Traditions of the Arikara

The Coyote was going along when he saw an old bull sitting down on the side of a hill. The Coyote went up to him, and said, “Well, my grandfather, are you sitting here sunning yourself?” The bull said, “Yes.” The Coyote said that he was hungry; that he would like the Buffalo to give him something to eat. The Buffalo said, “Why are you not like myself, a big Buffalo, eating grass.” The Coyote said, “Well, grandfather, I wish that you would make a Buffalo out of me.” So the Buffalo said: “All right. You will then have to break up your bow and arrows, for you will need them no more.” So the Buffalo placed the Coyote, and said, “Now you must keep a strong heart; do not get scared.” The Buffalo rushed at the Coyote, and just as he was about to hook the Coyote, the Coyote jumped sidewise. Then the Buffalo said: “Why did you get scared? Now stay right at this place, and I will come and make a Buffalo out of you.” But every time the Buffalo ran toward him the Coyote would jump away. The last time the Coyote stayed, and as the Buffalo went up against him there were two Buffalo bulls. They locked horns, then the Buffalo told the Coyote-Buffalo to eat grass. The Coyote-Buffalo obeyed and ate until he was filled. Then the Buffalo said, “We must go to the Buffalo herd, for there is one bull there who has control of all the female Buffalo, and we will fight him, and when we have killed him we can have all the female Buffalo.” So they went to the Buffalo herd. The Buffalo bull was going around among the Buffalo. They were waiting to fight him when it should come time. They fought, and they killed the Buffalo bull.

Now each bull took many cows to look after. When they all came together they lay down in a hollow for the night. The next night the Buffalo all jumped and traveled toward the western country. When the Coyote-Buffalo got up he saw that he had been left behind, all alone. He arose, but did not follow the other people. The Coyote-Buffalo came across a Coyote, and said: “Why are you not as I am? I was a Coyote once, but now I am a Buffalo.” The Coyote-Buffalo told the Coyote to throw his bow and arrows away, for he was going to make him into a Buffalo. He set the Coyote in a certain place and made a rush at him. The Coyote jumped sidewise. Three times did the Coyote-Buffalo try to run into the Coyote, but every time the Coyote jumped sidewise. The last time, the Coyote-Buffalo said, “Now you must close your eyes and let me run over you.” The Coyote obeyed and the Coyote-Buffalo ran into him, and there were two Coyotes instead of the Coyote-Buffalo and the Coyote. So the Coyote-Buffalo turned back into a Coyote.