Zuni Folktales · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Zuni Folktales by Frank Hamilton Cushing.
Chapter 1
Zuni Folktales
A collection of Zuni folktales featuring various characters and moral lessons, including stories of courtship, trickery, and supernatural events.
Chapter 2
The Trial of Lovers
A young man from Hálonawan seeks the hand of the Maiden of Mátsaki, who tests her suitors by releasing insects into her chamber. The poor youth succeeds where others fail, wins the maiden, but later tragically kills her by mistake.
Chapter 3
Told the First Night
The beautiful maiden of Mátsaki, after testing her suitor with insects, finally believes in his love and prepares to meet him. However, her jealous witch sister impersonates her, leading to a fatal confrontation where the young man accidentally kills his beloved. The maiden is buried before the House of the Sun, and the young man mourns her loss.
Chapter 4
Told the Second Night
The young man pursues his wife's spirit westward, guided by a red plume, enduring great hardship. He reaches the Lake of the Dead where she enters the spirit world. An Owl offers counsel and uses medicine of sleep to reunite them, but warns him not to touch her until they reach home. The young man fails, kisses her, and she vanishes again, leading to his eternal wandering.
Chapter 5
The Youth and His Eagle
The youth, unable to bear separation from his Eagle, insists on following her into the sky despite warnings. They journey together, but his faithlessness and fascination with Death lead to tragedy: his Eagle wife strips him of his worn Eagle dress, causing him to fall to his death. The story also recounts his earlier rescue by the Badgers from the ghosts of the dead, and his failed attempts to regain his wife's love.
Chapter 6
The Poor Turkey Girl
A poor, neglected girl who herds turkeys for a living longs to attend the Dance of the Sacred Bird. Her turkeys, understanding her desire, transform her ragged clothes into beautiful garments and adorn her with ornaments, enabling her to join the dance. However, she becomes so absorbed in the festivities that she forgets her promise to return early, and when she finally returns, the turkeys have left her forever, singing a mournful song as they depart.
Chapter 7
How the Summer Birds Came
A beautiful maiden in Kʻiákime is secretly married to a Rain God and bears a miraculous son who grows rapidly and becomes a great hunter. The boy, seeking better weapons, defies his mother's warnings and ventures out to slay a series of monsters: a great Bear, a fourfold Bison, the Misho Lizards, and a Giant with a hair-knot, bringing back their hearts as trophies.
Chapter 8
The Serpent of the Sea
A maiden defiles a sacred spring, leading to the appearance of a sea serpent as a child, which brings consequences to the community.
Chapter 9
The Tale of Häki Suto
The story of Häki Suto, a giant who devoured men and drank the clouds, causing drought and famine. The Twin War Gods, with the help of Grandmother Spider, defeat him by sewing his eyes shut and striking him down. His body turns to stone, and his offspring become the Owl and the Falcon.
Chapter 10
The Maiden of the Yellow Rocks
A beautiful but selfish maiden, daughter of the high priest, uses her magical knowledge to corral all game animals, causing hardship for her village's hunters. Suitors come to court her, but she sets impossible tasks. The twin gods Áhaiyúta and Mátsailéma arrive disguised as poor youths, free the animals, and complete her challenge of dressing countless buckskins with the help of Field-mice. She marries both, bears twin sons, but on a journey home the Sun snatches her away; the younger brother shoots her to keep the children, and they return to their grandmother.
Chapter 11
The Foster-Child of the Deer
A beautiful maiden, devoted to sacred things, is visited by the Sun and becomes pregnant. She gives birth to a son and abandons him on a refuse-heap. A Deer finds the infant, raises him as her own, and he grows supernaturally fast. Hunters from Háwikuh eventually discover the herd, and the youth is recognized as the maiden's son. He is taken to the Lake of the Dead, where the gods instruct him, and he returns to his people as a wise and successful hunter.
Chapter 12
The Boy Hunter Who Never Sacrificed to the Deer He Had Slain
A young hunter, cast into the river by his uncles, is rescued by a serpent maiden who guides him through a perilous journey in a hollow log to the Sun-father's mountain. There, he presents sacred plumes, receives blessings, and returns with the maiden to his home, where they marry and have twin children who grow with supernatural speed.
