Sacred Texts Native American Northwest Index Previous Next
[Told by Moody]
The Wolves had a feast on a prairie at the mouth of Skeena river. They invited the chiefs of the Deer to the feast. The Deer who had been called came. Then they sat down on the prairie face to face with the Wolves. The Wolves said to the Deer, "You on the opposite side begin to laugh." But the Deer did not agree. They said, "You shall laugh first." The Wolves replied, "Now we will laugh. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Now you must laugh, you on the other side." Then the Deer laughed: "M, m, m, m, m! Now you laugh again,
[paragraph continues] Wolves." Then the Wolves laughed again: "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Now the Deer were afraid when they saw the large teeth of the Wolves. The Wolves said, "Now, you on the other side, you shall laugh again. Don't keep your mouths closed when you are laughing. Nobody laughs like that. You must open your mouths as far as possible when you are laughing. Now do so. Try as hard as you can. Don't be afraid to open your mouths." Thus spoke the Wolves. "Now laugh." Then the Deer laughed again: "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" They opened their mouths wide. They had no teeth. When the Wolves saw that they had no teeth they attacked them, and they bit them all
over. Then they devoured the Deer. Only a few of the Deer succeeded in escaping. For this reason the Deer are afraid of the Wolves.