by Alan Nafzger & Lilly Tabbytite (Comanche)
Coyote had a crush on a girl whose father was a chief, but both the girl and her father told Coyote to leave them alone. Coyote pursued the girl because he was interested in her, but she ignored him. Finally, Coyote threatened to kill her if she did not marry him. She told him that he could do whatever he wanted, but that she would not live with him. "Don't take him," her father had said. He's not any good."
The girl became ill not long after this. Her father was a powerful man, and he brought in many medicine men to cure his daughter, paying them with blankets and beautiful wooden boxes, but they were unable to help her, and she died. Her body was placed on a scaffolding, wrapped in blankets and surrounded by many gifts. They then went away to mourn.
Coyote learned of the girl's death and came down from his lodge late one evening. Between the trees, he could see the scaffolding outlined against the sky. "Get up!" he exclaimed. Get up!" When he spoke, he noticed the body move slightly and knew he could bring the girl back to life. He removed the body and unwrapped the blankets and mats that had bound it. The body smelled faintly. Coyote carried it down to his canoe and began paddling upriver to his home. When he arrived at a rapids, he got out of the canoe, sang a power song, and washed the body in the rapids' water. He repeated this three times, singing his song and washing her body in river water.
Each time, a little more of the body's odor was washed away, and some color returned to the skin. Finally, on the fifth occasion, he arrived at the rapids beneath his lodge, sang his song, and washed her. Her body had warmed up and she had opened her eyes. "Get up! Get up!" exclaimed Coyote. "We're almost there." The girl sat up in the canoe, and Coyote reached out to her, fixing her eyes and sweetening her breath.
"Do you think you're awake?" "Do you know who I am?" Coyote inquired. The girl fixed her gaze on him. "I'm your husband," Coyote explained. "We'll be home after we get through these rapids." "You will die again if you ever leave me."
The girl mistook herself for sleeping. She was relieved when they arrived at Coyote's house because she was exhausted. "Remember, if your parents come after you and tell you to come home, you must not go," Coyote said. If you do, you will undoubtedly die. "
Not long after that, someone who knew the girl stopped by Coyote's lodge. When he recognized her, he asked Coyote if he had resurrected her. He stated that he had This was the first time the girl realized what had happened, and she asked Coyote if it was true. He stated that it was.
The man returned to the village and informed the girl's father of what he had witnessed. Even after seeing that his daughter's body had vanished from the burial site, the chief did not believe it at first. But, after a while, he began to see things as the man explained. He resolved to go up to Coyote's place and retrieve the girl. So he led a group of people up to Coyote's lodge, where they discovered the girl in bed. Her father summoned her home. Coyote was seated to one side. He didn't say anything. "Come with me, my daughter, we're leaving," the father said once more. "You'll be joining us."
The girl stood up and approached her father. "Did I die?" she wondered.
"Yes," her father confirmed. But that's all over now. Now you're returning with us. "
Still, Coyote remained silent.
"But if I come back with you, I'll die again," the girl explained.
"This is not true," her father said as he took her arm. "Come with me right now; we're leaving."
Coyote had remained silent.
The girl led us out of the house and to the canoes. As they pushed away, Coyote approached the door of his lodge and said to her, "Make sure you get a good man for yourself this time." Your father thinks I'm useless. "
When they arrived home, the girl's parents served her food, but she was not hungry. They put her to bed, and she promptly fell asleep. Her mother called to her to get up, wash, and eat, but the girl made no sound, and when they went over to her, they discovered she was dead. The family was now in a worse state than before, and some of them were angry at what their father had done. They advised him to ask Coyote to resurrect his daughter.
"We want you to come and doctor my daughter, because she has died again," the father wrote to Coyote. If you do this, you might get her as a wife. "
"No," Coyote said to the messengers. Tell him to find a suitable man for her. You should know that I'm not very good. There's no reason for me to come down.
When the messengers returned with this news, everyone agreed that they should lavish Coyote with gifts in addition to the girl if he would come down and cure her. When the messengers returned to inform him of this, Coyote stated, "I do not want your gifts." I'm not going to cure her again. People would always act this way if any medicine man could do what I can do. No Following this, medicine men will be able to treat the sick but will be unable to treat the dead. People who are dead will remain so indefinitely. "
If his father had acted differently, he would have been able to bring the dead back to life. They can't do anything right now. Coyote designed it this way.