Coyote was dwelling at Ha'udulilmauna. 153 Coyote was living there alone with his sister. His sister pounded acorns, while Coyote went out to hunt small game. When it was dark Coyote came back home from hunting. The woman soaked acorns at a small creek to the south. In the morning Coyote went out to hunt small game, and came back again when it was dark. "Take this acorn mush," said his sister, giving Coyote some acorn mush to eat. Coyote ate the acorn mush with his fingers.
Coyote was sick. "I am sick," he said to his sister. "Indeed!" said the woman. "There has arrived here a person from the west, and have you not seen him?" he said to his sister. "So?" said the woman, "who may he be?" "A Killdeer person told me, he arrived here," he said to his sister. Coyote was sick. For two days Coyote was sick, and his cheek on one side of his mouth was swollen. "I'll tell you, sister, what the Killdeer person told me." "Indeed!" said the Coyote woman to her brother, "what was it that he said, when he told you the news?" "He says that they are going to have a dance, that is what he told me, and he came to tell us about it." "Indeed!" said the woman. The woman had no husband and Coyote had no wife. They two alone, he and his sister, stayed there together by themselves.
The door of the house was on the south side. The woman came back from the south, having gone to fetch water. She went in by the door, but Coyote was lying there sick. He had put round stones into his mouth, so that Coyote's cheek was swollen. The woman went to him, there lay Coyote. Coyote Woman had gone out to fetch water and stood right there. "Hê!" said the woman, "go back inside! Move away! Move away from the door! Lie down yonder on the north! You might be hurting your cheek if I step on you." "?En" groaned Coyote with (pretended) pain. "Step over me, take your water. Step over me, sister." 154 The woman did so, stepped over him. Coyote was lying on his back and yelped (when she stepped over him). 155 "M‘!" said the woman. "You see, why did you do that, not lying away from the door? I told you that your cheek would be hurt." She pounded acorns, and soaked them in a small creek to the south. Coyote Woman came back into the house, fetching water. Coyote was lying at the door. "Lie down away from here!" (she said). "Step over me, sister." "M‘!" said the woman. The woman did as he asked her, stepped over him. Coyote yelped as before. "See now, you hurt your cheek."
"I shall tell you, sister, will you go to stay over night to have a dance? They say that the Killdeer people are going to have a dance. They say that they are going to have a dance there at Wī'tc‘uman?na." "Yes," said the woman. "But I shall not go off, I shall not go to see how they dance," said Coyote, "but do you go to stay over night to have a dance! I shall tell you," said Coyote. "When the eastern people come they will have their faces blackened with black pitch. All those eastern people will be that way, having their faces blackened, and all of them will have faces that are quite black. When yon see the Yā'?wi 156 people, (you will notice that) the Yā'?wi chief will be very tall and will talk loudly as dance leader." The woman listened with lowered head. "Pray do not look at those eastern people, but do look at the Yā'?wi. When the chief shouts as leader, take him
and dance with him. One Yā'?wi will have sucker-fish fat rubbed all over his face. That one is the chief, look at him, and when it is night, take him to yourself!"
Coyote Woman fixed herself up nice. She painted herself with red paint, put her buckskin skirt about her hips, put on her white-grass tasseled dress, and put her tule basket-cap on her head. Ah! That woman was pretty. "Well, I shall go off, it is nearly dark." "Yes," said Coyote, "I must stay right home, for I am very sick," he said to his sister. Now the woman went off to the west, all alone. The sun was down already and it was night now. "Hä+u!" They danced, filing in towards the fire. Coyote Woman stood there, held her fists pressed against her cheeks. The woman did not look at the eastern people as they danced. "Hä+u!" said the Yā'?wi in the west, as they danced. The woman looked up in the night; she was very pretty. The woman looked to the west, the chief was shouting, "Hêhä'u! Hêhä'u! Hêhä'u!" Three times he shouted. Coyote's sister looked all around, looked at the chief. "That yonder must be the one," she said in her heart. "That is what my brother said to me. He told me to look at the chief, when he shouts as dance leader."
