Sacred Texts Native American Hopi Index Previous Next
Buy this Book at Amazon.com
The Traditions of the Hopi, by H.R. Voth, [1905], at sacred-texts.com
Coyote hunts near place where turtles live in river, Turtle has little baby, whom it leaves asleep when others go hunting food. Little turtle awakes and, nobody being there, it cries and comes out of water. It finds tracks and follows them for some distance, but cannot find any one and cries bitterly. Coyote hears, hunts it up, and asks what it is singing. Little turtle says he is not singing, he is crying. Coyote asks why he is crying. Little turtle tells him, and he then threatens to eat turtle if he does not sing again. Little turtle refuses and says if Coyote eats him he will live in his body. Coyote then threatens to throw him in water and little turtle asks him not to, as he would drown. Coyote takes little turtle and slings him into water. Little turtle then swims around and laughs at him. Coyote threatens to kill turtle's mother. He meets turtles on way back to water and tries to seize one. It draws its head, feet, and tail into shell and Coyote cannot hurt it. He jumps
toward others with same result, and then leaves them in disgust. Turtle mother finds cactus, which child eats. He then tells mother of his adventure with Coyote. Mother laughs and is very happy.