The Indians of the Painted Desert Region: Hopis, Navahoes, Wallapais, HavasupaisJames, George Wharton
Religion
The Indians of the Painted Desert Region: Hopis, Navahoes, Wallapais, Havasupais
James, George Wharton
Indians of North America -- Southwest, New
Gladly Kathat-a-kanave returned to the stone house, and with a hearty
good-will he cut many canes or sticks. He carried them to the house,
and laid them out as he had been directed, all the time accompanied
by the Coyote, who rejoiced to see his friend so cheerful and happy.
Kathat-a-kanave told Coyote what was to occur, and Coyote rejoiced
in the wonderful event that was about to take place. When all was
ready Kathat-a-kanave was so wearied with his arduous labors that he
retired to lie down and sleep, and bade Coyote watch and be especially
mindful that no sound of any kind whatever issued from his lips.
Coyote solemnly pledged himself to observe the commands,--he would
not cease from watching, and not a sound should be uttered. Feeling
secure in these promises, Kathat-a-kanave stretched out and was soon
sound asleep. Carefully Coyote watched. Darker grew the night. No
sound except the far-away twho! twho! of the owl disturbed the perfect
stillness. Suddenly the sticks began to move. In the pitch blackness
of the house interior, Coyote could not see the actual change, the
sudden appearing of feet and legs and hands and arms and head, and the
uprising of the sticks into perfect men and women, but in a few moments
he had to stand aside, as a torrent of men, women, and children poured
out of the doorway. Without a word, but thrilled even to the tip of
his tail with delight, he examined men, women, youths, maidens, boys,
girls, and found them all beautifully formed and physically perfect.
Still they came through the door. Several times he found himself about
to shout for joy, but managed to restrain his feelings. More came, and
as they looked around them on the wonderful world to which they had
come from nothingness, and expressed their astonishment (for they were
able to speak from the first moment), Coyote became wild with joy and
could resist the inward pressure no longer. He began to talk to the
new people, and to laugh and dance and shout and bark and yelp, in the
sheer exuberance of his delight. How happy he was!
Then there came an ominous stillness. The movements from inside the
house ceased; no more humans appeared at the doorway. Almost frozen
with terror, Coyote realized what he had done. The charm had ceased.
Those Above were angry at his disobedience to their commands.
When Kathat-a-kanave awoke he was delighted to see the noble human
beings Those Above had sent to him, but when he entered the hawa his
delight was changed to anger. There were hundreds more sticks to
which no life had been given. Infuriated, he turned upon Coyote and
reproached him with bitter words for failing to observe his injunction,
and then, with fierce anger, he kicked him and bade him begone! His
tail between his legs, his head bowed, and with slinking demeanor,
Coyote disappeared, and that is the reason all coyotes are now so
cowardly, and never appear in the presence of mankind without skulking
and fear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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