When his sister had gone away, Coyote took the stones out of his mouth and threw them away. He dressed himself up nice, put sucker-fish fat on his face. "I wish there might come to me an otter-skin quiver! I wish that I were tall!" It happened thus. Coyote became tall, and an otter-skin quiver full of arrows came to him. Coyote was very handsome. In the middle of the night Coyote went around and shouted, "Hau! hau! Hau! hau!" There he was, dancing as chief. The woman had come from the east. There was Coyote dancing, and there was the woman coming dancing from the east. The woman took hold of the Yā'?wi chief, took hold of her brother. They were dancing together, dancing during the night. Coyote pulled the woman off to the east (saying), "Let us go to the east! Come on with me!" The woman did so, going off to the east with him into the brush. They lay down to sleep, sat there talking to each other. Coyote tickled the woman, the woman did likewise to the man.
He lay on the woman and put his arms about her, copulating with her, pushing the woman about. Of goodly size was the woman, fat and very pretty. When it was nearly daylight, Coyote got up again, having finished copulating. Coyote ran off home while the woman still stayed in the brush.
Coyote hastened back home to the east, running very fast. He went back into his house, and put his smooth round stones back into his mouth. Again Coyote lay down on the ground by the door. The woman came back home from the west running quickly. The woman was angry, thinking in her heart (about what had happened). She arrived home and saw how Coyote was going back into the house. She entered inside. Coyote lay down. The woman was pregnant now. "Hê!" said the woman, "get up, husband!" Coyote, with swollen cheeks. whined in answer, "It was not I who did it!" "Do not bawl!" said the woman. She took a stick and whipped Coyote as he lay on the ground. "Get up! Go and hunt deer, husband! I am pregnant." "I! I did not go away. It was not I that did it" (whined Coyote). "Yes!" said the woman, "I saw you." Now she gave birth to children, gave birth to them outside the house. Coyote as usual lay right inside. "Go out!" said the woman, "I am pregnant." She gave birth to ten little coyotes. She put them into her pack-basket and went down south to the creek. She turned her basket over into the creek and they floated westwards in the water. The woman returned from the south and arrived back home. Coyote arose, took the smooth round stones out of his mouth, and threw them away. Coyote went out of the house, ran down hill to the south. He ran west along the creek, following his children. The little coyotes floated westwards in the water; he ran west, following them along the creek. They floated on till they arrived at Wī'tc‘uman?na, 157 he still running west along the creek. Coyote had run west ahead of his children. He made a fish trap, twining it out of willow. He placed it in the water. There was Coyote, while the little coyotes came floating in the water from the east. They floated past the willow fish trap. Coyote hastened back out of the water. The little
coyotes floated west, but he ran west ahead of them with his willow fish trap in his hand. When west of them, he hastened to the creek and put it into the water. The little coyotes came floating in the water from the east, floated west past it. "Hê!" said Coyote, "get up out of the water, boys, and get something to eat for yourselves." They floated west, floated till they arrived there at Hamā'damtc!i. 158 "Get up out of the water, boys." They did so, came up out of the water. They were now grown up young men. "Start off south for the hills across the plain." The young coyotes did so, scampered about in every direction to look for gophers, jumping on the gopher piles to mash the gophers to death. "Ah!" said Coyote, "that is good, boys. Spread out in every direction and get food for yourselves. I shall go back home," said Coyote. Coyote now went off, leaving his boys behind him.
Coyote went north and turned east, leaving Clover creek to the north. He went east to Bagat?didja'myak!aina, 159 that far he went. Coming up from the west, Coyote had an otter-skin quiver, and very good was the flint in his quiver. He had white feathers and put them into a net-cap, an eagle's white breast and leg feathers he put into the net-cap. 160 Coyote did not have merely arrow shafts put under his arm, these were all provided with flint arrowheads. Frost came from the east. Frost also had a net-cap filled with white feathers, he had his feathers made of snow. Very pretty were Frost's white feathers. Frost was going west, Coyote was going east; they met each other at Ganu'myā. 161 "Hu!" panted Coyote. Coyote sat down, Frost
sat down. "Whither are you going?" asked Coyote. "I am going west," said Frost. "Indeed! I am going east," said Coyote. "Indeed!" said Frost. "Tell me," said Coyote, "how are the east people getting along?" "There are no people. I did not see any," said Frost. "Hê! Very beautiful are your bow and your arrows. Hehe'!" Coyote said, "I should like to have your white feathers," but Frost said nothing. "Let us change about," (said Coyote). "This bow of mine is bad, these arrows of mine and my white feathers are bad." "Oh, well! Let us change about." "Yes," said Frost, and he gave him his arrows, his net-cap filled with white feathers and his bow. "Let us trade good things with each other." Frost handed his net-cap filled with white feathers to Coyote. Now Coyote put white feathers made of snow on his head; just so Frost put Coyote's white feathers on his head. "Well!" said Coyote, "I am going east. Do you for your part go west."
