American Indian Trickster Tales (Myths and Legends) Read online

  Like Coyote, Iktomi is always thinking about sex. He fancies himself to be a great lover. He can transform himself into a handsome young man to court a pretty girl, and he sleeps with both human and animal women. He transgresses the most formidable tribal taboo by making love to his own daughters. He has a love medicine that makes him irresistible to women. He plays the flute beautifully, which makes young maidens come to him. A sexual athlete, he carries his huge penis in a box, and can make it a mile long, or sling it over a river to impregnate a girl on the far shore. He is married, but that certainly does not prevent him from fooling around!

  The Cheyenne Trickster Veeho is in many ways the equivalent of Iktomi. He can be a creative genius with vast powers, or (more often) he can be an idiot. In one tale, he spies in the water’s reflection a figure curiously like his own, with a piece of meat in its mouth. Never satisfied with what he already has, Veeho tries to snatch the meat from the “stranger‘s” mouth—and ends up with nothing but a mouth full of water. As it so happens, the name “Veeho” is synonymous with “white man.”

  Nixant, the Trickster of the Gros Ventre and related tribes, and Sitconski, of the Assiniboine, are strongly related to Iktomi and Veeho. Most of the stories about Nixant are erotic, or invoke his wild sexual adventures and, misadventures.

  To white people, the idea of a rabbit being a powerful supernatural might seem strange. Not so to the Native American storyteller. Master Rabbit, or Rabbit Boy, stars in the legends of many different tribes. In one Lakota creation tale, Rabbit Boy finds a tiny blood clot and kicks it around until it becomes We Ota Wichasha—First Man. Cherokee legends depict Rabbit as sun-snarer or monster-killer. In Cree stories and in some of the stories in this volume, he is a lying and conniving prankster, an excellent companion to Coyote and Iktomi.

  Glooskap, or Kuloskap, is the great supernatural being of the Abnaki, the coastal tribes of New England and eastern Canada, which include the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac, and Maliseet (Malecite). Glooskap tales, as you might expect from tribes living near the ocean, often take place on the water or reflect a close relationship with it. Howard Norman, in his collection Northern Tales, cites a description of Glooskap as a great giant who could swim with immense strokes. Norman’s description of the Northern Trickster can apply across the continent:

  Like a magical hermit, he must live outside civilization, even though his life-lessons, his mesmerizing tricks, nurture the human imagination, make people laugh, and animate life itself. Trickster can never fully marry into human life, just as he can never truly become physically human. Likewise, he cannot inherit our human past, nor does he long for any future. He is the perfect embodiment of the present tense.

  Although there is a good deal of Trickster in his nature, Glooskap is more properly a godlike figure. Glooskap represents the good in man; his twin brother, Malsumsis, is evil.

  Nanabozho, also known as Winabojo, Manabush, and Manabozho, is the great culture hero of the Algonquian tribes of the northern Midwest and the Great Lakes areas. Sometimes referred to as the Great Hare, he appears in the tales of such tribes as the Menomini, Ojibway (Anishinabe), Winnebago, and Potawatomi. Nanabozho is a full-fledged Trickster—not just the fool or lecher like Veeho or Iktomi, but a much more serious and formidable figure. The Utes tell a story about Ta-wats, the Great Hare, who fights the Sun and shatters him with his arrows; the red-hot splinters set the world on fire. Like Glooskap of the Abnaki, Nanabozho is “the incarnation of vital energy: creator or restorer of the earth, the author of life, giver of animal food, lord of bird and beast,” according to author Louis Herbert Gray.

  Wesakaychak is the Trickster figure of the Cree and Métis tribes of Canada. Métisis the French name for a group of people who are of part French Canadian and part Native American ancestry. Wesakaychak appears often under the Anglicized name of Whiskey Jack, and many of the tales in which he appears have a distinctly European flavor.

