From the top of a mountain Coyote saw a light far away to the south. He did not know what it was. He defecated, and questioned his excrements.2 They said, "That is fire." He made up his mind to go and get it. Many people accompanied him. Fox, Wolf, Antelope, and all the good runners went with him. After travelling a long distance, they reached the house of the Fire people. They told them, "We have come to visit you, to dance, to play, and to gamble." They prepared for a dance that night. Coyote made a head-dress of pitchy yellow-pine shavings, with long fringes of dry cedar-bark reaching to the ground. The Fire people danced first. The fire was very low. Then Coyote and his people danced in a circle around the fire. They complained that they could not see. Then the Fire people made a large fire. Coyote complained four times, and finally they let the fire blaze up high. Coyote's people pretended to be very hot, and went out to cool themselves. They took up positions for running. Only Coyote was left. He danced about wildly until his head-dress took fire. He pretended to be afraid, and requested the Fire people to put it out. They warned him not to dance so close to the fire. When near the door, he swung the long fringes of his head-dress across the fire, and ran out. The Fire people pursued him. He gave his head-band to Antelope, who ran and passed it on to the next runner. Thus they carried it in relays.3 The Fire people caught up with the animals, and killed them one by one. Only Coyote was left. They nearly caught up with him; but he ran behind a tree, and gave the fire to it. Then he changed himself into dung. The Fire people looked for his tracks, looked up the tree, and examined the excrements. They could not find anything. They caused the wind to rise, and the burning fragments of bark that had fallen here and there set fire to the grass. They said, "Coyote will now burn up." A heavy smoke arose, and Coyote escaped. The fire spread all over the country, and burned up many people. Coyote caused a heavy rainfall and a flood, which put out the fire. After this the fire was in the trees, and grass and trees could be used for making fire. For this reason dry cedar-bark carries fire, and can be used for slow-matches. For this reason, also, pitch-wood ignites easily, and is used for starting fires. Since then there have been smoke and fire in the world, and the two are inseparable. Smoke is always a sign of fire, and wind makes fire blaze up. For this reason people blow on fire.
(2) COYOTE STEALS 1
(From Nicola Valley.)After Coyote had introduced the salmon, made fishing utensils, and shown the people how to fish, prepare, and cure salmon, he went to another country. The people there did not know how to hunt. They tried, but obtained very little game, because the animals were afraid of them. They used clubs and stones for killing them; and as the deer and other game run fast and jump far, they had great difficulty in killing anything. The game-animals, even the deer, were not afraid of the people, and often chased them. Some kinds of game even hunted and ate people.
One day Coyote met some people running. He asked them why they were running. They said, "Elk is hunting us. He will kill and eat us." Coyote said, "Why don't you kill him?" They answered, "We are afraid. He is more powerful than we are." Coyote went on, and soon met a Bull Elk. He asked him where he was going; and he said, " I am hunting for my wives." Coyote asked him, "Do you kill people?" and he answered, "Yes, sometimes." Coyote transformed him into a common elk, saying, "Henceforth people shall hunt and kill you." Then Coyote taught the people how to make bows and arrows; how to hunt, cut up, and cure meat; and how to dress skins. After this they hunted deer and other game.
Coyote (or some other being) said, "Deer will be game and food for the Indians. There will be deer as long as there are Indians. If the Indians disappear, so will the deer." It was ordained this way. The deer were always animals. They were created as game, and food for people. They were hunted by the ancients, and continue to be hunted by the Indians of the present day. Since they are mere game animals, they could not act as the ancients did, and there are no tales telling of them as human beings.
1 RBAE 31 :66o.
2 BBAE 59: 294.
3 BBAE 59: 299, 301 (note 3).
4 BBAG 59: 302 (note 3).
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