Zuni Folktales · Chapter
The Prairie-Dogs and Their Priest, the Burrowing-Owl explained
The Prairie-Dogs suffer from relentless rain that floods their food supply.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and the Supernatural
The Burrowing-Owl uses supernatural means (the bag of wind from the Tip-beetle) to control the rain, blending natural elements with magical intervention.
Folklore vs. Science
The story presents a folkloric explanation for weather control and the friendship between species, contrasting with scientific understanding.
Characters to notice
- Grandfather Burrowing-Owl
The priest who uses a Tip-beetle's pungent breath to drive away the rain clouds.
- The Beetle
The Tip-beetle tricked into eating beans and then trapped in a bag to capture its powerful odor.
- Mice
The Prairie-Dogs, who suffer from the rain and seek the Owl's help.
Key passages
“The old Owl, taking up a stick, hit the bag one whack. The clouds, before so thick, glaring with lightning, trembling and swirling with thunder, now began to thin out in the zenith and depart, and the sunlight sifted through.”
The Owl struck the bag with a stick, and the storm clouds immediately began to dissipate, allowing sunlight to break through.
This moment shows the Owl's successful use of the beetle's breath to stop the rain.
“Out from their holes trooped the Prairie-dogs, and sitting up on their haunches all round about the mountain, they shouted at the tops of their shrill voices, 'Wek wek—wek wek—wek wek!' in praise of their great priest, the Grandfather Burrowing-owl.”
The Prairie-dogs emerged from their burrows and cheered loudly, celebrating the Owl's victory over the rain.
The Prairie-dogs' reaction emphasizes their gratitude and the Owl's role as their priest.