Kutenai Tales/48
[Nos. 48–50. Told by Mission Joe and Felix Andrew]
48. The Animals and the Sun
There was a town. A chief gave his commands. He said: "Who will be the Sun?" Then they began to talk about it. One of them was | told: "You shall be the Sun." After this one had been told | that he was to be the Sun, all heard about what || was to be done. 5 Those who were told to be the Sun went. | The name (of this one) was Raven. Then he started. | It became dark. On the following morning they watched for him to come up. | He came up. It was not bright enough when | he came up. The day was always blackish. || It was always like evening. The Sun came back. | They said: "This 10 way is bad. It is always | blackish." They said that he could not be it. | Another one was looked for. Chicken Hawk was sent. | It grew dark. Then Chicken Hawk started. On the following morning he went || up. When he went up higher, the world looked yellow. | 15 It was always like that. He went down. | In the evening the Sun came back. They said: "You can not be it. | It looks like bad weather."[1] They assembled and talked it over again. Coyote said: | "I will be it." They said: "Well." Coyote was about || to start. 20 Coyote started. At night | they slept. On the following morning Coyote went up. | When he went up, it began to be hot. It was fairly warm, and | then it was noon and the people cooked food. The Sun spoke, and | said: "Will there be any left for me?" It was heard || what he said, and they left food for him. Even when they 25 went into | the shade, it was warm. The children began to cry, | for the Sun burned them. They went to the water, and they thought | it would be good, but the water was hot. It was the same | when the Sun went down. It became warmer and warmer until || sunset. 30 When it was dark, they felt well. They had almost | been burned to death. Coyote came back. He was told: "You can not be it; | you are bad. You were too hot." | There was one woman with two children. They said: "We will | go there where they are playing Sun." || The two went. They 36 arrived there, and they were told: "Why do you come?" | They said: "We heard that they play Sun." | They were told: "It is good. You shall go." Then he, | the elder one, started. They slept. The next morning | he went up. In the morning it was coolish. || He went high 40 up, and they always felt comfortable. | At noon it became warm, and when they were in the shade | it felt comfortable. They went swimming, and they felt well. | They felt cool. Then he came down. Then they felt comfortable, | because the Sun was setting. At night the | youth came back, and all thought that he should be | the Sun. The 45 youth was told: "You shall be the Sun." | In the evening he came back, because it was given to him | to be the Sun. The other youth, the younger one, | staid there. He was told: "You shall go in || the 50 evening; you shall be the Moon." Then he went off. | It had not been dark long before the Moon went up. | It was always light throughout the night. | On the following morning he came back. He was told: "Your elder brother shall be | the Sun during the day. You shall be || the Moon." These two became the heavenly orbs [Suns]. These | 55 two youths were thought to be good, | and they were glad. Then it was decided. |
Coyote was angry. He thought: "I will kill the Sun." | Then he made his bow, and he also had two arrows. || Then he went in the 60 night to the place where the Sun was to come up. | He staid there. On the following morning he took a good seat. | He lay on his stomach. Then he aimed at the right place. | The Sun rose. He aimed well | and was about to shoot. Then his arrow was burned. || It burned 65 quickly, and he threw it away. Then everything was on fire. He ran away. | There was fire on each side where he was going along. | He ran and went into the water. | He was almost burned. He saw a trail and | lay down on it. The fire arrived, and it turned back || because there was no grass on the trail. | He was saved. The people 70 saw that the land was burning. | Some one said: "Why is this?" They said: "Coyote is not here; | it must be he who has done it." Coyote said: | "Later generations of people will do this. || When there 75 is a fire, they will lie down on a trail. | Then they will be saved." Then the people said: | "Don't do what Coyote has done. | Later generations shall not | play Sun." Some one said: "Now you know what || to do." Then they were glad. They | scattered. That is 80 the end.
49. Coyote's Contests
There was a town. Coyote was thinking about (the future). He thought | there would be many generations of people. He thought of | the town where the people had been killed. He said to | his friends:
[Nos. 48-50. Told by Mission Joe and Felix Andrew]
48. The Animals and the Sun
Qa·k.łu′ᵤnam nʼιłwat!tka′ₐne· naso′ᵤkᵘe·n. qake′ᵢne·: “qa′łaʼs tsx̣a′łʼιns nata′nιk!s?” ta′x̣as nakq!yι′tᵢne·. k!o′k!we· qake·łι′łne·: “hι‵ntsx̣ałʼι′ne·.” ta′x̣as tsx̣anatamna′mne· neᵢs k!o′k!we· ktsx̣a′łʼin· nata′n·ιk!s. ta′x̣as q!a′pe· nułpałnetιtna′mne· neᵢ ktsaqanι′ke·t. ta′x̣as ts!ιna′x̣e· neᵢ k!ιłwa′t!te·ł ktsx̣a′łʼιn nata′nιk!s. qałʼatι′łne· qo′kᵘi·n. ta′x̣as ts!ιn·a′x̣e·. ta′x̣as ktsιłmni·′yιt. kkanmi·′yιt nakiłwιtskiłι′łne· ktsi‵wakmᴇnu′qka·. ta′x̣as yuwa·kmnuqka′n·e· qatałso‵kᵘaka‵t.łιtιtᵢne′ᵢne· neᵢ k!ιktι‵kmnu′qka; nʼu‵psła‵tᵢyi·łhamqoq!u‵kuł·a‵ₐkat.łe·tιtᵢne′ᵢne· neᵢ kιy\Q·′kweᵢt; nʼupsła‵tᵢyιłqaqa′ₐne·ts kwałkwa·′yιt. ława′x̣e· neᵢ nata′n·ιk!. qakya′mne·: "siłsaha′n·e· na·sts k!aqa′qa k!upsła‵tᵢyiłhamqoq!u‵ku·ł·akat.łe·tι′tᵢne·." qakya′mne·ts qa·ι′n·e·. tseᵢkatι′łne·, nʼo·k!we′ᵢne· nʼιłwat!tι′łne·. nʼι′ne· ι′nła·k. ktsιłmi′yιt.s, ta′x̣as ts!n·a′x̣e· ι′nła·k. kkanmi·′yιt yuwa·kmᴇnuqka′n·e·. ta′x̣as k!ιktιkmᴇnu′qka′·, namak!tsa‵ₐkat.łe·tιtᵢne′ᵢne· na a′m·ak. nʼupsła‵tᵢyiłqaqa′ₐne·ts kwałkwa′ye·t. ta′x̣as
49. Coyote's Contests
- ↑ The narrator said that many others were tried, but he did not remember their names. See pp. 48, 116.