Bluejay, the Imitator

The Punishment of the Stingy and Other Indian Stories, by George Bird Grinnell, [1901], at sacred-texts.com

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Bluejay, the Imitator

BLUEJAY and his elder sister Ioí, with her five children, lived together in a house by the sea beach. Every morning they went out to walk along the beach, to see what the tide had washed up during the night that was good to eat. Sometimes they found fish, or a seal, and sometimes a whale. Some days when they found nothing, they dug clams on the flat, but some days they could get no clams, and so they were hungry. Up and down the shore lived their neighbors.

One day Bluejay said to his sister: "Let us go visiting; let us visit the Magpie." She said, "Let it be so. We will go."

Early next morning they put their canoe in the water and paddled away, and when they came near the Magpie's house they saw him sitting on the roof. They landed, and went

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up to the house, and the Magpie came down from the roof, and all went inside and sat down. Bluejay and his sister sat there and looked all around, but they saw no food. After a little while the Magpie swept his house, and while he was sweeping it out he found one dry salmon egg. He put this in the feathers of his head. Then he made a fire and heated some stones. He filled a basket-work kettle with water, put the salmon egg in the water, then put the stones in the water, one after another, and covered the kettle. Soon the water was boiling, and when it had boiled a little while he took off the cover, and the kettle was full of boiled salmon eggs. The Magpie put the kettle before Bluejay and his sister, and said, "Eat, my friends; you must be hungry." They ate until they were satisfied, and still the kettle was half full.

After a time they started to return to their house, taking with them the kettle with the food that was left. When they were about to start, his sister said to Bluejay, "You go down first to the beach." He said to her, "No, you go down first." So his sister went down first to the beach to get the canoe ready.

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Bluejay said to the Magpie, "To-morrow come and visit us and get your kettle and bring it back with you." The Magpie said, "It is good; I will go to visit you." Then Bluejay and his sister went home.

The next morning, early, Bluejay went up on the roof of his house and sat there. After a time he called out to his sister, and said: "A canoe is coming." She answered: "It is coming, because you told him to come." Pretty soon, as they looked, they could see that it was the Magpie in the canoe, and at length he landed and pulled his canoe up on the beach and walked up to the house. Bluejay came down from the roof, and they went in and sat down.

Soon Bluejay got up and swept his house, and found one dry salmon egg, which he put in his topknot. When he had finished sweeping his house, he built a fire and heated some stones and filled a basket-work kettle with water and put in it the salmon egg, and then the hot stones, and covered the kettle. He did everything just as the Magpie had done it. Soon the water boiled, and he took the cover off, but there was nothing in the kettle but hot water.

The Magpie said, "Bluejay can do only one

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thing." He took the kettle and threw the stones out of it. Then he heated more stones, put a dry salmon egg in the water, put in the hot stones, and covered the kettle, and soon the water began to boil. Presently he took the cover off the kettle, and it was full of boiled salmon eggs. Then the Magpie went down to the beach and put his canoe in the water and paddled away to his home.

After several nights Bluejay and his sister were hungry. Bluejay said: "Let us go visiting. Let us go and visit the Duck." "We will go to-morrow," said his sister. The next morning early they started and paddled away towards the Duck's house. After a while they came within sight of the house, and then landed on the beach and went up to the house. After they had sat a little while, the Duck said to her five children, "Go and wash yourselves." They went down to the beach and went into the water and washed themselves. Then they dived, and when each came to the top of the water it had a trout in its mouth. They put these on a mat on the beach. Ten times they dived, and by that time their mat was full of trout. They took

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them up to the house and made a fire and roasted them, and when the fish were cooked they gave them to Bluejay and his sister, and they ate part of them and were satisfied. Pretty soon the visitors got ready to go, taking with them the food that was left. Ioí said to her brother: "You go down first to the beach, or else you will talk ever so much." Bluejay answered her: "No, you go down first." So his sister went down first to get the canoe ready, and when she had gone, Bluejay said to the Duck: "Come to my house to-morrow and get your mat." The Duck said: "To-morrow I will go to visit you." Then Bluejay and his sister paddled away, and soon came to their house.

