Sacred Texts Native American Southeast Index Previous Next
A Wolf met a Fawn and asked it how it came to be striped. The Fawn answered, "They put me about that deep (indicating about 3 feet) under the ground, laid a cane riddle over me, and built a fire on
the top. That is how I came to be striped." Then the Wolf decided that he wanted to be striped too, so they dug a hole for him of the depth indicated, laid a riddle above him, and built a fire on the top. Then the Wolf said, "It is getting hot. I am becoming striped now." By and by the Wolf spoke again, saying, "I want to urinate." Presently he said, "I want to defecate." After he had said that the Fawn kept on building the fire higher and before long the Wolf was burned up, leaving only the bones. Then the Fawn picked up the Wolf's vertebræ, ran some hickory bark through them and hung them about his neck.
Now the Fawn walked along in front of some other Wolves singing, "Yaha-gonegalgal tsanåndēc wīlwīl tsanåndēc compcomp." 1 When they heard him the people asked him what he was saying in his song, and he answered that he was singing about wearing his own bones. They thought it was all right, and he started on again. When he got a short distance away, however, he started the same song, and this time they understood it. Then they began to pursue him and the Fawn fled from them until he came to the hole of a Skunk. When the Wolves came up they asked the Skunk if a Fawn had not come there. The Skunk told them that he was sitting down inside, and the Wolves said, "Turn him out of the house." Then the Skunk told them to gather close around the mouth of his den so that the Fawn could not get past, because he was very quick. Then the Skunk went in and began making a noise as if he were dragging the deer out, but in reality he was only scratching on the ground with his paws. He came out backward where the Wolves stood waiting and threw effluvia all over them. Then the Wolves all fainted and the Fawn and Skunk ran away.
By and by the Wolves came to and found the trail of the Fawn a second time. They gained upon him and finally got so near that the Fawn ran to the place where a Buzzard lived and went into his nose. Part of one of his legs was left hanging out, however. When the Wolves ran up and asked if a Fawn had come there the Buzzard answered, "I haven't seen anyone." Then one of the Wolves said, "What is that in your nose? It looks like the leg of a deer." Then the Buzzard blew his nose, blowing the Fawn out, and the Fawn ran on again. By and by he was so closely pursued that he climbed into a tall tree. The Wolves tried to shoot him down from it but failed. In shooting they used the bristles about their mouths. After some time the Wolves thought of a Terrapin living near by and said to one another, "If we can get that Terrapin he can kill him." So one of the Wolves went to the Terrapin's house and told him what was wanted of him, and the Terrapin said, "I am making arrows." When he got back to the other Wolves with this message, however, they told
him to go again, saying, "We think he has finished making his arrows." So the Wolf went and the Terrapin said, "I am straightening my arrows." The Wolf was sent a third time, and the Terrapin said, "I am just now feathering my arrows." When they heard of this the Wolves told their messenger to return again saying, "We think he is through feathering his arrows." "I am just beginning to sharpen my arrows," said the Terrapin. Again the Wolf returned and again he was sent back. "We think he has finished sharpening his arrows," said the Wolves. This time the Terrapin was ready, but he said, "I am so puny that I can not go unless they carry me on their backs." So three Wolves were sent to bring the Terrapin, one to carry his bow, one to carry his arrows, and the third to carry the Terrapin. Then they brought him to the place where the rest of the wolves were assembled and set him down under the tree on which the Fawn had taken refuge. Then the Terrapin began shooting at the deer, but for a long time his arrows would just glance by and stick up in the ground a long distance away while the Wolves ran as fast as they could and brought them back. After a long time, however, the Terrapin shot the deer and brought him down and the Wolves skinned him. Then they cut the deer up until there was a piece for each. They asked the Terrapin what part he would have, but he was quiet for a long time and said nothing. They said, "Will you take a hindquarter?" "My hindquarter always hurts and I don't think it would agree with me," said the Terrapin. "Will you take a forequarter?" they asked. "I have pains in my shoulder. I don't think a forequarter would agree with me." "Will you take a rib?" "No, for I have pains in my ribs and I don't think it would agree with me." "Will you take the backbone?" "I am bothered with backache, and I don't think it would agree with me." "Will you take the head?" "I am troubled with headache, and I don't think it would agree with me." "Will you take the jaw?" "I am bothered with jaw-ache, and I don't think it would agree with me." "Will you take the legs or feet?" "No, I am bothered with pains in the knees and I don't think they would agree with me." "Well, will you take the liver?" "No, I am bothered with pains in that part. I don't think it would agree with me." "Will you take the guts?" "No, I can't, I am bothered with my stomach." "Will you take the tail?" "No, I am troubled with my tail." At that the head Wolf said, "I guess he doesn't want anything." So each took a piece of meat and they carried it all off, leaving the Terrapin alone.
After they had gone the Terrapin crawled over to where the deer had been cut up. He found that they had even licked up all of the blood there, but he discovered one leaf on which was a lump of clotted blood. On this he began to drop other leaves until he had a large
bundle, which he picked up and carried away. When he got near home his wife saw him coming and said to herself, "He is bringing meat." So she put her pot on the fire with water in it ready for cooking. Then he brought his bundle up and laid it down close by. His wife began taking off the leaves one at a time, and as she did so he kept telling her that the meat was farther on. When she took off the last there was just a drop of blood. Then the Terrapin's wife said, "What do you mean by bringing this little lump of blood?" She took it and threw it into her husband's eyes, and that is what caused the Terrapin's eyes to be red.
250:1 These words are probably intended for Creek, yaha being the word for "wolf."