Now he went east, while Frost on his part went west; now they departed from each other. Frost laughed. Coyote went east, and (soon) said to himself, "I am sweating." Really it was snow that was melting, the water came dripping down on Coyote's face. He looked back at his bow, he looked back at his flints and arrows. No arrows were to be seen, no bow was to be seen, they had all melted away. Coyote stood there and looked all around; Frost had gone far off to the west and was no more to be seen. Coyote put his hand on his head, felt around on his head for his white feathers, but the white feathers were no more. Coyote stood still, pondering. "Dam?nimā'na!" said Coyote, "you had good sense, young Frost! I thought indeed they were real white feathers," said Coyote. "That is why I changed about with you. You had good sense." He went on east with nothing now, without bow and without white feathers. Frost's white feathers did not melt, nor his bow and arrows. Coyote now went off home, until he arrived at Ha'udulilmauna.
Crow said, "I shall hunt deer." The people camped out to hunt, all the women camped out. They went out till they settled down to camp at Luwa'iha; 169 the men were out hunting deer. Coyote was married to Mountain-Quail Woman, a young woman. Coyote said, "I do not want to have you camping out with me. It shall be my mother-in-law who will camp out with me. You stay home!" said Coyote. "I do not wish to camp out with my
son-in-law," said old Mountain-Quail Woman. "All the old women have gone camping out. Go camping out! Go camping out! Camp out with him!" said the young woman to her mother. The people did so, camping out to hunt deer. The old woman started to camp out, to camp out with Coyote, while Coyote's wife stayed right at home. The women built camping-out houses, built at Luwa'iha with mā'du grass, with dead bark of pine trees, and with bark of bottom oak; they laid mā'du grass on thick on their houses. Also Mountain-Quail Woman built a house for Coyote.
The Crow people hunted deer together with the Blue Flies. The Buzzard people were there in great numbers, and others hanging around. Now they hunted deer and many deer were killed. They packed them home to the camping-out houses. The Blue Flies, Crows, and Buzzards did not really hunt deer, they looked for deer carcasses. They found a deer that was long dead. Crow said to Blue Fly, "I have found a deer carcass." "It is I who came upon it first," said Blue Fly. "I found the deer carcass. I saw the deer," said Crow. He disputed with Blue Fly. "It is I who came upon it first," (said Blue Fly). "Look at what I have shot on it!" He had thrown his excrement way ahead of him. Crow said no more, for he was beaten. Blue Fly carried off home the deer carcass that had been found by Crow.
