Coyote, Skunk, and the Prairie Dogs

Coyote, Skunk, and the Prairie Dogs

While I find it rather creative to imagine a skunk and a coyote to conspire together to murder prairie dogs and rabbits, and although I feel I am doing a disservice to hundreds of years of Navaho storytellers, I am going to attempt to creatively edit parts of the story “Coyote, Skunk, and Prairie Dogs” as a written works, and retool it so that it makes more sense as a modern children’s fairy tale. Not that children would be interested in a story about killing and eating prairie dogs, but I am going to attempt to keep the plot, storyline and outcome as similar to the Navaho trickster tale as possible.

Some things that I feel could be improved is the story needs more description of the events for better visualization, and the writer or storyteller needs to be more confident in the “facts” of the story, telling it as truth. I have also chosen to remove the signals for laughter for (think laugh tracks on TV shows and how utterly irritating they are).

Ma’ii, the sly and scrawny coyote, was trotting along like he’s always done. At a place not very far away, where the river widens and the banks are flat, he was walking along.

Then, in an open area, he was walking along in the midst of many prairie dogs. In the past, Ma’ii had been cruel to the prairie dogs, ransacking their communities and sneaking up and eating whole families at night.

While he was walking, the prairie dogs were cursing him; they were all crowding together and yelling at him. He went along farther into their midst, and then he walked along still farther. He got angry at the prairie dogs, and soon he began to feel quite hostile.

After a while it was midday. He wanted a cloud to appear (his reason was that he was starting to hate those prairie dogs); so he thought about rain. Then a cloud appeared; “If it would only rain on me,” he said aloud. And that’s what happened.

“If only it could rain enough so that there could be rain in my footprints.” And that’s what happened. “If only water would ooze up between my toes as I walk along,” he added.

Then everything happened as he said.

“If only the water would come up to my knees,” he pleaded. And that’s what happened. “If only the water would be up to my back so that only my ears would be out of the water.”

“If I could only float, “he said. Then, as he was starting to float: “There where all the prairie dogs are, if I could only land over there,” he said.

He came to rest in the midst of the prairie dog town.

Someplace in the dizвЂ"(diz is the name of a plant that grows in clumps)вЂ"he landed, hung up in a clump.

And there he was lying after the rain. And then a skunk named Golizhii was running by to fetch water. (Ma’ii was pretending to be dead.) Golizhii ran past him.

Ma’ii called out to him, “Come here,” he whispered, and Golizhii came over.

“Shilna’ash вЂ" my dearest friend,” Ma’ii said. “Do something for me and I will reward you too: tell all those small animals, вЂ?The hated one has died and has washed up were the prairie dogs are’; tell them that, shilna’ash. вЂ?He’s already got maggots,’ you tell them,” he said.

“Slender grass it is called вЂ" shake that slendergrass so the crooked seeds fall off. In my crotch, in my nose, in the back part of my mouth, scatter some around; then put some inside my ears,” he said. “вЂ?He’s got maggots,’ you tell them. вЂ?The hated one has been washed out and drowned.вЂ™Ð²Ð‚Ñœ

Golizhii was also sneaky, as skunks are. He was lazy and didn’t didn’t eat but the smallest animals unless he could find an easy meal. He had short legs like skunks do, so he couldn’t run very fast to catch larger meals, but his new friend had a plan.

“First, make four clubs and put them under me, where I can get them. вЂ?We’ll dance over him. We’re all going to meet over there,’ you tell them,” he said. “This is how to do it,” he said. “Get them to make a circle, and when they are dancing around me, tell them, вЂ?Hit Ma’ii in the ribs.’ But be careful not to hit me too hard! вЂ?Slowly, gently, like this,’ you tell them,” he said.

This is what happened. Golizhii ran home and gave out the word to the prairie dogs. “The hated one is washed out.”

There were rabbits and other animals and even ground squirrels. Those animals that are food for Ma’ii were gathered together; now they were dancing at that meeting.

First Golizhii said, “It’s true, it’s true! Let’s have one of you fast runners run over there to find out.”

Then Jackrabbit ran there and ran back saying, “It’s true!”

Then Cottontail ran there and, “It’s true!” he said, running back.

Then Prairie Dog ran, and, “It’s true!” he said running back.

At that time there was a big gathering around Ma’ii’s body. They were dancing. “The hated one is dead,” they were saying. The club is beside him; they were hitting him in the ribs.

Then they continued their celebrating, and more and more animal people came.

Then that evil Golizhii remembered Ma’ii’s plan. “When you all are dancing, while you are looking up, while you are saying, you say, вЂ?Dance in that manner,’ you tell them while you’re in charge there, shilna’ash,” he had said.

All the small animals were dancing.

Then: “Waay up there something is moving by overhead,” Golizhii pointed out.