Page:The Pima Indians.pdf/222

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RUSSELL]
MYTHS
217

Uprooted An Bush. Near Kihâtoakʽ he stopped again upon a mountain to eat the heart, but he saw that it was covered with ashes, so he shook it and the ashes fell and covered the mountain, so that it is white to this day, and is called Gray mountain. Again the people overtook Coyote, and he ran northward across the Gila, where he ate the heart, and as he did so the grease fell upon every stone of the mountain, which accounts for its appearance and the name it bears to this day—Mo’hatûk, Greasy mountain. From that place Coyote ran to live in the sea in the south.

Now the tribes of men began to learn how they should provide for themselves, how they might gather food, hunt, and till the soil. Mavit, Puma, and Rsu-u-û, Wolf, joined their fortunes and went hunting together. One day Wolf said, "I wonder where is our brother, Coyote; suppose I call him." So he took the kidney of a deer and roasted it and the wind carried the appetizing odor toward the south. When Coyote smelled it he said, "Surely, these are my brothers, who wish me to return." So he ran to the place where Puma and Wolf were living. When he reached them he was in great distress, for when he ate food it fell from him as wheat fulls from the broken sack. Finally, Puma and Wolf stitched his skin until it retained the food he ate. Then they all went in search of wives. Coyote found a woman and called to the others, who came to see her. She became the wife of Puma, but Coyote said he would take her home. On the way he fell and pretended to be in great pain. The woman was frightened and knew not what to do. Coyote said, "I shall not get well unless you strip off my clothing and your own and carry me on your back for a few yards. That is the way my brothers treated me when I was in this condition before." So she obeyed and made their clothing into a bundle, which she carried on her head, as is the Pima custom. Coyotem humeris sustulit, sed cum paucos modo passus ingressa esset, "Siste! Siste!" exclamavit Coyote, "Doleo; paulum me dimitte." Ubi quod poposcit fecerat, copulare potuit. Mulierem turpiter dum domum iebant Coyote egit. This was the cause of much trouble, for she belonged to a tribe that had great magic power. They tried to induce her to return, but she would not. Furthermore, Puma refused to restore her to her friends. Then the Rsarsûkatc Â-âtam,[1] magicians, revenged themselves by driving the deer, the antelope, and every animal that is swift of foot and soft of fur and useful to human kind into a cave in the Aloam or Yellow mountain, which lies south of the present Pimería and northeast of Baboquivari. This deprived the tribes of men of their chief support, and messengers were sent to see if some means could not be found by which the imprisoned animals could be liberated. One by one these agents failed to


  1. The mirage that distorts the early morning landscape in Pimería is callud rsarsûkatc, and it is believed that it is the spirits of the ancient magicians returned to earth.