NAPI AND THE COYOTES JUMPING ON ICE
From The Sun Came Down by Percy Bull Child
Crowfeather Arrow was very embarrassed. He couldn’t face his people, he must become someone else if he was to go near the people that knew him. He was still the disciple that Creator Sun had put here on Earth to teach the people all about living, survival on Mother Earth, but he had gone wrong. That power that was entrusted to him by Creator Sun, he was using it for his own benefit, to make a name for himself, and it wasn’t working out as he planned.
Instead of being someone else, he must be that disciple again to once more go among his people. He must be Napi again and leave Crowfeather Arrow where it made the last embarrassment after embarrassment.
Back to his natural self as Napi, he moved away from the cave that he hid the buffalo in. This huge cave still stands among the Porcupine Hills to this day. At least some of it remains and probably the most part of this cave has caved in. This is presently located north of Brocket, Alberta, Canada, in the Porcupine Hills.
Napi slowly moved towards the people. He didn’t want to face them just yet, he was still a-feeling the embarrassment Bellyfat had caused him. The cold winter overtook him as he moved along. He had camped along a small creek with much windbreak, and there he had to stay for that winter. The days wore on, and as they went by, his food was also being used up. It was one of those extra-hard winters, he couldn’t hardly get out to rustle for food most of the time, because of the cold and deep snow.
All that dried meat he had stored for his winter use, was going fast because of the weather. He just couldn’t get out to replenish the larder.
The day came when the weather broke. It cleared up for a change and Napi took the advantage fast, because his food was getting very small and he must in some way supplement what he had left. Not having much to eat, he didn’t want to short-change the family by taking a little of it along for lunch. He figured he might get lucky and kill some kind of game along the way. He left without taking lunch.
It was grueling for him to walk in the snow, it had not gone down very much. He took to the creek which had thick ice on it, and the wind had blown off most of the snow. It was better walking, but not too good for hunting.
All day long he walked and walked. Winter days are very short, he didn’t have too much time to hunt. He was getting mighty hungry, his stomach was growling from hunger, but he didn’t want to give up. He must try to get more food for the family.
He went farther along the ice and he was just so very hungry, there wasn’t anything that he could nibble on, not in the coldest of the winters. No berries of any kind, they were all off of the bushes. He just had to stay hungry. Up ahead of him, he thought he heard a faint noise, it sounded like a group or someone singing or having a good time. He went on slowly, listening at the same time. Yeah, yeah, ahead of him. He could hear them better, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying or if they were singing. He must get closer.
Slowly coming around a bend, he seen these coyotes jumping up and down in the middle of this small creek, on the ice. He heard them, too, very distinctly. They were singing and jumping at the same time. Every once in a while the coyotes would bend down to pick up something and eat it. Napi had to find out what they were doing and what they were eating. He was very, very hungry.
Slowly going towards them, Napi began to cry,”Aye, aye, aye niss-gah-nuk, ah-ni, nah-goo-kah-wahn-ists, ah-hey. Aye, aye, aye, that my little brothers I’d like to do too.”
Napi was close enough now to see what they were eating. As the coyotes jumped on the ice, pieces of belly fat would come out through the ice, they ate it. The coyotes kept on jumping, telling each other that it was only their big brother Napi coming and asking to join them. The coyotes let Napi join them in their jumping on the ice for food. “Before you start to jump, we must let you know the restrictions to this dance on ice. You must not do this all the time, this kind of ice dance is only for very, very hard times, when you are on the verge of starvation. If you do this dance often, it’s no good, it backfires.”
The coyotes gave him the high sign to dance and to sing that same song they were singing. “Don’t try to change the song or it won’t work for you.” Up and down, up and down, Napi danced, while at this feet belly fat would come out from beneath the ice. He would bend over pick it up and eat it. He was very hungry and it was getting late in the day. The coyotes had enough, they left but Napi was still a-going, trying to fill himself up with the belly fat.
After a long go at the ice dance, Napi finally decided he had enough. Back towards his camp he went along the ice, but every once in a while he stopped to dance to get more to eat of the belly fat, he was hungry. He would fill up, but a little while after he would get hungry again, so he would stop and do the ice dance again. Again and again he stopped to do the ice dance those coyotes taught him.
Before he ever reached home, his camp, he had done the ice dance over and over again, eating as he danced it.
It was just before he reached his camp when he decided he must have his final ice dance for the day and to fill up for the night. He stopped again in the middle of the ice and began the singing again and his dancing up and down, jumping hard to get that belly fat a-coming and singing harder. Napi jumped up and down. At last things began to come up out of the ice. He stooped over to pick up what came out. To his utmost surprise, the stuff he picked up oozed all over his hands. It was soft coyote droppings, and not the belly fat that usually came up out of the ice. This taught Napi another important lesson: never to do more then the restriction requires.
