Texts of the North American Indian

Writings of E.S. Curtis
Excerpts from "The North American Indian" Set #254, Vol. 8

THE SHINING BALL

Coyote heard that some great authority or law had come into existance. No one knew what the power was or whence it came. Coyote soon learned that the object which was causing so much excitement was a great round ball, bright in color like the sun, and that all the people from up and down the river were gathering in order to learn more about this new and wonderful object. Each tribe wanted to possess it and take it to their village. Jack-rabbit and Fox, two very fast runners, were its keepers, and thus far they had allowed any one who wanted this ball to take it and run, with the understanding that if he were faster in the race he could escape with it, but if Fox or Jack-rabbit overtook him, he would have his head cut off because of his failure.

Now when the people were all together, they talked long over the question of how to decide the ownership of the ball. Fox and Jack-rabbit, knowing their power to run, wanted the rule to remain as it had been, for every competitor had lost his head. Others did not think that a good way; but at least it was decided that as the owners of the ball wanted it so, the people would agree to race for it. It was arranged that the people were all to stand side by side in line, and then the ball was to be rolled along from in front of them, and the runner securing it first would take it and run toward his home, but if the old owners overtook him, he would lose his head.

Coyote and Deer were the only ones who thought they would try to win this game. Coyote had five children, the youngest a girl. Deer had two boys. These seven children were to enter the race. Coyote's eldest son took the ball first. For a time he left the two guardians behind, but they soon began to gain rapidly. Coyote's boy increased his speed, but they soon began to gain rapidly. Coyote's boy increased his speed, but, in spite of all he could do, Fox and Jack-rabbit overtook him and cut off his head. Then the ball was given to the second brother, who also lost his head. Thus, one after the other, the five children of Coyote were killed.

The two Deer boys had been lying quietly, not frisking like the other runners. Fox came and kicked one of them, saying, "Here, take this ball; that is what you came here for!" The deer half rose, fell, got up, stumbled, and fell, as if he were half asleep. "Let us cut off his head now," said Fox; "there is no use in wasting time with him!" Not wishing to leave the bloody body so near their home, they started to take Deer down to a hollow to behead him. Instantly a thick fog came, and no one could see anything. Young Deer was holding the ball, and, while the people were confused in the darkness, he whistled to his brother, and they started rapidly toward the mountains. When the fog lifted, the two Deer were seen far up in the mountains, one of each of two parallel ridges; they were tossing the ball from one to the other, and made a glittering path through the air. Fox and Jack-rabbit who had lost possession of the ball, were very angry, and began blaming each other for having been outwitted by Deer.

The father of the two Deer lay quietly at home, but he knew all that was happening. He and Coyote were neighbors. The latter was frisking about and began to reproach the other for being lazy. When the two Deer came home, they began to sing, "Away back where we started with the ball, there is where Coyote's children were killed." Coyote was outside listening, and when the singing was heard, he said to Deer, "Do not believe those words, do not rejoice. Those are my children trying to deceive you." A second time they heard the singing, but this time the words were: "Away back where we started with this ball, there is where the Deer children were killed." The two Deer were having sport with Coyote. "You see," he said, "I told you those were my children." A third time the words were heard sung, as they had been the first time, and Coyote was worried. He put a large stone in a pit, and around it he thrust stakes. A fourth time the words were heard, saying that the Deer children had been killed, and Coyote was again cheerful. But for the fifth time the song was heard, and the words said the Coyote children had been killed, the voices could be distinguished as those of the Deer, and Coyote in despair leaped upon the sharp stakes and died.

Deer slowly arose, and just then the ball was thrown before him, gleaming like the sun, and the place was bright. "What are we going to do with this ball?" the Deer children asked. "We will break it, and pound it, and take the shining powder to rub over our bodies," said their father. So they powdered it, and rubbed the dust over their bodies. In the pit lay Coyote, dead. Getting too much of the yellow powder on their bodies, the Deer rubbed their hands on Coyote's fur to rid them of the dust, and that made yellow patches on his hide. The Deer began to discuss the question of where they should go, now that they had won the ball and become objects of envy. The boys said, "We can travel on the earth or on the clouds." The father decided that they should go the simplest way, traveling on the tips of the grass, not over the earth, in order to avoid the possibility of anybody tracking them. They started southward and traveled all day.

The next Coyote recovered, and tried to find the trail of the Deer, but he could not. So he started out at random, and by chance he too went southward. After a while he stopped to drink, but just before his mouth touched the water he happened to see a strange-looking person in the stream. The man had bow and arrows, and Coyote decided quickly that he had better kill this man before he himself was killed. He drew an arrow, and the man did the same. He shot, and the man disappeared, only to reappear a little later. Coyote shot, and the man disappeared, only to reappear a little later. Coyote shot all his arrows and was without weapons. He crept down to the edge of the water and peeped over to see if the man was still there, and, to his surprise, there he was looking up at him. He seized stones and threw them into the water, but still the strange man looked out at him. He brought forth his medicine, and when the first "sister" lay on the ground he asked about the man in the water, but it replied: "If we tell you, you will say that you already knew all about it." That was the way Coyote had of pretending that he knew everything. "If you do not tell me," he threatened, "I will call for rain," and he began to spit on them. Rain they feared, for it would dissolve them and they at once began to tell him. "You remember when your five children went for the ball, and the two Deer went along. Your children were all killed, and Deer's two sons came home with the ball. Now, all that singing you heard, saying that Deer's sons were dead, was a lie. When you fell back into the pit, the two Deer came back with the ball, which they broke in pieces and made into dust, and rubbed on their bodies. When they got through, they rubbed the dust off their hands on your fur. Then they left that place, walking on the tips of the grass. They went to the river at Dalles and crossed. They pulled your ears and your nose, so that you would look different, and now you have long ears and a long nose. What you saw in the water was your own reflection, but you did not know yourself." He then called the "sisters" back inside, and went to the water, recovered his arrows, put them in his quiver, and drank. He said, "No matter how far you travel, you Deer, I am going to catch you sometime." He then continued the pursuit.

After traveling five days the Deer stopped to sleep, thinking themselves out of danger. They little knew Coyote was not far behind them, and his anger began to rise. The Deer were so bright and shining that it hurt the eyes to look long at them. When he got close behind them he picked up some dirt and threw it on them, then more and more, and with the fourth handful that struck them the golden color was gone. "It will not do for you Deer to have this great name and be the chief of all the people," explained Coyote. "There will be people of another kind soon, who will be leaders, not such as you. I give you the name cháník

EDWARD S. CURTIS