When it was dark every one came back from hunting deer to his camping-out house. and it was about to rain during the night. The old woman, Mountain-Quail Woman, had a big vulva. Coyote had his bed on the east, over there on the east side of the house, while the old woman lay across from him on the west. It rained during the night, the water came pouring down on where Coyote was sleeping. "O mother-in-law! I am nearly dead frozen," said Coyote. "Hê!" said the woman, "I put lots of straw over your place of sleeping, son-in-law! Why should it leak?" (Coyote had said to himself,) "I wish that her part of the house should not leak!" "Your place of sleeping does not leak," (said Coyote). "I should like that we sleep together with heads and bodies averted from each other, mother-in-law!" 170
The old woman turned her head to the north, while it kept on raining during the night. He put a rock, a rock acorn-mortar, between them. "Leak, leak! sleeping place! Do not leak! Mountain Quail Woman's sleeping place!" said Coyote to the rain. It did so to Coyote's sleeping place; there was much water all over it. "Do not leak (on her bed)!" In the middle of the night he caused the old woman to fall asleep. She did so. Now the old woman was sleeping, snoring. "O, away with mere talk! Shall I go on arguing about it?" Coyote got up from his bed on the ground and spread apart her loins. Now he copulated all night with his mother-in-law, pushing her about. The old woman did not wake up. When it was nearly daylight Coyote ran off home, having, finished copulating. She was like a frog, for all her fat had been taken away from her. Coyote arrived home, running east to his, wife. The (old) woman ran home after him. She ran ran back east after him and arrived home. "Husband! Do not call me mother-in-law!" (she said to Coyote). Mountain-Quail Woman was pregnant. "So that is why you told me to go out camping with yourself! You intended to act in that way!" Mountain Quail Woman threw the children into the water but Coyote did not follow his children. 171
Many were the people dwelling at Unte'unaha. 192 Wildcat's wife was pregnant and he had a child born to him. The woman gave birth to a child; Wildcat did not go to hunt deer, for his wife had a child. 193 Wildcat said, "Let us go to get pine nuts. We can do no other work now than to go to get pine nuts. And dress up your child!" Now they went to the east together with their child. There were many pine nuts there, the trees were loaded down with them. "I shall climb up for them here. Let us get pine nuts." "Yes," said the woman. Wildcat climbed up the tree. He threw the pine nuts down one after another, broke off the pine-cones and threw them down. The woman had put her baby in its cradle down on the ground, and pounded the nuts out of the cones as Wildcat broke them off and threw them down below. He shouted down to his wife, "Are they big nuts?" The
woman said, "Yes. Throw them all down," said the woman; "they are big nuts." He threw the pine nuts down, and said, "Hū!" He threw some more down, saying "Hū!" "Yes," said the woman. Wildcat spoke to her within his heart, spoke down to her, "Hehe'?! I wonder what's going to happen, for my sleep is bad." The woman did not answer. "Hū" He threw pine nuts down to the south, he threw them to the north, he threw them to the east, he threw them to the west. "Last night I dreamt in my sleep. I dreamt that I was throwing myself down. I threw down my shoulder, I threw down my other shoulder, I threw down my thigh, I threw down my other thigh." The woman did not turn back to look, as she pounded the nuts out of the cones; the baby was lying in its cradle on the ground. "I dreamt that I hurled down my backbone. I dreamt that I was rolling all over with nothing but my skull. I dreamt." The woman looked east to the digger pine. Blood was dripping down from the pine tree. The woman put her hand over her mouth, as she looked at the blood. The woman was afraid, and ran off home. He bounded about up in the tree, being nothing but a skull. The woman left her child behind her, forgot her child. She arrived, running, at the house. "I don't know what he is going to do. He has thrown his own members down, and bounds about up in the tree with nothing but his skull. Blood is dripping down from the digger pine. I am afraid," said the woman. "Indeed!" said the people. "Let us run off to save ourselves. He might cause us all to die." The people did so, and started off to run for safety, running off to the south. They all went into the sweathouse at Wamā'rawi, 194 and put a sandstone rock on the roof to keep others out. The people filled the house, children, women, and men. Wildcat was saying, "Hū!" but the woman did not answer him. Wildcat's skull came bounding down, bounded down to the ground. He lay quietly there for a short while, not seeing his wife. Then he bounded around, nothing but a skull. He saw his child and swallowed it. "Am!" said Wildcat to his wife. He bounded back home to the west, he bounded back and arrived at his house. There were no people
