap of a fish from a stream, Bear shot out a paw and pinned him to the ground.
'Perhaps I cannot stop the sun from rising,' said Bear, 'but you will never see another sunrise.'
'Oh, Bear,' said the chipmunk. 'You are the strongest, the quickest, the best of all of the animals. I was only joking.' But Bear did not move his paw.
'Oh, Bear,' Chipmunk said, 'you are right to kill me, I deserve to die. Just please let me say one last prayer to Creator before you eat me.'
'Say your prayer quickly,' said Bear. 'Your time to walk the Sky Road has come!'
'Oh, Bear,' said Chipmunk, 'I would like to die. But you are pressing down on me so hard I cannot breathe. I can hardly squeak. I do not have enough breath to say a prayer. If you would just lift your paw a little, just a little bit, then I could breathe. And I could say my last prayer to the Maker of all, to the one who made great, wise, powerful Bear and the foolish, weak, little Chipmunk.'
Bear lifted up his paw. He lifted it just a little bit. That little bit, though, was enough. Chipmunk squirmed free and ran for his hole as quickly as the blinking of an eye. Bear swung his paw at the little chipmunk as it darted away. He was not quick enough to catch him, but the very tips of his long claws scraped along Chipmunk's back leaving three pale scars.
To this day, all chipmunks wear those scars as a reminder to them of what happens when one animal makes fun to another.
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How Coyote Got His Cunning Story |
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A great many hundred snows ago, Kareya, the Creator, sitting on the Sacred Stool, created the world. First, he made the fishes in the big water, then the animals on the green land, and last of all, The Man. But the animals were all alike in power, and it was not yet ordained which should be for food to others, and which should be food for The Man.
Then Kareya bade them all assemble together in a certain place, that The Man might give each his power and his rank. So the animals all met together, a great many hundred snows ago, on an evening when the sun was set, that they might wait over night for the coming of The Man the next morning.
Now Kareya commanded The Man to make bows and arrows, as many as there were animals, and to give the longest to the one that should have the most power, and the shortest to the one that should have the least. So he did, and after nine sleeps his work was ended, and the bows and arrows which he made were very many.
Now the animals being gathered together in one place, went to sleep, that they might rise in the morning and go to meet The Man. But the coyote was exceedingly cunning, above all the beasts that were, he was so cunning. So he considered within himself how he might get the longest bow, and so have the greatest power, and have all animals for his meat. He determined to stay awake all night, while the others slept, and so go forth first in the morning and get the longest bow. This he devised within his cunning mind, and then he laughed to himself, and stretched out his snout on his fore-paws, and pretended to sleep, like the others.
But about midnight he began to get sleepy, and he had to walk around camp and scratch his eyes a considerable time to keep them open. But still he grew more sleepy, and he had to skip and jump about like a good one to keep awake. He made so much noise this way that he woke up some of the other animals, and he had to think of another plan.
About the time the morning star came up, he was so sleepy that he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Then he took two little sticks and sharpened them at the ends, and propped open his eyelids, whereupon he thought he was safe, and he concluded he would take just a little nap, with his eyes open, watching the morning star. But in a few minutes he was sound asleep, and the sharp sticks pierced through his eyelids, and pinned them fast together.
So the morning star mounted up very swiftly, and then there came a peep of daybreak, and the birds began to sing, and the animals began to rise and stretch themselves, but still the coyote lay fast asleep. At last it was broad daylight, and then the sun rose, and all the animals went forth to meet The Man. He gave the longest bow to the cougar, so he had the greatest power of all; and the second longest to the bear; and so on, giving the next to the last to the poor frog.
But he still had the shortest one left, and he cried out, 'What animal have I missed?' Then the animals began to look about, and they soon spied the coyote lying fast asleep, with the sharp sticks pinning his eyelids together. All the animals set up a great laugh, and they jumped on the coyote and danced upon him. Then they led him to The Man - for he could see nothing because of the sticks - and The Man pulled out the sticks, and gave him the shortest bow of all, which would shoot an arrow hardly more than a foot. And all the animals laughed very much.
But The Man took pity on the coyote, because he was now the weakest of all animals, weaker even than the frog, and he prayed to Kareya for him, and Kareya gave him cunning, ten times more than before, so that he was cunning above all the animals of the wood. So the coyote was a friend to The Man and to his children after him, and helped him, and did many things for him, as is told in other stories.
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