There was a wolf, T‘hă‘hyoñ´nī‘, a friend of the birds. He always helped the birds and told them where to find food. Now Djoagă’, the raccoon disliked Tah´yoni and when he met him one day he made insulting remarks. Tah´yonĭ’ became angry and snapped at Djoaga. The raccoon rolled over on his back and with teeth and claws was on the defensive. Tah´yonĭ’ then did not want to fight. The raccoon did not wish to fight, moreover. So when the wolf turned his head Djoagă ran up a tree where he could insult Tah´yonĭ’ without danger. A wolf cannot climb a tree. It was night now. So the wolf sat beneath the tree and quarreled with the raccoon. He sang:
“Djoaga, Djoaga! Diotion so go ge se da o!
Djoaga, Djoaga! Diotion so go ge se da o!”
The raccoon replied:
“Tah´yonĭ, Tah´yonĭ! Diotion so go ge se da o!
Tah´yonĭ, Tah´yonĭ! Diotion so go ge se da o!”
So back and forth they sang alternately all night. Towards morning the raccoon discovered that his enemy below was strangely silent. He did not respond to his insults, neither did he sing his threats. So Djoaga sang again and listening heard no response. “He is asleep,” he thought. “I will climb down and see.” Djoaga descended cautiously and looked at the wolf. True he was asleep. “Now I have you to advantage,” said Djoaga softly. Then he squatted his haunches and covered Tah´yonĭ’s eyes with pitch and clay. When he had done this he ran off thinking that he had done a great trick. Then he laughed. “Tah´yonĭ’ went to sleep,” he chuckled. “It is better not to sleep if you wish to get the best of a fight.” After that he ran off into the woods to relate his joke.
Now then the wolf was very tired and did not awaken until noon. It was dark to him and he could not open his eyes. There seemed to be a dried plaster sealing them over. This frightened Tah´yonĭ’. Then he howled. He called the birds. So first came the tree tappers. Tah´yonĭ’ said, “Remove the plaster from my eyes and I will reward you with whatever you may ask.” So now then the birds began to eat the plaster from his eyelids and after a while he was able to see. Then he was very grateful to the birds, so he asked them what they desired most and they answered that they would like to be painted. So he painted the birds. Some he striped, some he spotted and some he mottled. He painted birds, blue, red, black, white, green, yellow, and all the colors. The birds were very glad then that they had helped the wolf for now they were handsome to look upon. Thus came there to be different colored birds so it is said by the ga-gä (legends). So it ends, the tale.
43. THE CHIPMUNK’S STRIPES.
There was a hungry bear. He could find nothing to eat. At length he caught a chipmunk and held it a prisoner. After a while he intended to eat it. Now the bear was about to eat the chipmunk when the little animal begged that it might be allowed to sing his death chant and dance his last dance. So the bear let him free for a time but watched him closely. Now the chipmunk sang this song: