The Sia: (1894 N 11 / 1889-1890 (pages 3-158))Stevenson, Matilda Coxe
History
The Sia: (1894 N 11 / 1889-1890 (pages 3-158))
Stevenson, Matilda Coxe
Zia Indians
After traveling some little distance the coyote met a deer with two
fawns; the fawns were beautifully spotted, and he said to the deer,
“How did you paint your children, they are so beautiful?” The deer
replied, “I painted them with fire from the cedar.” “And how did you
do the work?” inquired the coyote. “I put my children into a cave,”
answered the deer, “and built a fire of cedar in front of the cave, and
every time a spark flew from the fire it struck my children, making a
beautiful spot.” “Oh,” said the coyote, “I will do the same and make my
children beautiful,” and he hurried to his house and put his children
into a cave and built a fire of cedar, and then stood off to watch
the fire. The children cried much, because the fire was very hot. The
coyote tried to stop their cries by telling them they would soon be
beautiful like the children of the deer. After a time their weeping
ceased and the coyote thought his words had comforted them, but, in
fact, the children were burned to death. When the cedar was consumed
the coyote hastened to the cave, expecting to find his children very
beautiful, but instead he found them dead; he was enraged with the
deer and ran fast to hunt her, but he could find her nowhere, and he
returned to his house much distressed and much disgusted with himself
for having been so easily fooled by the deer.
THE COYOTE AND THE COUGAR.
When the world was new the coyote was very industrious. He was always
at work passing around the world everywhere. He was never lazy, but his
thoughts were not good. He visited one camp of people and told them he
belonged to the Corn people; at another camp he said he belonged to
the Knife people. Both times he lied. After a while the coyote told
the cougar, who was the father of all game, that he would like to be
a ho´naaite. The cougar replied, “When your thoughts are good, then
you may become one.” “I guess the coyote is not lying, he has good
thoughts now,” and the cougar said to him, “Come in four days to me
and we will make hä´chamoni.” The coyote returned on the fourth day
and worked eight days with the cougar preparing hä´chamoni. He was
supposed to abstain during this time from food, drink, and smoking, and
to practice continency. The cougar also fasted and practiced continency
for the same period of time. Each night when it was dark the cougar
said, “You, man coyote, now it is night, take this food which I give
you and offer it to Ko´pĭshtaia.” The first night the coyote returned
with a contented heart, and upon entering the cougar’s house he sat
down. The second night after the coyote left the house with the food
for Ko´pĭshtaia, he felt a little hungry, and he said to himself,
“Last night I was not hungry, now I am hungry, alas! I am afraid or
I would eat this food. Why have I wished to be a ho´naaite? I have
food here and I wish to eat it, for I am hungry and yet I am afraid.”
And so he argued with himself until he overcame all scruples and ate
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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