  Old Man Napi is the featured Trickster of the Blackfoot, Piegan, and related tribes. Napi is the term for old man, but its real meaning, according to James Willard Schulz, who lived with a Blackfoot tribe at the beginning of this century, is the dawn, “or the first faint, white light that gives birth to the day,” and thus they worshipped the light personified. However, George Bird Grinnell, who lived with the Blackfoot in the nineteenth century, felt that two characters had been accidentally fused into one. “The Sun, the creator of the universe, giver of light, heat, and life, and revered by everyone, is often called Old Man, but there is another personality who bears the same name, but who is different in his character. This last Na‘pi is a mixture of wisdom and foolishness; he is malicious, selfish, childish, and weak.” Napi, like Veeho, is also the term for “white man.”

  The Hopi god Masau‘u, the Skeleton Man, is a creator, a germinator, the protector of travelers, the god of life and of death, the peacemaker, and the granter of fertility. But he’s also a lecher, a thief, a liar, and sometimes a cross-dresser. Masau’u, also known as Masaaw or Masauwu, is probably the strangest and most multifarious of all Native American Trickster gods. He can assume any shape—human or animal—to lure a maiden to share his blanket. Ruler of the underworld, he is often shown as a skeleton but can also be depicted as a normal, handsome young man bedecked in turquoise. He is said to live in poverty, but he is lord of the land. As Hamilton Tyler recounts in PuebloGods and Myths, he is said to have brought to the Hopi “a stone tablet which contains the instructions and on which was written all the life plan of the Hopi people.... He said, ‘The whole earth is mine. As long as you keep this, it all belongs to you.’ ” This dual character, god and trickster, is a common complication in the tales in this book.

  Masau‘u is also the boundary maker and the god of planting and agriculture. During Hopi planting ceremonies, a Masau’u impersonator is the center of the action. Ekkehart Malotki and Michael Lomatuway’ ma, in their book of Masau‘u stories, describe a scene out of a clown act in the circus, as Masau’u takes on any number of “challengers” dressed like cowboys, rival tribespeople, or other characters. He chases the opponent and subdues him with a sack, then robs him of his clothes and puts them on himself, but in a style that’s clearly all wrong—moccasins on the wrong feet, sash tied on the wrong side, and so on.

  Yehl, the Raven, is the supreme Trickster and hero of the Pacific Northwest coast tribes. He plays a prominent part in the legends of the Haida, Tlingit, Kwakiutl, Tsimshian, and Quileute tribes. He appeared out of the chaos, after the deluge. In the words of writer Marius Barbeau,

  It was then that Yehl, the supernatural Raven of Siberian and Northwestern mythology, began to fly over the desolate wastes. He became a transformer rather than a creator, for in his primeval wanderings through chaos and darkness he chanced upon pre-existing things—animals and a few ghost-like people. His powers were not coupled with absolute wisdom and integrity. He at times lapsed into the role of a jester and a cheat, covering himself with shame and ridicule.

  Among the Raven stories are found some of the most abstract and bizarrely plotted of all Native American legends. They seem to unfold in a realm of fantasy, totally divorced from the so-called real world.

  The fact that almost all of these Tricksters are animal characters underscores the Native Americans’ close identification with nature. Howard Norman perfectly describes this reorientation in the relation between humans and the natural world: “these tales enlighten an audience about the sacredness of life. In the naturalness of their form, they turn away from forced conclusions, they animate and enact, they shape and reshape the world.”

  All Lakota ceremonies end with the words “Mitakuye Oyasin,” meaning “All my relatives,” which includes every human being on this earth, every animal down to the tiniest insect, and every living plant. During a television panel show a Christian priest once posed this challenge to Lame Deer, a Lakota holy man from the Rosebud Sioux reservation: “Chief, your religion and mine are the same. The Cross and the Sacred Pipe mean t
he same thing; so do the suffering of Christ and the suffering your people undergo at the Sun Dance. It is all the same—just the language, the words are different.”

  “Father,” Lame Deer replied, after a long pause, “in your religion, do animals have a soul?”

  “You got me there,” answered the priest.

