Coyote and Grizzly Make the Seasons

One day, after they had made night and day, Grizzly Bear said to Coyote, "I do not like the short winter we have. I want winter to be the same number of months as the number of feathers in the tail of a Blue Grouse. I will use my magic powers to make it so."

Coyote was not sure that this was a good idea. He found a Blue Grouse and counted all its tail feathers. There were 22. Coyote ran to Grizzly Bear and said, "You want winter to be 22 months long! That will never do. The people are not strong enough to live through such a long winter and will all die, so let the winter be half as many months."

Grizzly Bear said, "No! I want winter to have as many months as there are tail feathers on a Blue Grouse."

Coyote thought and thought. Maybe he could find a way to trick Grizzly Bear. He said, "Why don't we make the year the same number of months as the number of tail feathers on the Red-winged Flicker?" Grizzly Bear quickly agreed because he thought there were many, many tail feathers on a Red-winged Flicker. Then Coyote said, "Let half of the tail feathers be the number of months it may snow and be cold. The other half will be the number of months it may not snow and will be warm." Grizzly Bear agreed to this plan as well. He thought this would make a long winter and a long year. Later Grizzly Bear found a Red-winged Flicker. When he counted the tail feathers he was surprised! There were only 12 tail feathers. But it was too late. Grizzly Bear could not go back on his word.

Coyote was very pleased. He had tricked Grizzly and made sure the people would not have a long winter. From that time on, the people had some cold months and some warm months. Coyote and Grizzly Bear had made the seasons.

The War With the Sky People

Black Bear was a great chief of the Fish People. Wolverine was a great chief of the Bird People. One day, they gathered all the fish and bird warriors of the Earth People to go to war against the Sky People.

Before the war could begin, the Earth People had to find a way to reach the Upper World. All the warriors took turns shooting arrows up to the sky. Each time, the arrow fell back to earth without hitting the sky.

Finally, Wren, who was the smallest warrior, shot an arrow that stuck in the sky. The next smallest warrior shot an arrow that stuck in the end of the first one. Again each warrior took a turn. Over and over, one arrow stuck in the end of another. Soon a chain of arrows formed a ladder to the Upper World.

When the ladder was finished, the warriors climbed up into the sky, one after another. They left the two great chiefs, Wolverine and Black Bear, at the bottom to guard the ladder.

A little while after all the warriors reached the Upper World, Wolverine began to laugh at Black Bear's tail. Black Bear did not like being laughed at and grew angry. He chased Wolverine around and around the ladder. In their hurry, the two chiefs bumped into the ladder and knocked it down.

Meanwhile, in the Upper World the Earth People were fighting with the Sky People. At the beginning, the Earth People were winning, but then the Sky People began to win. When the Earth People became afraid, they ran for their ladder, only to find it had fallen. Many stayed to fight the Sky People, but others threw themselves down to earth. The Bird peoples flew down to earth safely, while many of the Fish People that jumped missed the lake and injured themselves.

Kamloops Trout made it safely into the lake, but Rainbow Trout scraped his sides on two trees before falling into the lake. Since then, both the Rainbow's sides have been red, blue, and green.

When Dolly Varden jumped, he landed in shallow water and has had a flat belly ever since. Lake Trout got his tail hooked on some rocks and tore it and that is why he now has a forked tail. Peamouth hit a thorn bush when he jumped and cut his mouth and that is why he has a red mouth today.

When Whitefish jumped from the Upper World, he closed his mouth tight before he jumped. He has had a small mouth ever since. Lingfish had a rock in his mouth when he jumped, and it tore his mouth. That is why Lingfish has a broken looking mouth today.

Suckerfish was the last to jump. All of his bones broke and scattered. He died. The grandson of a man called Tcel gathered Suckerfish's bones, put them back into his body, and brought him back to life. Because of this, Suckerfish has many bones scattered in his body today.

The war ended and the Earth People who remained above were changed into stars by the Sky People.

(Reproduced from Coyote As the Sun and Other Stories)

Home / Table of Contents

Previous