American Indian Trickster Tales (Myths and Legends) (7 page)

{Nez Percé
}

 

Long, long ago, when the world was very young, seven giant brothers lived in the Blue Mountains. These giant monsters were taller than the tallest pines and stronger than the strongest oaks.

The ancient people feared these brothers greatly because they ate children. Each year the brothers traveled eastward and devoured all the little ones they could find. Mothers fled with their children and hid them, but still many were seized by the giants. The headmen in the villages feared that the tribe would soon be wiped out. But no one was big enough and strong enough to fight with seven giants at one time.

At last the headmen of the tribe decided to ask Coyote to help them. “Coyote is our friend,” they said. “He has defeated other monsters. He will free us from the seven giants.”

But Coyote really did not know what to do. He had fought with giants. He had fought with monsters of the lakes and the rivers. But he knew he could not defeat seven giants at one time. So he asked his good friend Fox for advice.

“We will first dig seven holes,” said his good friend Fox. “We will dig them very deep, in a place the giants always pass over when they travel to the east. Then we will fill the holes with boiling liquid.”

So Coyote called together all the animals with claws—the beavers, the whistling marmots, the cougars, the bears, and even the rats and mice and moles—to dig seven deep holes. Then Coyote filled each hole with a reddish-yellow liquid. His good friend Fox helped him keep the liquid boiling by dropping hot rocks into it.

Soon the time came for the giants’ journey eastward. They marched along, all seven of them, their heads held high in the air. They were sure that no one dared to attack them. Coyote and Fox watched from behind some rocks and shrubs.

Down, down, down the seven giants went into the seven deep holes of boiling liquid. They struggled and struggled to get out, but the holes were very deep. They fumed and roared and splashed. As they struggled, they scattered the reddish liquid around them as far as a man can travel in a day.

Then Coyote came out from his hiding place. The seven giants stood still. They knew Coyote.

“You are being punished for your wickedness,” Coyote said to the seven giants. “I will punish you even more by changing you into seven mountains. I will make you very high, so that everyone can see you. You will stand here forever, to remind people that punishment comes from wrongdoing.

“And I will make a deep gash in the earth here, so that no more of your family can get across to trouble my people.”

Coyote caused the seven giants to grow taller, and then he changed them into seven mountain peaks. He struck the earth a hard blow and so opened up a deep canyon at the feet of the giant peaks.

Today the mountains are called the Seven Devils. The deep gorge at their feet is known as Hell’s Canyon at the Snake River. And the copper scattered by the splashings of the seven giants is still being mined.

{
Kutenai
}

 

Coyote went along. There was a hill. He went up and saw Grizzly Bear eating there. Coyote thought: “I will play with him.” He said to him: “Grizzly Bear, Short Tail!” He hid behind the hill.

Grizzly Bear heard Coyote talking, calling him bad names. Grizzly Bear thought: “You are sure to say that again.” Grizzly Bear did not look.

After a while Coyote looked again at Grizzly Bear. He said to him: “Grizzly Bear, Left-Handed One!”

Then Grizzly Bear knew that Coyote was on the hill calling him. He pretended to eat again. He was looking without letting Coyote see it.

It was not long before Coyote looked over the hill at Grizzly Bear. He said to him: “Grizzly Bear, Small Eyes!” Coyote hid again.

Then Grizzly Bear ran. He pursued Coyote. It was not long before he looked over the hill again to say something to Grizzly Bear. Coyote said: “Grizzly Bear—” He stopped quickly in his speech. Coyote saw that Grizzly Bear was already coming right up to him. Then Coyote began to run away. He was pursued by Grizzly Bear. Coyote said: “Things that want to catch each other do not run fast together.” Then Coyote left him behind.

Coyote was going along. He turned in a circle and got up to Grizzly Bear from behind. Grizzly Bear was going along in the tracks of Coyote. Coyote heard him panting. He was getting near him. He thought he would catch up with him on the right side. Then Coyote jumped along his side. Then he jumped around on the left side of Grizzly Bear. Coyote went past. Grizzly Bear was going along, and Coyote did the same again.

Grizzly Bear thought: “Now I’ll catch Coyote. I’ll bite him.” Coyote jumped along on the other side. Then Grizzly Bear turned to the right side quickly to catch him, but again he could not catch him. Grizzly Bear went along a short distance and saw Coyote. He was going along tired. Grizzly Bear overtook him. Then Coyote was looking from one side to the other. His tongue was lolling. There was a big stone.

Coyote thought: “Now Grizzly Bear will bite me.” Grizzly Bear chased him around the stone. Then Grizzly Bear was about to catch him, and Coyote was out of breath. Coyote fell down there. He lay there for a time, and thought: “Why doesn’t Grizzly Bear bite me?” Then he felt something on his hands. He looked at it, and saw that he had his hands in the horns of a Buffalo Bull. He looked at the Grizzly Bear. He was standing by his feet. Coyote stood up quickly and ran after him. He spoke to him in the way a bull bellows. The bear trembled. Then Coyote knew that Grizzly Bear was afraid of him. He pursued him. The way Grizzly Bear had done, that way Coyote did to him. He also did the same. Grizzly Bear looked from side to side over his shoulders.

There was a river. Grizzly Bear started to swim. Coyote put out one of his hands with the horn where Grizzly Bear was swimming ahead. He hit him with it. He hit his backside, and he put out the other one and with it also he hit the backside. Grizzly Bear swam across there.

Coyote sat down. When Grizzly Bear was across, he looked back. Coyote was sitting down. Coyote said: “Grizzly Bear, you were going to bite me. It should be once that Grizzly Bear bit Coyote.” Grizzly Bear did not speak. He was afraid. It is true, Coyote was never bitten by Grizzly Bear, and he was helped by his friend Buffalo Bull. Enough.

{
Zuni
}

Locust was sitting on the branch of a piñon tree. He was playing his flute. It made a high, chirping sound. Now and then, he stopped piping away to shout as loud as he could (not very loud), in a high, quavering voice: “I am Locust, the best flute player in the world!”