  Christianity teaches that only humans have souls. Indians believe that even a stone, a tree, or a lake has a soul, a spirit, and there are strict systems of beliefs about the effects of telling certain stories in certain ways or at specific times. Even Trickster stories told principally for entertainment must still be told strictly according to tradition. It used to be that in some tribes, stories were told only in winter. Bad things would happen to the person who told them in summer; he or she might be bitten by a rattlesnake or become sick. In some places, stories could not be told in the daytime because that would make the teller go bald. In some tribes the narrator is forbidden to change or omit a single word in a legend, while others permit free embellishment and modification. Some stories are “owned” by a certain family or even a particular person, and cannot be retold by outsiders. Others wander from tribe to tribe. For instance, the story “Iktomi and the Wild Ducks,” in which the Trickster induces his victims to dance with their eyes closed so that he can kill them one by one, occurs in at least a dozen versions among as many tribes. Narrators who could act out a story and mimic the voices of different animals have always been in great demand.

  Time and place are evoked “Indian Way.” What happens in them is not measured in miles or hours in any conventional European way. A place can be “a hundred sleeps away,” or “a thousand paces afar.” A story does not begin with “Once upon a time,” but with “Sunday is coming along,” or “Coyote is walking about.” The events in the story have just happened, or are even still going on. In this way the world of Indian legend is more “real” than that of white men’s fairy tales.

  Tales told in broad, even slapstick comic style sometimes ripen into dramas, too. Sioux Heyoka, sacred clowns sometimes called Thunder-dreamers, must act out their dreams publicly, no matter how embarrassing that might be for them. Sacred clowns often take the guise of familiar tribal Tricksters during their dances.

  Indian Tricksters are undeniably amorous. Some of the tales are explicit and erotic, but never what white Americans would call pornographic. An earthy innocence surrounds these kinds of stories. Women and children enjoy them as well as men. As Lame Deer used to say, “We are not Christian missionaries. We think differently.”

  In the book Stories of Maasaw, a Hopi God, coauthor Ekkehart Malotki comments,

  The Hopi does not give a second thought when referring to sex and related subjects, and will openly talk of these things in the presence of his children. He will also do many things that may be considered repulsive in the eyes of a cultural outsider, but these are not so to him. Thus, characters in a story will urinate and defecate and engage in sexual activities.... If a narrator is somewhat of a comic he will embellish his tales along these lines to amuse his audience. In the Plaza [the center of the pueblo], too, the clowns do things of the above-mentioned nature without embarrassment, and people will laugh at them.

  The authors of this book can bear witness to this fact. We have often seen the sacred clowns—Kosa, Koshare, Koyemshi, Chiffonetti—doing things that upset the occasional missionary or make an elderly lady tourist blush. These antics are all part of old traditions. In many tribes, during certain dances, modest old grandmothers will say things they would never dare to utter on any other day. It should be noted, too, that there are no “dirty” words in Indian languages. A penis is a penis, not a “dick” or “peter,” and a vulva is just that, never a “twat” or “snatch.”

  Says Howard Norman of the Trickster, “His presence demands, cries out for, compassion and generosity toward existence itself. Trickster is a celebrator of life, a celebration of life, because by rallying against him a community discovers its own resilience and protective skills.”

  John Fire Lame Deer, traditional Sioux holy man, used to say, “Coyote, Iktomi, and all their kind are sacred. A people that have so much to weep about as we Indians also need their laughter to survive.” So take these tales—heroic, tragic, humorous, or erotic—in the spirit of a Lakota, a Hopi, or a Haida: Enjoy!

  PART ONE

  COYOTE CREATES THE WORLD—AND A FEW OTHER THONGS

  THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD

  {Yokuts} I

  Everything was water except a small piece of ground. On this were Eagle and Coyote. Then the turtle swam to them. They sent it to dive for the earth at the bottom of the water. The turtle barely succeeded in reaching the bottom and touching it with its foot. When it came up again, all the earth seemed washed out. Coyote looked closely at its nails. At last he found a grain of earth. Then he and the eagle took this and laid it down. From it they made the earth as large as it is. From the earth they also made six men and six women. They sent these out in pairs in different directions and the people separated. After a time the eagle sent Coyote to see what the people were doing. Coyote came back and said: “They are doing something bad. They are eating the earth. One side is already gone.” The eagle said: “That is bad. Let us make something for them to eat. Let us send the dove to find something.” The dove went out. It found a single grain of meal. The eagle and Coyote put this down on the ground. Then the earth became covered with seeds and fruit. Now they told the people to eat these. When the seeds were dry and ripe the people gathered them. Then the people increased and spread all over. But the water is still under the world.

