by Alan Nafzger & Lilly Tabbytite (Comanche)
When Coyote heard the Sun Dance, he was traveling up around Milk River. He came to a halt and looked around. Nothing was visible to him. "But there has to be a camp here," he reasoned. He desperately wanted to dance, but he had no idea where those people were. He climbed an old elk skull to get a better look around the country, trying to locate the source of the dancing sounds. He became aware that the noise was coming from beneath his feet.
The coyote sat on the ground and peered into the skull through a hole. He noticed some Mouse People performing a Sun Dance. "Get larger!" Coyote addressed the hole he was peering through. It grew in size. It grew no matter how many times he told it to. He eventually got his head inside the skull. When the Mouse people saw this, they bolted.
Coyote's head was now stuck in the elk's skull, and he started crying because he didn't know what to do. He had no idea where he was going. He yelled at the hole and tried to pull the skull out, but he couldn't. He eventually wandered away.
Coyote's foot brushed up against something. "Who are you?" he inquired.
"I am a cherry blossom."
"Good. I'm sure I'm near the river. "
Coyote moved slowly, feeling ahead with his feet. He'd know which way to go if he could find the river.
He ran into something else. "What is your name?"
"I am a cottonwood," the tree explained.
"I must be very close to the river right now."
He felt something in his foot once more. "What is your name?"
"My name is Willow."
"Indeed! I must be near the river. "
Coyote was taking his time now, but he was still tripping over things. He eventually tripped and fell into the river, and the current carried him away.
Coyote floated down to the camp, where everyone was swimming. When they saw what was coming, they all yelled, "Beware! Keep an eye out for the water monster! " "Get to the bank! "
When Coyote arrived, he said, "I will give blue beads to those who pull me ashore, but they must be young girls." "I only let young girls touch me."
Two girls, one on each side of the river, went into the river to grab his antlers and pull him out. When they got to the bank, Coyote grabbed one of the women, pushed her down, and had sexual relations with her. When the others noticed this, they dashed back to the village.
"That water monster has violated this woman's virginity!" exclaimed everyone. The girl's mother dashed down to the river with a large stick. Coyote was still having sexual relations with the girl. The mother began beating him as hard as she could with the stick.
"Oh, your punishment needs a better stick than this old woman!" "Coyote," he said as he rolled off the girl. Besides, if you want to kill me, hit me right here in the middle of my head, not my back. The woman took a larger stick and hit Coyote in the head, breaking the elk's skull into two pieces.
They realized what had happened when they saw Coyote. Coyote bolted, but the women pursued him.
After a while, he pulled ahead and ran behind a hill. He covered himself in white clay, wore feathers, and wore a white stick across his arm.
When the women approached, he inquired as to what they were doing. "I saw that Old Man Coyote go by," he said when they told him. You should have smashed him while you had the chance. He's already gone. "
Those women were furious. They were looking for Coyote.
"Do you think we can still catch him, old man?" they asked.
"No, he's already too far ahead. You should've gotten him. He's the worst, you know. You should have really beaten him up. "
They replied, "Yes, next time," and returned to the village.