Native American Myth
wift-Hawk lay sprawled on the ground. His face was in the dust with his
cross-stick still in his hands. As he looked up he saw Gray-Moon running
away and carrying the ball toward the scoring post. The ball hit the
scoring post with a loud "thwack", just as Swift-Hawk's head hit the ground
again. Gray-Moon turned to where Swift-Hawk lay, "You lose Lazy-Hawk?"
Standing-Turtle, brother of Swift-Hawk, lumbered up to his brother, "Perhaps you should not have bragged that you would score first, and the most brother."
"Shut up Turtle, Gray-Moon cheated, he tripped me from behind and then planted an elbow in my back, or I would have scored. He's older and bigger than me, besides."
"Isn't that what you did to Spring-Deer in the game yesterday? And aren't you older and bigger and much stronger than Deer?"
Swift-Hawk swung his cross-stick at his brother. Standing-Turtle jumped aside. Swift-Hawk raised himself up onto his hands and knees and glanced over at the girls who had watched this sad game of cross-sticks. Even his friend, Summer-Wind was laughing behind her hands. He shook his head, and stood up just as his other team players approached him.
"Tree-Frog why weren't you in front of me so I could throw the sinew-ball to you? Walking-Cloud you were supposed to guard Gray-Moon, why didn't you yell at me or warn me? Standing-Turtle, how could you let him hit the scoring post, you were not watching, and your job was to guard the scoring post? What is wrong with all of you, don't you want to win?"
The three boys looked at Swift-Hawk with angry faces, one boy, his brother with hurt in his eyes. Then the three players on Swift-Hawk's team walked away, talking about chasing rabbits and climbing trees.
Swift-Hawk looked over and began yelling, "You, you silly girls, you don't even know the rules of the game. You couldn't play if you had to. Cloud-Dancer you and Sitting-Deer are fat and stupid. Go away stupid girls."
The three girls turned to their friends, embarrassment showing on their faces as red as a sunset. They walked quietly toward the cliff-houses.
Swift-Hawk stood alone in the clearing and thought to himself, "I am the only one who wants to win, the only one who plays the hardest, and the one they all should cheer and praise. They are all slow and won't learn the game."
As he walked off the field he looked around and wondered why he was all alone.
Coyote sat at the edge of the clearing watching Swift Hawk walk away and laughed, "Ha, Ha, Ha, that was a clever trick. Yelling at Gray-Moon to hit Swift Hawk in the back, what a clever coyote I am."
About that time Hawk landed on a branch just above Coyote. "Coyote, what are you laughing at?"
"Oh, it is you Hawk. You will like this story, it is about that silly boy who has your name, Swift Hawk they call him. Here is the story:
Years ago, when he was a small boy, everyone loved Swift Hawk, all the grown up people and all his childhood friends. They thought he was clever and a friend to everyone, he smiled at all of them and liked everyone in the pueblo. One year ago I appeared to him in a dream and told him that he was smarter and faster and better than all the other children. I told him that the girls of the pueblo all laughed at him because they thought he was just a silly stupid boy.
And Oh-Ho, he believed me. This is the funniest part, he puffed himself up with his own self-importance. He thought he is more special than the other children, he even tells the others that he is more special, more brave, and better at every thing. And Hawk, the best part of the story is, when I told the boy what the girls had said, it was a lie! Yes, isn't that clever and funny. You see the girls really liked him as a brother, and knew that he was smart, but I told him a clever lie to see what he would do."
Hawk smiled at coyote. He knew that the trickster loved to tell a story of how Coyote had fooled someone.
Hawk said, "It must have been fun for you to watch this boy and all his troubles from Fall to Summer, clever trickster. What else did you tell him?"
"You don't know the half of it. Let me tell you of some of the funny things this boy did:
When the elders had lessons I told the boy that he didn't need to pay attention, that he was too smart and that he already knew all the things the elders try to teach. He would not pay attention and would talk to the other boys and girls when the elders were showing the children how to plant seed or how to hunt and even how to find your way home using the stars. When the elders tested his knowledge he stuttered and got red in the face. Sometimes he lied, and sometimes he just walked away.
