Coyote

COYOTE (Native American) Cast: Storyteller (a tribal leader) Story: How things came to be Storyteller: We owe much to Coyote, children to the crafty… (brave) and resourceful Sin Ka Lip, for long (long) long before these sweet… …and easeful times (my children) (o long before even I… …was young), the horses of this land did not appear… …as they do now.

(O no!)

They were As big… …as mountains (children).

And swift!

And ferocious!

And one day

(children) one of those… …big horses attacked Coyote.

And Coyote climbed… …up a tree.

But the horse… (children) …ate that tree. (and even…began to eat Coyote) But Coyote laughed And turned himself… …into a knife, children (a knife-blade).

And “swoosh-swoosh” Carved that one horse… …into many horses. (into the ponies… …we still ride) And that… (children) …is the truth.

And trees (also) in those days… …were ferocious (children).

They could run (and jump).

And one day Coyote was walking (to his house) when a tree-creature… …pounced on him.

But Coyote (quickly) turned himself… …into a hammer (a giant one), and “Tap-tap!” nailed that tree… …to the forest floor.

And since that day, children (since that time) trees…are always creaking (and groaning) bucking (and thrashing) trying…to get loose.

Can you hear them?

And on… …another day (children) Coyote…was sitting with Mole (his wife) when Mole… …began to shout: “Husband! Husband!

Look!

The Mountains are approaching.

They will Squash us…dear Husband!”

And indeed (children) the Mountains were advancing.

They were…racing across the plain.

But Coyote (then) turned himself… …into a porcupine (a bristly one), and “Ping-ping!” shot those Mountains… full of quills.

Poking them.

Piercing…their sides.

And that is why my children (since that day) the Mountains that surround us… (and huddle in mist) …are afraid to approach.

They stand back… (dear children) …and let us have valleys.

And for this… …we must thank Coyote!