Early next morning Bluejay got up and went up to the roof of the house. After he had been sitting there for some time, he called out to his sister: "A canoe is coming." She said to him: "It comes because you asked them to come." Pretty soon the Duck, with her five children, reached the beach, and after they had pulled the canoe out of the water, they went up to the house. After they had sat a while, Bluejay said to his sister's children: "Go and wash yourselves."

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The children went down to the beach and into the water and washed themselves. They tried to dive, but no matter how hard they might try their backs remained above the water. Ten times they tried to dive, and their feathers were all wet and clinging to them, and they were almost dead with cold. They came up to the house shivering, and not bringing anything with them.

The Duck said: "Bluejay can do only one thing." Then she said to her children: "Go and wash yourselves. We will give them something to eat." The Duck's children went down to the beach and washed themselves. They dived ten times, and then their mat was full of trout. They brought them up to the house and threw them on the ground. Then the Ducks went home.

Some little time after this Bluejay and his sister were again hungry. Bluejay said: "Let us go and visit Black Bear." Early the next morning they set out, and before noon they reached the Black Bear's house and went in and sat down.

They looked around. No food was to be seen. Pretty soon the Bear built a fire and began

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to heat stones. Bluejay was wondering what food would be given them, and he said to his sister: "What will he give us to eat?"

When the stones were hot the Bear took his knife and cut the soles from his feet, and cut a big piece of meat out of his thigh. Then he rubbed his hands over the wounds, and at once they were healed. Then he cut the flesh that he had taken from his feet and from his thigh into small pieces and put it in the kettle, and put the hot stones in the kettle and boiled it. When it was cooked he placed the kettle before them, and said to them: "Eat, my friends; you must be hungry." They ate, and pretty soon they were satisfied. When they were ready to go home Ioí said to her brother: "You go down first, or else you will be talking a great deal." Bluejay said: "No, you go down first." His sister went, and when she had gone Bluejay said to the Bear: "Come to-morrow and visit us." The Bear said he would do so; then Blue-jay and his sister went home to their house.

Early the next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on the roof of his house. After a while, he called out to his sister: "A canoe is coming," and she answered:

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[paragraph continues] "It comes because you invited him." Pretty soon the Bear paddled up to the beach and landed, and came up to the house, and they all sat down. Bluejay began to heat the stones in the fire and to get ready for cooking. When the stones were hot he sharpened his knife and began to cut his feet, but, oh, it hurt him very much. It hurt him so much that he fainted away. They blew on him until he recovered.

The Bear said: "You can do only one thing, Bluejay." The Bear took his knife and slowly cut the soles off his feet. He cut a piece of flesh out of his thigh. Then he rubbed his hands over the wounds and immediately they were healed. Then he cut the flesh in small pieces and boiled it. When he had finished cooking and it was done, he threw it down before them, and went home to his house. Bluejay's feet were sore.

After a number of nights they were again hungry. Then Bluejay said to his sister: "Let us go visiting again. To-morrow we will go and visit the Beaver." Early in the morning they started out, and before very long they reached the Beaver's house. The Beaver was on the roof of his house. He came down, and

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they went in and sat down. After a little while the Beaver went out and brought into the house a bundle of willow twigs, which he put down before them. Then he took a dish and went out and brought it back filled with mud. Bluejay and his sister could not eat these things,. and pretty soon they got ready to go home. As they were about to start, his sister said to him: "You go down first to the beach, or else you will talk a great deal." The Bluejay said to his sister: "No, you go down first." So she went down first to the beach. When she had gone Bluejay said: "Come to my house to-morrow to fetch your dish," and the Beaver answered: "I will come to-morrow."