Chapter 13
How Áhaiyúta and Mátsailéma Stole the Thunder-Stone and the Lightning-Shaft
The War-gods Áhaiyúta and Mátsailéma enlist the Centipede to steal the thunder-stone and lightning-shaft from the Rain-gods' altar. They play recklessly with these sacred objects, causing a storm that floods their grandmother's house and drowns her. After burying her, a pepper plant grows from her heart, which they scatter as a new food for humanity. The Centipede is punished by being shriveled into his modern form.
Chapter 14
The Warrior Suitor of Moki
A poor, outcast youth from Moki, inspired by the challenge of a beautiful maiden who will only marry a hero, resolves to win her by raiding the Zuni for scalps. He befriends the town's dogs, leads them on a successful attack, and returns victorious. The jilted lovers, consumed by jealousy, plot to kill him during a rabbit hunt, but the youth, aided by the Cave-swallows and the dogs, outwits them.
Chapter 15
How the Corn-Pests Were Ensnared
A rich maiden, troubled by pests destroying her cornfields and by persistent suitors, offers to marry any man who can rid her fields of the pests. An ugly but clever poor young man accepts the challenge, digs a pit trap, and lures various animals into it by trickery. He burns them alive, though the Coyote escapes. The maiden marries him, valuing his ingenuity over appearance or wealth.
Chapter 16
The Coyote Who Killed the Demon Síuiuki
The Coyote overhears the Gods of Prey offering their sister in marriage to anyone who kills the Demon Síuiuki. He tricks the Demon into breaking his own leg with a stone, kills him, and presents his heart and war-badge to the youngest sister, claiming her as his wife. The Mountain Lion resents the Coyote's presence and insults him, but the Coyote joins the hunt and fails, eventually being sent home with a haunch of venison.
Chapter 17
How the Coyotes Tried to Steal the Children of the Sacred Dance
The old Coyote of Cedar Canyon discovers the children of the god K'yamakwe playing on Thunder Mountain and plots to steal them. After consulting his wife, he rallies four tribes of Coyotes to help. They attempt to form a chain up the cliff, but a sneeze causes them all to fall and be flattened. The warrior of the Kâkâ, the Long Horn, arrives, skins the surviving Coyotes, and from then on dancers wear coyote-skin collars.
Chapter 18
The Coyote and the Beetle
In ancient times, a Coyote encounters a Tip-beetle on a path near Fat Mountain. The Coyote threatens to bite the Beetle, but the Beetle tricks him by pretending to hear a warning from underground that those who defile the trails will be chased and chastised. The Coyote, having defiled the trail, flees in fear, and the Beetle celebrates by turning somersaults and sticking his head in the sand, explaining the origin of the Tip-beetle's peculiar habits.
Chapter 19
How the Coyote Danced with the Blackbirds
A Coyote, enchanted by the Blackbirds' dance on Gorge Mountain, convinces them to let him join. The Blackbirds attach feathers to his forelegs and tail so he can fly, but after a successful flight, they grow annoyed with his antics and trick him by plucking the feathers mid-air, causing him to fall. He survives but is left with shriveled black fringes on his forelegs and tail, explaining the markings on coyotes today.
Chapter 20
How the Turtle Out Hunting Duped the Coyote
The old Turtle kills a deer but lacks a knife to skin it. He sings a magic song to find a flint, attracting a Coyote who helps skin the deer in exchange for the stomach and liver. The Coyote demands half, but the Turtle refuses, leading to a conflict. The Turtle outwits the Coyote and his family by hiding the meat in a tree, tricking them with a hot pudding filled with fire-ants, and ultimately causing the Coyotes' demise through clever deception.
Chapter 21
The Coyote and the Locust
An old Coyote, enchanted by a Locust's song, repeatedly learns and forgets the tune due to interruptions. After several failed attempts, the Locust tricks the Coyote by leaving a stone-filled skin in his place. When the Coyote angrily bites the decoy, he shatters his teeth, explaining why coyotes have broken teeth and why locusts sometimes shed their skins.
Chapter 22
The Coyote and the Ravens Who Raced Their Eyes
The Coyote encounters two Ravens who can pop their eyes out of their sockets and send them flying around distant rocks before calling them back. Envious, the Coyote begs to try, but the Ravens trick him by plucking out his eyes and eating them. Blind, the Coyote stumbles into a valley and finds two yellow cranberries, which he mistakes for his eyes and puts into his empty sockets. From that day forward, coyotes have yellow eyes and are not quick to see.
