The Medicines

by Alan Nafzger & Lilly Tabbytite (Comanche)

The Pharmaceuticals

Coyote was passing by when he noticed a swarm of wild onions. He defecated over them to make them feel better. Then, after carefully inspecting them, he stated, "Whenever my aunts and uncles, the people, have nothing else to eat, they will eat these wild onions."

This was his method of operation.

He continued walking when he heard a voice say, "Everyone eats me."

He came to a halt and returned to some short grass growing by the river. "My little brother, what did you say?" he inquired. "Did you say you're eaten by everyone?"

"Everyone eats me, yes."

So Coyote stooped down and dug up the root, which he then ate. After a while, he began to cough. He thought it was amusing at first. He enjoyed doing it. But every time he lost his breath, he rose a little higher in the air. He eventually got so high that he had to grab the river willows to keep from blowing away. He became terrified as he began to break the willows off. He was so high now that he was grabbing the tree tops, but he couldn't hold on to them either. He kept climbing higher and higher before plummeting to the ground. He landed on his head every time he fell back.

It was finally over. He collapsed exhausted after pulling his head out of the dirt. When he blew his nose, it was quiet, with only a "poo! poo!" sound. When the noises became more intense, Coyote fled into a hollow and laid down. He thought someone was shooting at him, but there was no one around. Then he realized it was just him. He stood up and walked away, breaking wind like that, "poo! poo!"

He heard a voice similar to that other one at the edge of a creek. "They devoured me."

"Did you say something, my little brother?"

"They devoured me!"

"All right, let me put you to the test."

It was the white root, which was very sweet. Coyote ate it and forgot about his other problems. The white root, on the other hand, was a physic, and the coyote soon began to defecate.He defecated until he nearly died. He had to climb into the trees to escape the shambles he was creating. He eventually climbed to the top of a log that protruded from a hollow. He defecated until he passed out and fell off. When he awoke, he crawled over to the river and washed himself. He was no longer defecating. He began his journey home.

He'd traveled a long distance and was now on the plains. Someone suddenly fired a shot at him. Bang! He jumped up and looked around. More shots were fired. "I am Coyote!" he exclaimed, trying to protect himself. But he couldn't spot an enemy. He turned around every time he heard shots, but there was no one there. This went on all afternoon until he needed to rest. He finally figured out what was wrong. He was catching wind.

"Well, my little brothers don't agree with me after I eat them," Coyote explained. "Everyone knows now."