by Alan Nafzger & Lilly Tabbytite (Comanche)
The coyote was resting under a tree after a heavy rainstorm. He could see a beautiful rainbow forming in the sky. It engulfed the entire sky. "I wonder if I can get up there," he pondered. "Those colors would make excellent arrow paints."
Then he noticed the buzzard. "Oh, Uncle, please come over here. I'd like you to drive me up there so I can get some of that arrow paint. "
"OK, my nephew, I'll take you up there." " Get on my back, I go up there a lot."
The coyote climbed up on Buzzard's back, holding on to his wings. The buzzard took off and flew for quite some time. They finally arrived at the edge of the sky.
"I'll go get you some arrow paint."
Coyote was clinging to the sky's edge. He had been there for a long time. "My uncle," he exclaimed. He didn't hear anything, though. He started whistling. "It's my uncle!" He made a lot of noise, but no one was there. He couldn't hold on for much longer and fell. He plummeted for two full moons, down and down toward the earth. When he arrived on Earth, he fell into a hollow tree and was unable to escape.
An elderly lady was coining her way along and came over to this tree to cut some wood. While she was chopping, she noticed some pubic hairs poking out of a hole in the tree's side. When she saw them, she thought to herself, "Oh, there's a bear in there." She grabbed one of the hairs and dashed back to the village with it. She showed it to her husband when she arrived. "Oh, this is bear hair," the old man confirmed.
He took his bow and arrows and led the way out to the tree. The woman resumed chopping, and the man prepared to shoot. They were startled to hear a voice say, "My aunt, make a bigger hole."
"Oh, it's Coyote in there," the old woman said as she cut a larger hole.
Coyote thanked the old woman when he got out.
"We thought it was a bear in there," the old man explained. "That meat was essential."
"Come out, bear!" said Coyote as he kicked the tree. A coyote killed a bear that came out of the tree. He left after giving it to the man and his wife.
"I wonder what happened to Buzzard," he thought as he walked away.