there. He bounded about to every house. There were no people. "Am! Where is it that you have all gone to, running away to save yourselves? I'll find you!" He followed all their tracks, as he bounded about. He found their tracks which they had made in moving to the south. "Am! I shall find you," said he, as he bounded off to the south. He cut bottom-oaks down one after another, he cut the brush down. He bounded on to the rocks, and burst them to pieces. He bounded south to P‘u'ls*u?aina, 195 rolling along to the west, a human skull. He was like a strong wind, thus he was as he went along. 196 He bounded up hill to the south to ‘Ô'djinimauna, 197 following the people's tracks. He bounded on until he arrived at Wamā'rawi. "Let me in, you people, I want to enter," said the human skull. "Don't say anything," (they whispered to one another). "Don't let him in," said the people. He was not allowed to enter. "Let me enter, you people!" "Don't you let him get in! Be quiet!" "Yes!" he now said outside within his heart. "You people won't let me in, won't you?" He bounded back a little way to the north, and came back swiftly, a human skull, on the ground from the north. He was very strong, and cut up all the bushes everywhere, cut up all the trees. He was going to burst into the house, but he could not, or it was too strong. He bounded off to the east. He came bounding back from the east, intended to burst west into the house. The sweat-house shook, but it was too strong for him to break in. He bounded off to the south. He came bounding back from the south, intended to burst into the house from the south side, but it was too strong for him. The people were heard talking inside the sweat-house. He bounded off to the west. He bounded back from the west, acted like a flint arrow-head, so strong was he, but he could not break into the house. He lay quiet a while, in order to rest. There he lay. "Hehe'?!" said the human skull. "You people were very sensible." He bounded up into the air, intended to burst into
the house from above, through the door. He came bounding down, but could not burst through the roof, for the house was too strong for him. He bounded up again (saying to himself), "I shall try it once more. Perhaps I shall succeed in bursting through the house." He did so, bounded away up into the air. He came bounding down, but bounced back. That human skull had nearly burst into the sweat-house, for the sandstone rock was already pounded thin. The people inside were afraid. "He‘! It looks as if we shall all die. It seems that he is about to burst into the house," said the people. Wildcat bounded back down hill to the north, and lay there now on the ground. "Why should I try to burst into the house? The sweat-house is too strong for me." He bounded back to the north, rushed back as far as Old Cow creek. He arrived rushing back at what had been his house. "Whither, now, shall I go?" He bounded north and met some people. He killed the people and went on rushing to the north. He rushed down hill to the north at Djit‘p‘ama'uwitc‘u. 198 He killed ten people, and went rushing up hill to the north. He was heard coming by all the people, rushing along, acting like a wind, as he came rushing on. He rushed on as far as K!ā's*ip!u. 199 Coyote was coming from the north at I‘da'lmadu. 200 Coyote had on an elk-skin belt and carried a quiver of otter-skin. Coyote stood there, listening, listened down on the ground. "That must be the human skull," said Coyote. He was coming from the north. "I am going to meet him," said Coyote in his heart. "I do not think that I shall be killed. I hear that he is killing the people." The human skull came rushing down hill from the south; Coyote on his part was coming from the north. Coyote stood still right there at Djêwint‘a'urik!u. 201 "Heh! What shall I do?" He took off his belt, and hid his otter-skin quiver
and net-cap in the brush. The human skull came rushing from the south, approaching nearer and nearer. Coyote said, "I wish there may be to me an old, ugly-looking pack-basket. I wish there may be to me an old, ugly-looking apron of shredded bark. I wish there may be to me an ugly-looking skirt." It was so. The skirt, the old pack-basket, and the apron of shredded bark came to him. "I wish there may be to me pitch, white clay." He besmeared his head with pitch, put it on thick on his face; he just managed to look through his eyes, because of the pitch. The human skull came bounding from the south. "I am going to cry," said Coyote. He carried the old pack-basket on his back, thus did Coyote as he came from the north, while the human skull approached nearer and nearer from the south. "Hê! hê! hê!" he sobbed, "hê! hê! hê!" Coyote was walking along with the help of a stick. The human skull lay quiet a while, listening to the person crying. Coyote came up to the human skull. Coyote looked at the human skull and cried, "I hear that you were bad in the south. What are you acting that way for?" The rolling skull spoke, "I was dreaming," he said to Coyote. "My wife was having a child, and I dreamt that I threw my own body down. I dreamt that I was bounding about, merely a skull." Coyote spoke to the human skull, "Hehe'?! I should like to bake you on hot rocks, because if you continue to act that way, bounding about, merely a skull, you will surely die. I