From The Sun Came Down by Percy Bull Child
Crowfeather Arrow was very embarrassed. He couldn’t face his people, he must become someone else if he was to go near the people that knew him. He was still the disciple that Creator Sun had put here on Earth to teach the people all about living, survival on Mother Earth, but he had gone wrong. That power that was entrusted to him by Creator Sun, he was using it for his own benefit, to make a name for himself, and it wasn’t working out as he planned.
Instead of being someone else, he must be that disciple again to once more go among his people. He must be Napi again and leave Crowfeather Arrow where it made the last embarrassment after embarrassment.
Back to his natural self as Napi, he moved away from the cave that he hid the buffalo in. This huge cave still stands among the Porcupine Hills to this day. At least some of it remains and probably the most part of this cave has caved in. This is presently located north of Brocket, Alberta, Canada, in the Porcupine Hills.
Napi slowly moved towards the people. He didn’t want to face them just yet, he was still a-feeling the embarrassment Bellyfat had caused him. The cold winter overtook him as he moved along. He had camped along a small creek with much windbreak, and there he had to stay for that winter. The days wore on, and as they went by, his food was also being used up. It was one of those extra-hard winters, he couldn’t hardly get out to rustle for food most of the time, because of the cold and deep snow.
All that dried meat he had stored for his winter use, was going fast because of the weather. He just couldn’t get out to replenish the larder.
The day came when the weather broke. It cleared up for a change and Napi took the advantage fast, because his food was getting very small and he must in some way supplement what he had left. Not having much to eat, he didn’t want to short-change the family by taking a little of it along for lunch. He figured he might get lucky and kill some kind of game along the way. He left without taking lunch.
It was grueling for him to walk in the snow, it had not gone down very much. He took to the creek which had thick ice on it, and the wind had blown off most of the snow. It was better walking, but not too good for hunting.
All day long he walked and walked. Winter days are very short, he didn’t have too much time to hunt. He was getting mighty hungry, his stomach was growling from hunger, but he didn’t want to give up. He must try to get more food for the family.
He went farther along the ice and he was just so very hungry, there wasn’t anything that he could nibble on, not in the coldest of the winters. No berries of any kind, they were all off of the bushes. He just had to stay hungry. Up ahead of him, he thought he heard a faint noise, it sounded like a group or someone singing or having a good time. He went on slowly, listening at the same time. Yeah, yeah, ahead of him. He could hear them better, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying or if they were singing. He must get closer.
Slowly coming around a bend, he seen these coyotes jumping up and down in the middle of this small creek, on the ice. He heard them, too, very distinctly. They were singing and jumping at the same time. Every once in a while the coyotes would bend down to pick up something and eat it. Napi had to find out what they were doing and what they were eating. He was very, very hungry.
Slowly going towards them, Napi began to cry,”Aye, aye, aye niss-gah-nuk, ah-ni, nah-goo-kah-wahn-ists, ah-hey. Aye, aye, aye, that my little brothers I’d like to do too.”
Napi was close enough now to see what they were eating. As the coyotes jumped on the ice, pieces of belly fat would come out through the ice, they ate it. The coyotes kept on jumping, telling each other that it was only their big brother Napi coming and asking to join them. The coyotes let Napi join them in their jumping on the ice for food. “Before you start to jump, we must let you know the restrictions to this dance on ice. You must not do this all the time, this kind of ice dance is only for very, very hard times, when you are on the verge of starvation. If you do this dance often, it’s no good, it backfires.”
The coyotes gave him the high sign to dance and to sing that same song they were singing. “Don’t try to change the song or it won’t work for you.” Up and down, up and down, Napi danced, while at this feet belly fat would come out from beneath the ice. He would bend over pick it up and eat it. He was very hungry and it was getting late in the day. The coyotes had enough, they left but Napi was still a-going, trying to fill himself up with the belly fat.
After a long go at the ice dance, Napi finally decided he had enough. Back towards his camp he went along the ice, but every once in a while he stopped to dance to get more to eat of the belly fat, he was hungry. He would fill up, but a little while after he would get hungry again, so he would stop and do the ice dance again. Again and again he stopped to do the ice dance those coyotes taught him.
Before he ever reached home, his camp, he had done the ice dance over and over again, eating as he danced it.
It was just before he reached his camp when he decided he must have his final ice dance for the day and to fill up for the night. He stopped again in the middle of the ice and began the singing again and his dancing up and down, jumping hard to get that belly fat a-coming and singing harder. Napi jumped up and down. At last things began to come up out of the ice. He stooped over to pick up what came out. To his utmost surprise, the stuff he picked up oozed all over his hands. It was soft coyote droppings, and not the belly fat that usually came up out of the ice. This taught Napi another important lesson: never to do more then the restriction requires.
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