68.--THE COYOTE AND THE BLUE JAYS.

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

Coyote has wife and five children, for whom he hunts rabbits. He chases little cotton-tail rabbit, which runs into hole which he cannot enter. Badger comes along and Coyote asks him to get rabbit out for him. Badger does and Coyote runs home with it. Little Coyotes wrangle over rabbit, tear it to pieces, some getting nothing and remaining hungry. Next morning Coyote and wife go in search of food. Wife enters woods and hears Blue Jays in tree. They

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are dancing and ask her to join them. She says she would like to, but cannot get up there. Blue Jays put some of their wings, tails and feathers on her legs. She ascends and dances with them. Then they fly away, Coyote with them, and alight On another tree. This they repeat three times. They then fly up into air, and when very high they surround Coyote and tear out all feathers they have loaned him. Coyote falls to earth and dies. Coyote hunts for his wife, but dogs pursue him and he goes back to children, who now have no mother. Coyote afterwards hunts food alone for children, and this is why so many coyotes look out for food alone.