REPEOPLING OF THE WORLD

THIS IS A MIWOK TALE WRITTEN BY EDWARD GIFFORD IN 1917. CHIEF EAGLE SAID - "WHERE IS COYOTE?" HE MUST TRY TO RESURRECT THE PEOPLE. WHAT SHALL WE DO ABOUT OUR DEAD PEOPLE? WHO IS GOING TO HELP US? TELL COYOTE WHO IS GOING TO HELP US? TELL COYOTE TO THINK INTENTLY. ALL HUMANS ARE DEAD SO SAID EAGLE TO COYOTE.

COYOTE SAID I DO NOT HOW I SHALL BRING THEM BACK TO LIFE. BUT I WILL TRY TO BRING THEM BACK TO LIFE. HE WENT TO THE TOP OF A ROCK AND SLEPT. HE DREAMED THAT HE SAW A SKELETON AND TOLD THAT TO HIS CHIEF. THE CHIEF SAID THAT MAY HELP US AND GO BACK AND SLEEP. IF YOU DREAM AGAIN DO NOT ARISE- THE SKELETON MAY HELP YOU.

COYOTE SAID NO ONE HELPS THE CHIEF - HE FEELS LONELY. HE MOURNS EACH DAY FOR THE DEAD INDIANS. THEN COYOTE DREAMED OF THE SKELETON AGAIN. THE SKELETON AWAKENED HIM AND TOLD HIM TO SING. THE SKELETON AWAKENED HIM AND TOLD HIM TO SING. THE SKELETON SAID IF YOU SING THE PEOPLE WILL RETURN.

COYOTE SANG, COME BACK ALL OF YOU OLD PEOPLE - COME BACK ALL OF YOU WOMEN. COME BACK. THUS COYOTE SANG WHEN HE CALLED THE PEOPLE BACK AFTER EAGLE ASKED HIM TO RESURRECT THEM.

PRAIRIE FALCON TOLD COYOTE TO TRY HARD TO BRING BACK THE RETURN OF MANKIND. COYOTE SANG AND CRIED FOR DAYS AND NIGHTS. EAGLE CRIED. HE SAID TO PRAIRIE FALCON I DON'T THINK THAT COYOTE WILL BRING YOUR PEOPLE BACK. COYOTE SAID THAT THE SKELETON TOLD HIM IF HE SANG LOUD EACH MORNING SOME OF THE PEOPLE WOULD RETURN. THE CHIEF FELT BETTER AFTER HE SPOKE TO COYOTE. HE SPOKE WITH THE CHIEF AND SAID HE WOULD GO BACK TO THE CAVE AND SING.

HE SANG IN THE MORNING. FIRST HE BROUGHT ONE OLD MAN BACK TO LIFE. HE TRIED TO TALK TO THE OLD MAN, BUT THE LATTER WOULD NOT ANSWER. COYOTE SANG SOME MORE.
AND EVENTUALLY THE BROUGHT THE PEOPLE BACK BUT THEY WERE A LITTLE DIFFERENT THAN BEFORE. COYOTE DANCED AND SHOUTED WITH JOY. HE SAID TO PRAIRIE FALCON THAT HE HELPED BRING BACK THE PEOPLE. THE CHIEF SAID THAT THE VARIOUS BASKETS MUST RETURN. COYOTE DID BRING THEM BACK! HE SHOUTED WHEN HE SPOKE AND WAS GLAD TO SEE THE RETURN OF THE PEOPLE.