One time he told his friends that they were not as good as him. He was bragging to the other boys that he could play a game of cross-sticks and win because he was so brave and special. They formed a circle with their backs to him as they ate their pinon nuts and deer meat. He became so angry with them that he yelled at them and kicked dust at their circle.
That night as he lay sleeping I howled at the moon, and said, "Swift Hawk you hate them as much as they hate you, turn your back on them, you ar better than them."
And you know what Hawk? He did! Yes, the silly boy just became angrier and angrier at them. He did not talk to them unless to throw insult sticks at them. You should hear the insults he casts at them. The older boys got so mad at him that they jumped on him one day and beat him with their fists and kicked him. That was almost too much for me to me, I thought I might fall over from laughing.
He shouted orders when his friends played games with him. He would yell, "Give me the ball. You, slow one go stand by the scoring post. Sleepy head, wake up, pay attention to the game." I tell you Hawk, it was a sight to see and hear.
I made him truly believe that he was much better than the other boys. His own friends, the boys he has grown up with became so angry with him that they would not eat with him, and they began calling him names. But the funniest thing was when his friends stole his cross-stick and ball and threw it in the stream. You should have seen the hurt look on his face when he fished it out.
Hawk sighed, "Tell me Coyote, why do the girls dislike him so? Even his good friend Summer-Wind will not spend time with him. Is this in your clever plan also?"
"Hawk you are a silly old bird, but I will tell you anyway, because this was one of the cleverest and most funny things I have done to this simple boy:
It began last fall. You see the boy, Swift Hawk, wanted to be friends with the girls. But the girls were changing. They were not yet women and not just little girls, but in between. The girls just wanted the boys of the pueblo to be nice to them and bring them flowers and sun-stones with pictures carved on them. But all of the boys thought they were too strong to do such silly things for girls. You see the boys were not yet men. They were strong and fast like their older brothers, but still small boys in their thoughts.
So here is what I did. At night I would howl at the stars and sing my song,
Young girls, young girls, why don't the boys bring you flowers?
Young girls, young girls, why don't they give you sun-stones?
Young girls, young girls, why won't the boys be nice to you?
Young girls, young girls, don't the boys like you?
And then after I had sung my song I would creep up to the window of the cliff house where a girl was sleeping and whisper to her, "The boys bring flowers to the other girls, they bring them sun-stones with pictures carved, what is wrong with you?"
Well, you can imagine this caused no end of silly girls talking to each other. And then the girls formed small groups. Soon each group was angry with the other group and saying bad things about the other group of young girls. And then they began to say bad things when girls were out doing chores. If a girl turned her back, another girl would say that she was in love with one of the boys. Oh-ho how they got angry. It was very funny to see.
Hawk stretched out his wings and smiled down at Coyote. "This boy must be sad Coyote. He has no friends, no one to play games with or to talk to. And you have made is seem that he has done this to himself. You are very clever. But tell me what will you have this boy do next?"
Coyote loved to tell stories and brag about what a trickster he was, so he said, "Some of the girls still like him and some of the boys still like him. I will make him tell the ones that like him that he thinks he is better than them. He will tell them that he is more special than them, a better hunter, better at playing the games. He will tell them that he is stronger and smarter than them. And then they will all turn their backs on him. No one will be friends with him and he will be so very sad, and I shall laugh and laugh and think this is a very very funny story."
"You are clever Coyote," said Hawk as he flew toward the mountain tops.
Coyote smiled to himself and planned his next trick.
Late that night Coyote was just getting ready to sneak to windows of the cliff-house and whisper to Swift Hawk. Coyote heard flute music coming from the high mountains. He sat under the moon with his head tipped to one side, listening to the soft sounds. The music became louder and louder and soon the hunched-back flute player was standing right in front of Coyote.
Coyote said, "That was very pretty flute music, of course I could do better. What is in the sack on your back? Who are you?"
"My sack carries seeds trickster, and my name is Kokopelli. Hawk told me a story about a sad boy. My flute music makes people smile, so I came here to see if this sad boy could still smile."