Chapter 23
The Prairie-Dogs and Their Priest, the Burrowing-Owl
The Prairie-Dogs suffer from relentless rain that floods their food supply. They hold a council and send a messenger to the Burrowing-Owl, their priest, who agrees to help. The Owl captures a Tip-beetle, feeds it beans until it is bloated, then traps it in a bag to capture its pungent breath. He uses the bag to disperse the clouds, stopping the rain. The Prairie-Dogs celebrate, and the story explains the friendship between prairie-dogs and burrowing-owls.
Chapter 24
How the Gopher Raced with the Runners of Kʻiákime
The runners of Kʻiákime are unbeaten in the kicked-stick race, having defeated all challengers from neighboring towns. The people of Shíwina and Mátsaki, desperate and stripped of their possessions, seek the help of an old Gopher known for his cunning. The Gopher agrees to run the race on the condition that he can travel underground and be paid in red paint and sacred yellow pollen. He secretly enlists his many identical brothers to pop up at intervals along the course, each wearing a red plume, fooling the runners into thinking the Gopher is always ahead. At the finish, the real Gopher emerges bedraggled but victorious, winning back all the lost wagers and humbling the proud runners of Kʻiákime.
Chapter 25
How the Rattlesnakes Came to Be What They Are
A long time ago, the Rattlesnakes were a people living at Yathlpewʻnan. One day, children took their little sister to play on sandbanks, but an accident caused her death. Their mourning song and the parents' grief caused all the Rattlesnake people to transform into the crawling, wriggling rattlesnakes known today. The story concludes with a moral about not killing animals needlessly.
Chapter 26
How the Corn-Pests Were Ensnared
A rich maiden, troubled by pests destroying her cornfields and by persistent suitors, offers to marry any man who can rid her fields of the pests. An ugly but clever poor young man accepts the challenge, digs a pit trap, and lures various animals into it by trickery. He burns them alive, though the Coyote escapes. The maiden marries him, valuing his ingenuity over appearance or wealth.
Chapter 27
Jackrabbit and Cottontail
The Jackrabbit and the Cottontail rabbit each sing for different weather—snow and rain respectively—and their songs determine the conditions under which each runs to this day.
Chapter 28
The Rabbit Huntress and Her Adventures
A poor maiden from K'yawana Tehua-tsana, determined to provide meat for her aging parents, defies tradition and goes rabbit hunting. After a successful hunt, she takes shelter in a cave where a Cannibal Demon devours her rabbits and garments. The War-gods rescue her, restore her belongings, and teach her that a woman may be a huntress through marriage. She returns home, accepts a suitor, and marries.
Chapter 29
The Ugly Wild Boy Who Drove the Bear Away from Southeastern Mesa
A frightfully ugly boy, despite his grandmother's warnings, confronts a bear that has been hoarding the resources of the Southeastern Mesa. Through a contest of fright and the use of a magic axe, he drives the bear away, freeing the mesa for the people of Kʻiákime to gather food. However, some villagers refuse to believe him because of his appearance.
Chapter 30
The Revenge of the Two Brothers on the Háwikuhkwe, or the Two Little Ones and Their Turkeys
Áhaiyúta and his younger brother live with their grandmother on Twin Mountain, tending a large flock of turkeys. After the turkeys stray into Háwikuh territory, the people of Háwikuh hunt and kill most of them. The surviving turkeys return to the boys, who vow revenge. With guidance from their grandmother, they seek help from their grandfathers, the Rainbow-worm and the old Turtle. The boys defeat the Háwikuhkwe, take scalps, and initiate a victory ceremony. The old Turtle serves as master of ceremonies, and the grandmother fulfills multiple roles. The story explains the origins of the Ceremony of Victory and why rainbow-worms are small and turtles in faraway waters are large.
Chapter 31
The Young Swift-Runner Who Was Stripped of His Clothing by the Aged Tarantula
A young man, Swift-runner, is tricked by Old Tarantula into giving up his beautiful clothing. The community attempts to recover the garments by digging and by enlisting Great Kingfisher and Great Eagle, but Old Tarantula's cunning foils their efforts.
