Coyote Brings her Children to Play with the Quails

COYOTE BRINGS HER CHILDREN TO PLAY WITH THE QUAILS ³

Just above Whirlpool Place, there is a playground where Quail Mother lived with her children. She said to them, "I will take you for a walk." They went along, and she said, "This is the place. I will sing you a song." They were all in a row. The mother began singing and all the children were lifting up their little legs dancing to her song:

Little quail babies,
Little quail babies,
Round little stomachs,
Round little stomachs,
Your little nest is made of cedar bark,
Your little topknots are made of cedar bark.

[paragraph continues] When she came to the end of the song, they all ran to hide.

Old Coyote came along. She said, "What a nice game you are playing with your little children. I have lots of children too, and I would like to bring them to play with your children." Quail Mother said, "All right, get them, and I will wait here." So Coyote went off as fast as she could to get her children. "Here they are," she said, "sing the song for them." "All right." "My little ones haven't got topknots like your little quails. How did you do that?" "I stuck little sticks on their heads so they would have pretty topknots." [paragraph continues]

p. 146

Old Mother Coyote said, "Will you make my children topknots?" "All right. You must round up your children so that you can put the sticks in their heads." Old Mother Coyote ran after her children. Every one she caught she hammered a stick into his head. So she killed them all. Then Quail and her children ran off.

Footnotes

145:3 Informant 2. Notes, p. 239.