73. THE COYOTE AND THE PORCUPINE. 1

The Traditions of the Hopi, by H.R. Voth, [1905], at sacred-texts.com

At some distance southwest of Wálpi is a place called Water Killing Hill (Báqöychomo), where there are still some old ruins. A short distance north of this place is a place called Skeleton Hill (Máschomo). At these two places the people from Oraíbi, Wálpi, and the other villages rested with their captives after they had destroyed Aoátovi, taking with them many men, women, and children. Here at these places, it is said, they extorted from their captives the secrets of their ceremonies and altars, and after they had learned everything from them, they killed a good many of them, probably torturing some of them. Tradition says that in some cases they cut women's breasts off and left them to perish, From this killing of those captives these two places have derived their names.

At the first named place the Porcupine used to live, a long time ago, while the Coyote was living at the last named place. One time

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the Coyote went to visit his friend, the Porcupine. "Sit down," the latter said. "All right," the Coyote said, and so they talked together a long time. When it was noon the Porcupine said: "We are going to eat something. You build a fire;" so the Coyote built a large fire. When the Coyote had built the fire the Porcupine said: "Now we are going to have something to eat." So he drew a small pointed stick from his hair on the top of his head and thrust it into his nose. After he had done this repeatedly, blood and fat dropped out of his nose on the fire, where it was roasted. This he handed to the Coyote to eat. So they were eating. "Aha," the Porcupine said: "thus I am preparing food." "Yes," the Coyote said, "we are happy."

So after they had eaten they conversed until evening; then the Coyote said, "I must go home now." "Very well," the Porcupine replied, "it is evening now," "But you must visit me too, to-morrow," the Coyote said, and thereupon left, the Porcupine saying laughingly, "You will have something good too, since you have seen it here." So the next morning the Porcupine went over to his friend and there sure enough found that the Coyote also had a pointed stick thrust into his hair. When it was noon again the Porcupine also built a fire at his friend's kiva. "We are going to eat something fine," the Coyote said. So the Coyote pulled out his stick, drew close up to the fire, bent over it, and also began to poke his nose with the stick, whereupon also blood, mixed with fat or tallow, began to come out. It covered the fire, and finally began to flow away, and wouldn't stop. The Coyote's nose was bleeding and bleeding, and finally he became exhausted and fell down.

The Porcupine, thinking that his friend had died, laughed, and without having eaten anything, left the kiva and went home. He was angry at his friend because he wanted to imitate him, and now was not successful. By and by the Coyote revived. The blood had stopped flowing, forming large hard pieces of coagulated blood and grease in front of his nose. He was very angry. "That friend of mine," he said, "that friend is the cause that this happened to me; he wanted it this way. I am going to devour him." So after he had become strong again the next morning, he went over to his friend to attack him. When he arrived there he looked down, and his friend looking up noticed the blood on his nose. "Well now, have you not died? I thought you had died, and that is the reason why I went away." "Yes," the Coyote said very roughly, "you have bewitched me. On your account I almost died, and now I have come over here to devour you." "No, no," the Porcupine said, "you are not going to devour me. Why, you are my friend, and a friend will not eat up

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his friend. No, indeed." Then he began to talk kindly to his friend saying: "Well, since you have not died, we will live together again." The Coyote then also quieted down and they conversed together amicably. They then lived there again as friends, the Coyote thinking that he would have a chance sometime to take revenge on the Porcupine.

Footnotes

202:1 Told by Sik'áhpik'i (Shupaúlavi).