Coyote and Buffalo Bull

Coyote and Buffalo Bull (thanks again to Barry Lopez for Giving Birth to Thunder, from which this paraphrase evolved)

Coyote was traveling over the plains. He crossed the mountains and came down into the prairies. There he found the skull of Buffalo Bull. Coyote was afraid of Buffalo Bull put he played with the skull anyway. He kicked it around like a soccer ball, rolled it in the dust, and spat in the eye sockets. When he turned to go, Coyote heard a very loud sound, like thunder. He looked up and the sky was clear. The sound got louder. Coyote turned around and saw Buffalo Bull charging after him.

Coyote started running around and around in the tall grass but Buffalo Bull was right behind him. He could feel Buffalo Bull’s hot breath on his tail and feel the ground shaking under his feet. Coyote called on his power for help. Suddenly, three trees sprung up and Coyote leaped into the branches of the first one. He climbed up to the top. Buffalo Bull hacked at the trunk with his horns and just as the tree gave way, Coyote jumped to the second tree. Buffalo Bull made short work of that one too and Coyote jumped into the third and final tree. He looked down at Buffalo Bull, who was hacking at the trunk with his horns. “My friend,” said Coyote, “you must let me smoke my pipe one more time before you kill me.” Buffalo Bull stopped and looked up at Coyote. “Okay,” he said, “that is a fitting death for a warrior.”

Coyote loaded his pipe and took a few puffs. Then he offered the pipe to Buffalo Bull. Buffalo Bull said “I won’t smoke with you Coyote. You trampled my bones.”

Coyote looked at Buffalo Bull. “My brother,” he said, “this is no way to act. I see that your horns are dull and cracked. Let me get down and make you a new pair.” Buffalo Bull let Coyote come down from the tree. Coyote go out his flint and some pitch wood and made a beautiful set of horns, heavy and smooth and black and very sharp. He gave them to Buffalo Bull. Buffalo Bull put them on and he was so delighted that he forgot about Coyote and the trampled bones. He went to Younger Bull and killed him. Younger Bull had stolen all of his cows. Now Buffalo Bull got them back.

Buffalo Bull was so please with his new horns that he decided to give Coyote one of his cows. “You must never kill this cow,” said Buffalo Bull. “When you are hungry, cut off a little piece of her fat with your knife. Rub the wound with ashes and it will heal. Do this and you will always have food.”

Coyote took the little cow and headed back across the prairie towards the mountains. For a while he did exactly as Buffalo Bull instructed. He cut off a little piece of fat and he rubbed the wound with ashes. But as they traveled on, Coyote started to get a little tired of the fat. He wanted a piece of fresh liver and some bone marrow. They crossed the mountains and arrived back on the plains. “What Buffalo Bull said only counts in his country,” thought Coyote. “I am chief here.” He led the little cow to a creek and some sweet grass. “You look footsore,” he told her. “Eat and rest.”

When the little cow was resting, Coyote came up suddenly and killed her. He pulled off her hide and a huge crowd of crows and magpies descended and started eating her. Coyote drove them off, but more and more came until there was no meat left. Coyote had only a carcass. “Well,” thought Coyote, “I still have the bone marrow.” He got his cooking pot and started to build a fire.

Just then an old woman came by. “Coyote,” she said, “what are you doing? Why, that’s woman’s work. Let me cook those bones for you.” Coyote really liked this woman’s attitude. He curled up in the grass and went to sleep. When he woke up, he saw the woman running away with the marrow and the grease. Coyote chased her but couldn’t catch her. She had a big head start.

Coyote went back to his fire and the dwindling remains of the little cow. There were a few bones left. “At least I can boil these bones up for soup,” he thought. But when he picked up the bones they turned into sticks. No soup.

Coyote was hungry. “There is only one thing left to do,” he decided. “I have to go back to Buffalo Bull and ask him for another cow.” He crossed back over the mountains and down to the prairie and found Buffalo Bull with his cows. When he came up to the herd he saw that the little cow he had killed was among them. Coyote apologized for killing her and swore that he wouldn’t do it again, but she would not go with him again. Buffalo Bull wouldn’t give him another cow either.

Coyote went back across the prairie and over the mountain to his home on the plains. When he got back he discovered that everyone else had moved. They had heard what he had done and didn’t want to be in the same place with him.

(The photo of the buffalo bull, courtesy of First people ).