  SUN AND MOON IN A BOX

  {Zuni}

  Here Coyote plays a kindof Pandorarole.

  Coyote and Eagle were hunting. Eagle caught rabbits. Coyote caught nothing but grasshoppers. Coyote said: “Friend Eagle, my chief, we make a great hunting pair.”

  “Good, let us stay together,” said Eagle.

  They went toward the west. They came to a deep canyon. “Let us fly over it,” said Eagle.

  “My chief, I cannot fly,” said Coyote. “You must carry me across.”

  “Yes, I see that I have to,” said Eagle. He took Coyote on his back and flew across the canyon. They came to a river. “Well,” said Eagle, “you cannot fly, but you certainly can swim. This time I do not have to carry you.”

  Eagle flew over the stream, and Coyote swam across. He was a bad swimmer. He almost drowned. He coughed up a lot of water. “My chief,” he said, “when we come to another river, you must carry me.” Eagle regretted to have Coyote for a companion.

  They came to Kachina Pueblo. The Kachinas were dancing. Now, at this time, the earth was still soft and new. There was as yet no sun and no moon. Eagle and Coyote sat down and watched the dance. They saw that the Kachinas had a square box. In it they kept the sun and the moon. Whenever they wanted light they opened the lid and let the sun peek out. Then it was day. When they wanted less light, they opened the box just a little for the moon to look out.

  “This is something wonderful,” Coyote whispered to Eagle.

  “This must be the sun and the moon they are keeping in that box,” said Eagle. “I have heard about these two wonderful beings.”

  “Let us steal the box,” said Coyote.

  “No, that would be wrong,” said Eagle. “Let us just borrow it.”

  When the Kachinas were not looking, Eagle grabbed the box and flew ofl: Coyote ran after him on the ground. After a while Coyote called Eagle: “My chief, let me have the box. I am ashamed to let you do all the carrying.”

  “No,” said Eagle, “you are not reliable. You might be curious and open the box and then we could lose the wonderful things we borrowed.”

  For some time they went on as before—Eagle flying above with the box, Coyote running below, trying to keep up. Then once again Coyote called Eagle: “My chief, I am ashamed to let you carry the box. I should do this for you. People will talk badly about me, letting you carry this burden.”
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  “No, I don’t trust you,” Eagle repeated. “You won’t be able to refrain from opening the box. Curiosity will get the better of you.”

  “No,” cried Coyote, “do not fear, my chief, I won’t even think of opening the box.” Still, Eagle would not give it to him, continuing to fly above, holding the box in his talons. But Coyote went on pestering Eagle: “My chief, I am really embarrassed. People will say: ‘That lazy, disrespectful Coyote lets his chief do all the carrying.’ ”

  “No, I won’t give this box to you,” Eagle objected. “It is too precious to entrust to somebody like you.”

  They continued as before, Eagle flying, Coyote running. Then Coyote begged for the fourth time: “My chief, let me carry the box for a while. My wife will scold me, and my children will no longer respect me, when they find out that I did not help you carry this load.”

  Then Eagle relented, saying: “Will you promise not to drop the box and under no circumstances to open it?”

  “I promise, my chief, I promise,” cried Coyote. “You can rely upon me. I shall not betray your trust.”

  Then Eagle allowed Coyote to carry the box. They went on as before, Eagle flying, Coyote running, carrying the box in his mouth. They came to a wooded area, full of trees and bushes. Coyote pretended to lag behind, hiding himself behind some bushes where Eagle could not see him. He could not curb his curiosity. Quickly he sat down and opened the box. In a flash, Sun came out of the box and flew away, to the very edge of the sky, and at once the world grew cold, the leaves fell from the tree branches, the grass turned brown, and icy winds made all living things shiver.