Early next morning Bluejay got up and made a fire, and went up on the roof of his house. After he had sat there for a while, he called out to his sister: "A canoe is coming." She answered: "It comes because you asked it to come." The Beaver landed and came up the beach and entered the house, and they all sat down. Bluejay went out of the house, and after he had been gone a little while he came back with a bunch of willow twigs, and he put them before the Beaver, who began to eat them, and

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soon ate them all up. Then Bluejay ran down to the beach and got some mud, which he put before the Beaver. The Beaver ate it all and went home.

Not many days after this they were again hungry, and Bluejay said: "Let us go visiting again. To-morrow let us go to visit the Seal." Early the next morning they started, and at length they came to the house of the Seal. The Seal had five children. After they had been sitting a while in her house, the Seal said to her children: "Go to the beach and lie down there." They went down to the edge of the water and lay there. Then the Seal took a stick and went down there, too, and when she reached her children she struck the youngest one on the head and it lay there. She said to the others: "Dive down," and they did so, and when they came to the surface of the water there were five of them. Then she dragged up to the house the one that she had killed and singed it, and when she had finished singeing it she cut it up. She boiled it, and when it was cooked she gave it to Bluejay and his sister. They ate, and presently they were satisfied. When they were getting ready to go home his

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sister said to her brother: "You go down first." He answered: "No, you go down first. You always want to stay where they give us food." So his sister went down to the beach. Then Bluejay said to the Seal: "Come to-morrow and visit us, and fetch your kettle." The Seal said: "I shall come." Then Bluejay and his sister went home to their house.

Early next morning Bluejay got up and went on to the roof of his house. After a while he called out to his sister: "A canoe is coming." She answered him: "It comes because you have asked them to come." The canoe came to the beach, and the Seal and her children landed and pulled the canoe up on the beach, and then came up to the house. Pretty soon Bluejay said to his sister's children: "Go to the beach and lie down there." The children went and lay down at the edge of the water. Bluejay took a stick and went down and struck the youngest one on the head. Then he said to the other children: "Quick now, dive." They dived, but when they came up there were only four. Five times they dived, but the one that Bluejay had struck remained dead. Then Ioí and her children cried for the dead one.

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The Seal said: "Bluejay only knows how to do one thing." She struck one of her daughters on the head with a stick, and said to the others: "Quick, dive." They dived, and when they came up again all five of them were there. Then she singed her daughter and when she had finished singeing her she cut her up and threw her down before Bluejay and his sister, saying: "You may eat this." Then they tied up and buried the dead child, and the Seals went home.

After a time these two were again hungry, and Bluejay said: "Let us go and visit the Shadows." His sister said: "We will go tomorrow." Early next morning they started, and at last they reached the home of the Shadows and went up to the house. It was full of food, and on the beds there were lying ornaments, clothing, coats, blankets of deer skin, of mountain-goat wool, and of ground-hog skin. Bluejay said to his sister: "Where are these people?" His sister answered: "They are here, but you cannot see them."

Bluejay took up one of the large ear ornaments. "Look out! You are pulling my ear, Bluejay!" cried a person. Bluejay was surprised,

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for he saw no one, and he dropped the ear ornament. Then they heard many people laughing. He took hold of a ground-hog blanket, and pulled at it. "Let go of my ground-hog blanket, Bluejay," said a person, but he could see no one. He looked under the bed for the one who had spoken, and again they heard people laughing. He took up a coat made of goat wool, and somebody cried out, "Why do you lift my coat, Bluejay?" He took hold of a nose ornament, and a person cried, "Let go of my nose ornament, Bluejay." Then a basket fell down from above. He lifted it up and put it back. Then he began to look under the bed and all through the house for persons, and again they heard many people laughing. His sister said to him: "Stay here quietly. They are Shadows, and so you cannot see them." They ate some of the food.

When it got dark Bluejay said, "We will sleep here." So they slept there during the night, but all through the night they had bad dreams, for so the Shadows punished Bluejay, because he had teased them. Then Bluejay and his sister went home, and his sister said, "Now we have gone visiting enough."