Coyote looked out of one eye at this 'Kokopelli' being, "I have worked and planned from Fall until Summer to play a grand trick and make this boy sad. Who are you and what is this music that can make him smile? I have worked very hard to make this boy sad. I will not let you make him smile and be happy with just a song on your flute."
Kokopelli played a short tune on his flute. It was such a fine and beautiful song that Coyote cleared his throat to join the music and howl at the moon. Just then the flute player stopped.
"Coyote I will make you wager. You have worked and tricked the boys and girls into being mad at Swift Hawk, now they do not like him. I will bet you that the boys and girls will like Swift Hawk, call him brother and friend before the moon rises again in 30 days. I will only help him to understand. What do you say?"
Coyote growled, "Kokopelli creature, your flute music is very strong medicine, you could do this with a song. That is not fair. You must not use your flute. And what happens when I win?"
Kokopelli smiled at Coyote, "I will play my flute, but I will not use the magic of it. It will only be music, no more. If you win, I will give you my flute. If you lose you must leave and never bother these boys and girls again. Do we have an agreement?"
Coyote wanted the flute, but he also wanted to see Swift Hawk sad and alone so his trick would be complete. He agreed.
The next day Kokopelli sat near the meadow. This is where the boys played their cross-stick games and the girls watched. This day only one boy was at the field, it was Swift Hawk. Kokopelli played a mountain song on his flute.
Swift Hawk heard the music and followed it to the edge of the clearing, "Hello grandfather, you play beautiful music on that flute."
Kokopelli smiled at the boy, "I can see you are here to play cross-sticks. Where are your friends?"
"They are chasing rabbits or climbing trees. They are mad at me and won't play games with me anymore. They are stupid and weak."
Kokopelli moved for the boy to sit next to him. "Swift Hawk, the music tells me that you like the other boys and girls. It tells me that you are mad at them. That they are mad at you. And the music tells me none of this is true. It tells me you like your friends and want them to like you. And that you like the girls and want to be friends with them. Is this true?"
Swift Hawk's chin touched his chest and he shook his head. "It is true. But I don't know what to do."
Kokopelli put his flute up to his lips and played. When he stopped he nodded to Swift Hawk. "If I told you the magic of how to get your friends to like you will you do as I say?"
"Grandfather, I know you are wise and I know your music is special, but I am afraid that even if I do what you tell me it will not work."
Kokopelli smiled, "It is simple, but it is not easy. And it will take you days and days to do this. Sometimes it will be hard, sometimes you will think that this will not work. You must keep trying. You must tell your heart that you will try."
Swift Hawk raised his head and looked at this strange person, "I will try if you will help me."
Kokopelli got a very serious look on his face, "Swift Hawk, you must be nice to the other boys and girls. You must smile at them. You must be nice to them even when they are not nice to you. You must be nice to all of them, not just the ones you like, but all of them. You must do this until the moon is full again. The sun will rise 30 times. It will be hard, but you will win back your friends. Do you agree?"
Swift Hawk looked at the humped-back man, "How will I do this? They don't like me. I don't like some of them. How can I do this?"
"You must ask your Mother and Father for help. You must try and try and not give up. It will be much harder than the cross-stick games you play. And when you want to give up, talk to me and listen to my music. In the music I will tell you to keep trying. You must remember that when they are mad at you, and then you are nice to them, first you win. Then when they like you again, they win. You will not do this every time, every day, but you must try. And at the end of each day, you must know that you tried to be nice to everyone, even when they were not nice to you."
"I will try, Flute-player, it will be hard, but I will try."
When the moon was full again, Kokopelli and Coyote met on the ridge above the pueblo. Kokopelli was playing his flute.
Coyote snarled at the hump-back, "You have ruined my greatest trick of all. The boys and girls like that clever Swift Hawk boy again. They cheer for him in the games. The girls talk to him and the other boys sit in the circle with him to eat. He is a leader of the other boys and girls. Even the older boys want to talk with him and chase deer with him. His elders call him smart and one who learns much in the old lessons. The chiefs say he will be a great and strong leader some day. Oh-no, you have ruined my funny clever trick. Why have you done this Kokopelli creature?"
Kokopelli smiled at Coyote and played his flute.