have seen a person that way before, acting like you because of a bad dream, and I have caused him to be a person again," said he, speaking to the human skull, who lay there, big-eyed, consisting of nothing but his eyes. "I put wood and rocks into a hole. I made a round hole, and packed wood." Wildcat was listening to what Coyote was telling him. "And I built a fire down in the hole. I put lots of wood on the fire, so that it burned well, and I put rocks on the fire, big rocks, and when the rocks were hot, I went to look for pitch. I mixed soft pitch with old, red pitch. Hū! I besmeared that skull of yours all around with pitch, I smeared pitch all over it, nice and smooth. Hū! And I put the skull down in the hole," he said to Wildcat. "'S*' said the pitch, as it spluttered away." "Do that to me, please," said the human skull. "I put hot rocks, big rocks, on top. Hū! And while the pitch said 'S*!' the skull stretched out until it became a person again, and hū! it arose out of the fire, having again become a person." (Wildcat agreed to let Coyote do thus to him. When he became heated up, he attempted to burst out, but could not.) It shook all around. Wildcat no longer moved about at all, for he was dead now. He had tried to burst up out, but in vain. "Aha'! Hehê!" said Coyote. "You can't beat me. I was never beaten in anything." He took his quiver and bow out of the brush again, threw away his pack-basket, threw away his apron of shredded bark, threw them all away. He put on his belt and tied his hair up into a top-knot. "There's no such a thing as my being beaten!" Coyote now went to the south. He went up hill to the south, came to the top of the hill, and proceeded south, went until he came to Djit‘p‘ama'uwitc‘u. He kept going south until he arrived at Wamā'rawi. Many were the people in the sweathouse. "Come out of the house, all of you," said Coyote, shouting inside to them. "I have killed the human skull. I killed him over there at Djêwint‘a'urik!u." The people did so, all came out of the house. They all now went off home, going back to the east, going back to the south, going back to the west, going back to the north. 93:152 This myth consists of two quite unconnected episodes, Coyote's rape of his sister and his deception by Frost. The former of these episodes bears a resemblance to Betty Brown's story of "Coyote, Heron, and Lizard" (no. XII), except that in the latter it is Coyote who is deceived by his wife. 103:153 An Indian village at a mountain, said to be named "Black Mountain," situated about two miles up from Wī'tc‘uman?na (see note 103). 104:154 Coyote wished to see his sister's private parts. 104:155 Pretendedly with pain, really with lust. 104:156 The Yana name for the Wintun. 106:157 See note 103. 107:158 An Indian village at the present hamlet of Millville, not far from the confluence of Cow creek and Clover creek. 107:159 A point near the present Basin Hollow, between Cow creek and Clover creek, formerly a favorable spot for the gathering of roots, seeds, and clover and the burning out of grasshoppers. It took its name (see note 146) from a hill with big sandstone boulders on the summit. 107:160 The yô'l?aiyauna, a sort of white war bonnet, consisted of the white breast and leg feathers of the eagle loosely filled, like down, into a net worn on the head (tc!a'iwānu, larger than the ordinary k!a'‘di, "net-cap"). The net itself was not visible, as it was entirely covered by the white feathers. 107:161 The present Basin Hollow in Clover Creek Valley. It was a waha'iri?mauna, "resting place," at which it was considered good luck for traveling parties to stop. 112:169 An Indian village on Old Cow creek about twenty-five miles east of Millville. 113:170 Avowedly for reasons of modesty. 114:171 An implied reference to the preceding story (no. vii). 115:191 This myth is practically identical with Curtin's "Hitchinna" (op. cit., pp. 325-35); Hitchinna, "wildcat," corresponds to ‘itc!i'nna, Metsi, "coyote," is me'ts*!i, Patokya, "skull people," is p‘u't!uk!uyā. cf. also Dixon, op. cit., pp. 97-8, and no. XXIII of this paper. 123:192 An Indian village located on a plain between the upper courses of Old Cow creek and Clover creek, at a distance of about fifteen miles south of Round Mountain. There was said to be an abundance of flint in the neighborhood. 123:193 See note .101. 124:194 See note 111. 125:195 An Indian village on the present "Tamarack Road," near Ba'n?xa. See note 107. P‘u'ls*u?aina means "red clay." 125:196 Sam Bat‘wī said that when the older Indians first saw the trolley cars of the whites, they compared them with the wildly rushing P‘u't!uk!uyā' or Human Skull. 125:197 An Indian village on the upper course of Bear creek. 126:198 An Indian village on the south bank of Cedar creek, near the Bullskin Ridge. 126:199 An Indian village situated on a hill a short distance south of the present Buzzard's Roost (Round Mountain). 126:200 A rocky spot with small creek just north of the present stage station situated about a mile and a half south of Montgomery creek. 126:201 An Indian village about two or three miles north of the present hamlet of Buzzard's Roost or Round Mountain.IX. THE ROLLING SKULL. 191
Footnotes
