COYOTE AND HIS GRANDMOTHER

GRANDMOTHER TOLD COYOTE TO HUNT AND HE SAW NEW INDIAN POTATOES. HE TOLD HIS GRANDMOTHER THAT THERE WERE PLENTY OF INDIAN POTATOES. AND HE SAID HE COULD TAKE HER THERE WITH HER DIGGING STICK. SHE WENT THERE AND BEGAN DIGGING. SHE DUG DEEPER AND FOUND MORE POTATOES. COYOTE PUSHED HER HEAD DOWN IN THE SAND AND TOLD HER A DIRTY JOKE AS USUAL.

COYOTE ALWAYS TOLD DIRTY JOKES. AMONG THE OHLONE THEY BELIEVED IT WAS COYOTE'S MATING THAT CREATED THE HUMAN RACE. MANY OF THESE TALES ARE RIDICULOUS..

THE MIWOK TELL OF COYOTE'S BENEFITTING THE HUMAN RACE. AT FIRST THERE WAS NO FIRE. TURTLE HAD THE FIRE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. HE SAT ON TOP OF IT AND LIVED IN THE MOUNTAINS. COYOTE WENT THERE AND LAID DOWN BESIDE TURTLE'S HOUSE. SOME PEOPLE WHO LIVED WITH TURTLE PICKED HIM UP AND PUT HIM IN THE FIRE! HE PRIED HIS WAY UNDERNEATH TURTLE AND HE CAUGHT ON FIRE. HE RAN DOWNHILL WESTWARD INTO A COUNTRY THAT WAS ICY. HE CAUGHT A QUAIL AND WITH IT'S FAT HE MADE FIRE THE PEOPLE BEGAN TO GET WARM. THE POHONICHI MIWOKS WERE THE ONES WHO RECEIVED FIRE. THE MONO CANNOT SPEAK WELL AS IT IS TOO COLD THERE!

MALCOMB MARGOLIN