Chapter 32
Átahsaia, the Cannibal Demon
Two sisters, daughters of a master-chief, go to wash clothes at a pool despite the younger's fears. The cannibal demon Átahsaia sees them and descends, pretending to be a kind grandfather. He lures them to his cave, but the twin brothers Áhaiyúta and Mátsailéma intervene. After a confrontation, they kill the demon and stuff his skin into an effigy, tricking their grandmother into attacking it. The brothers become morning and evening stars.
Chapter 33
The Hermit Mítsina
The chapter tells the story of Mítsina, a hermit of evil understanding who lives alone in the Canyon of the Pines. He lures young men into gambling games, winning all their possessions. The War-gods Áhaiyúta and Mátsailéma challenge him, lose everything, and are nearly roasted. Their elder brothers rescue them, defeat Mítsina in a game, gouge out his eyes, and take his treasures. Mítsina later regains a kind of vision using pitch and sets out toward the City of the Gods, reformed.
Chapter 34
How the Twins of War and Chance, Áhaiyúta and Mátsailéma, Fared with the Unborn-Made Men of the Underworld
The chapter recounts the adventures of the twin heroes Áhaiyúta and Mátsailéma as they journey to the underworld and confront the Unborn-Made Men, testing their strength and cunning.
Chapter 35
Translator's Introduction
The translator describes the awe-inspiring rock formations of the Southwest, particularly the towering stone needles of the canyons, and explains how the Zuni people have woven imaginative legends around these natural features, such as the tale of 'El Capitan' in Canyon de Chelly, to account for their origins and characteristics.
Chapter 36
Zuni Introduction
The introduction describes the Zuni belief in an Underworld where unfinished, ghost-like beings existed before the emergence of daylight people. These beings were soft, pliable, and lacked solid bodies, subsisting only on the steam and savor of food rather than solid sustenance.
Chapter 37
The Tale of Häki Suto
The story of Häki Suto, a giant who devoured men and drank the clouds, causing drought and famine. The Twin War Gods, with the help of Grandmother Spider, defeat him by sewing his eyes shut and striking him down. His body turns to stone, and his offspring become the Owl and the Falcon.
Chapter 38
The Cock and the Mouse
The chapter tells the story of a Cock and a Mouse who live together and share adventures, highlighting their friendship and the challenges they face.
Chapter 39
Italian Version
A cock and a mouse go to eat nuts. The mouse climbs the tree easily, but the cock cannot reach the nuts. The mouse throws a nut that hits the cock on the head, injuring him. The cock then seeks help from an old woman, a dog, a baker, a forest, and a fountain in a chain of exchanges, finally obtaining rags to cure his head.
Chapter 40
Zuni Version
An old woman of the Italia-kwe keeps a Tâkâkâ Cock in a corral. A mouse, stealing food, has its tail bitten off by the cock. The mouse feigns friendship, tricks the cock into escaping, then drops a nut on his head, knocking him out, and gnaws off his bristles. The story explains the origin of cocks' combs, missing breast bristles, and field mice's short tails.
Chapter 41
The Giant Cloud-Swallower
A tale set in Canyon de Chelly about a giant creature that swallows clouds, exploring themes of nature and the supernatural.
Chapter 42
Translator's Introduction
The translator describes the awe-inspiring rock formations of the Southwest, particularly the towering stone needles of the canyons, and explains how the Zuni people have woven imaginative legends around these natural features, such as the tale of 'El Capitan' in Canyon de Chelly, to account for their origins and characteristics.
Chapter 43
The Tale of Häki Suto
The story of Häki Suto, a giant who devoured men and drank the clouds, causing drought and famine. The Twin War Gods, with the help of Grandmother Spider, defeat him by sewing his eyes shut and striking him down. His body turns to stone, and his offspring become the Owl and the Falcon.
Chapter 44
The Maiden the Sun Made Love To, and Her Boys
The Sun fathers twin boys with a secluded priest-chief's daughter. After the maiden is killed during a dance meant to draw her out, the twins are raised by Badgers. The Sun later reveals their origin and sends them to reclaim their mother's bones from a ceremonial chamber where they are used in nightly dances.
Chapter 45
Endnotes
This chapter provides extensive endnotes and explanatory commentary on the Zuni folktales, covering linguistic, cultural, and mythological details such as the symbolism of terraces, the classification of states of being, the roles of gods like Áhaiyúta and Mátsailéma, and the ritualistic elements of the Kʻyámakwe Drama Dance.
