How Coyote Stole Water From the Frog People
Long long ago, in the age before television, Coyote and his friend Iktome, the spider-man, were out hunting together. Together they managed to catch a small deer. After butchering it they found that there was not enough meat for both of them.
“My friend Coyote” Iktome began, “there are two piles here. One of meat and the other of bones. Since there is only enough meat for one of us, let us make a wager to determine who will get which pile. I will hide a stone in one of my hands and if you can guess which one it is in then you will get the meat, if you guess wrong then I get the meat.”
“That is a good idea” Coyote replied.
Iktome was very sneaky and tricky and he planned to cheat Coyote. He held out his hands but had secretly dropped the stone so that the stone wasn’t in either hand. As sneaky and tricky as Iktome was, Coyote was sneakier and trickier. He had seen Iktome drop the stone and knew there was no stone in either hand. However Coyote actually wanted the bones more then the meat. He had seen that one of the ribs wasn’t shaped normally but looked like a large shell. Shells were often used as money in that area and Coyote knew he could probably trick someone into accepting the “shell” for more meat then what was available on the deer. So even though he knew Iktome was trying to trick him Coyote chose one of the hands and pretended to be disappointed when he lost.
“Oh well” Coyote sighed “My luck is not with me today.”
“Perhaps you will have better luck tomorrow” Iktome said, trying hard not to smirk.
“Perhaps” Coyote replied.
Coyote picked up his bones which Iktome picked up his meat. As they departed from each other they both quietly whispered “Sucker” so that the other couldn’t hear.
Hunting was hard work and Coyote realized he was thirsty. He wanted some water to drink. Now at this time all the water in the world was owned by the frog people. The Frog People had made a giant dam that held back all the water. If anyone wanted water to wash, cook, or even drink they had to buy it from the frog people. All the people and animals would travel far with their valuables to buy water from the frog people. The frog people became fat and lazy, living off the labor of the others but there was nothing anyone could do. Coyote went up and showed the bone to the frog people.
“Hey, I have this really big shell here. I’ll give it you in exchange for a really big drink of water, I want to drink for a long time.”
“Give us that shell,” said the frog people, “and you can drink all you want.”
Coyote gave them the rib and began drinking.
“I’m going to keep my head down for a long time,” said Coyote, “because I am really thirsty. Don’t worry about me.”
“Okay,” replied the frog people.
Coyote kept his head underwater for a long time drinking. He drank for a very long time until one of the frog people said, “Hey Coyote, you sure are drinking a lot of water there. What are you doing that for?”
Coyote brought his head out of the water and said, “Because I’m that thirsty.”
“Oh”
Coyote continued to drink for even longer until one of the frog people said “You sure are drinking a lot. Maybe you should give us another shell.”
“You promised me one drink for as long as I want for that shell I gave you,” Coyote said putting his head back into the water.
The frog people wondered how much a person could drink so much water. They became suspicious, they knew Coyote was tricky and suspected he was doing something sneaky.
As Coyote continued to keep his head under the water for even longer the frog people took a closer look at the shell to make certain that Coyote didn’t drink more water then the shell was worth. As they examined it they realized what Coyote gave them was not a shell at all but a deer rib. They went up to Coyote stop him when he lifted his head out of the water and said “That was a good drink. It was exactly what I needed.”
Just then the dam holding the water back broke letting all the water flow into the creeks and rivers of the world. Coyote hadn’t really been drinking the water, he had been digging at the dam the whole time.
The frog people were very angry. “You have taken all the water, Coyote!”
“It’s not right that one people have all the water.” Coyote replied “Now it is where everyone can have it.”
From that time forth anyone can go to a river and get water to cook, drink, or even swim around in, all because of Coyote.