Papago

Back when the sun was closer to the earth, Coyote foresaw the coming of a flood, gnawed down a great tree, entered it, and sealed the opening. Montezuma, who was the first person created by the Great Mystery, took warning from Coyote and prepared a dugout canoe for himself atop Monte Rosa. Only they survived the flood, which covered all the land. They met again on the top of Monte Rosa, which rose above the flood waters. To ascertain how much dry land was left, the man sent Coyote to explore. Coyote reported that there was sea to the west, south, and east, but seemingly endless land to the north. The Great Spirit, with the help of Montezuma, restocked the earth with men and animals. Montezuma, with Coyote's help, taught them and led them. Montezuma later became prideful and rebelled against the Great Mystery, thus bringing evil into the world. The Great Mystery raised the sun to its present height and, with an earthquake, destroyed the tower that Montezuma was building into the heavens, in the process changing languages so that people could no longer understand animals or other tribes.

Erdoes & Ortiz, 1984, 487-489; Frazer, 1919, 281-282.

A wise man in the east had a fine daughter, but she would not marry any of her many suitors. The son of another wise man stayed with her but did not bring her home. However, she had a baby, and he took it with him. When he reached his village, he left the baby over the hill; then he went and told his father about the girl and the baby. His father told him to go back and bring the baby. The young man went back and found the baby crying. He thought, though, that if his wife did not like him enough to go with him, he would not bring the baby home, and he left it there. Upon returning home, his father again sent him back. When he got back to the baby, he saw that the earth all around it was wet from its tears. Again, though, he could not pick it up and returned home. His father sent him back a third time, and he saw a stream of water running from where the baby was. The fourth time he went back, he saw water coming up all around the baby. The father, when he heard of this, began to prepare. He said that there would be a flood covering the whole earth. He told others, and they began to call upon Older-Brother to save them.

Older-Brother made a pot out of grease-wood for himself. Seeing it, Coyote made another like it for himself. When Humming-Bird asked what to do, Older-Brother told him to fly up and hang on the heavens. Woodpecker hung there too, and began to cry when the water reached his tail, but Humming-Bird assured him that Older-Brother said they would be all right.

Coyote and Older-Brother had agreed that which of them was to be considered the elder should be determined by which came out of their vessel first. After the water went down, Older-Brother came out first. Coyote wandered around after he came out and when he finally met Older-Brother, claimed to have come out first, but of course Older-Brother did not believe him.

After a time, Older-Brother and Coyote decided to make more people out of mud. Coyote did not make his right; they would have one leg or one arm missing. Older-Brother threw these into another world to live by themselves.

Henriette Roshschild Kroeber, "Traditions of the Papago Indians," Journal of American Folk-Lore 25 (1912): 97-99. Variants: Mary L. Neff, "Pima and Papago Legends", Journal of American Folk-Lore, 25 (1912), 51-52; Frances Densmore, Papago Music, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 90 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1929), 17-19.

Coyote was walking along, not paying attention, heedless that it had rained and snowed in the high mountains, and that the water was rushing down the valley towards him. When he suddenly noticed what was happening, he quickly climbed a tree and waited for the water to recede.

While he sat there, a Crane flew to a neighboring tree. The bird sang, "It is going down, it is going down, it is getting less, it is getting less, it has gone down." Each time he came to the word "down," he stretched out his foot and brought up mud to show that the water was receding. Coyote repeated the Crane's song and imitated his actions, but because of his shorter legs and higher tree, his efforts accomplished nothing.

When the water had gone down enough, Crane stepped down and invited his neighbor to do the same. Unwilling to be taunted, Coyote did so. But the water was still deep and fast, and he was carried along in the flow. He almost drowned, but Crane, out of sheer pity, carried him to shore. Coyote blamed the accident on Crane's having longer legs and said, probably insincerely, "Since you have saved my life, I will someday try to do something for you."

Henriette Roshschild Kroeber, "Papago Coyote Tales," Journal of American Folk-Lore 22 (1909): 342.

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