16

Eagle set to work on the operation. Because Otter was
so good, he made his eyes big so he could see the whole

world.

But, he made Beaver’s eyes small, because Beaver
was angry.

After Eagle finished his work, he flew off and never
came back.

When you are happy, your eyes will shine and you can
see forever. But when you are angry, your eyes are small and
you can only see what you want to.




The Weasel and the Eagle

Series IV


10.

1

Booklets available in the Level IV sequence are listed below. Numbers refer to the Planned Sequence of use
in the Teacher’s Manual. Materials developed by these tribes and others in the Northwest are included in
the Levels I, I] and III sequences.

nt

. Warm Springs Animal Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

. Snail Women at Sq*a'le

The Suquamish Tribe of the Port Madison
Reservation

. Blue Jay - Star Child/Basket Woman

Muckleshoot Tribe

. Assiniboine Woman Making Grease

Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation

. Coyote

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

How the Summer Season Came
Assiniboine Tribe of the Fort Belknap
Reservation

. Little Weasel’s Dream

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

. Fort Hall Stories

Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

The Bear Tepee
Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Sioux Stories and Legends
Sioux Tribe of the Fort Peck Reservation

. Kootenai Stories

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

Chief Mountain’s Medicine

Gros Ventre Tribe from the Fort Belknap
Reservation

Coyote the Trickster

Burns Paiute Reservation

Running Free

Shoalwater Bay

Salish Coyote Stories

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Coyote and the Cowboys
Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation

Napi’s Journey

Blackfeet Tribe

Warm Springs Stories

The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs
Reservation of Oregon

Tepee Making

Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead
Reservation

Baskets and Canoes
Skokomish Tribe

Warrior People
Blackfeet Tribe


14

One day, Eagle was on his way to the mountain, and
decided to visit Otter and Beaver. Eagle saw the ten pokers all
lined up, poked into the ground. When he was ready to leave,
Eagle decided to borrow one to take with him. He thought,
“This will help me on the mountain top!”

Eagle said goodbye and continued with one of Beaver’s
pokers.

Beaver sat down and began to count his pokers once
more, and found one was missing. Beaver jumped around and
flapped his tail on the ground. He was so angry! Every day
while Eagle was gone, Beaver counted his pokers. When he
counted only four, he would become angry all over again.


Weasel became restless again, so he began to skip
instead of walk. Skipping along, he started to whistle. It
seemed to make the walk shorter for awhile, but he soon got
tired of that.

Weasel twirled the alligator skin around and around,
watching it fly. Weasel thought, “Eagle might want to play
now,” so he let the alligator skin fly from his paw onto Eagle’s
back. This time when Eagle flew away, he went higher and
higher. “Oh Eagle!” cried Weasel, “I’m sorry, | thought you
might want to play now! Please! Please come back! I’m sorry!”

Eagle looked sharply at Weasel, then flew back down
beside him.

Weasel took the skin from Eagle’s back and walked on,
trying to be very quiet. It seemed they would never get to their
friends’ place. They walked on and on.


Long, long ago when animals could talk, Eagle and
Weasel were traveling east to visit their friends.

They traveled as far as The Dalles, Oregon, when all at
once, an alligator started to chase them. They ran here and
there, not knowing where to go next. They came upon a big
rock and ran under its ledge.

The alligator waited outside the opening of the rock for a
long time. But Eagle and Weasel crouched back into the rock
ledge as far as they could. The alligator had waited for them so
long, he became angry!




Eagle returned and saw how angry Beaver was, and
apologized for borrowing his poker. But Beaver would not
forgive Eagle, and was still pouting.

“To show you how sorry | am,” explained Eagle, “I will
operate on your eyes and you and Otter will both be able to
see.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” shouted Otter, for he wanted to
see the whole forest.

Beaver, who was still pouting, finally agreed to let Eagle
operate on him too.

15


Weasel took the alligator skin and walked on. After
walking a long way, Weasel became restless again. He
started throwing the alligator skin up into the air and catching
it, throwing it higher and higher each time. The skin went up
into the air again, landing on Eagle's back. Eagle didn’t say a
word. He just flew off into the sky with the alligator skin still on
his back.

Weasel thought to himself, “Oh no! He’s going to leave
me alone!” Weasel begged Eagle to come back, “Oh please
Eagle, | won't do it again.”

Eagle flew back down beside Weasel. Weasel took the
skin off Eagle’s back. The trip was long, and it seemed to
Weasel they would never get there.


WARM SPRINGS
ANIMAL STORIES

The Indian Reading Series



Weasel called and called, begging Eagle to come back.
Eagle circled two or three times listening to Weasel call and
then flew down beside him once more. Weasel took the al-
ligator skin and walked on, pulling it behind him. “Funny bird
anyway,” Weasel grumbled, “All | want to do is have a little
fun.” They walked on and on together. Weasel walked for a
long way trying to be as good as he could.

The afternoon was almost gone and Weasel was still
walking. Weasel started to sing, “Maybe singing will liven
things up,” he thought.

As Weasel sang, he started to dance. He danced faster
and faster, and the alligator skin was flopping here and there
as he danced and sang merrily. “It makes the walk
seem shorter,” he thought. Weasel sang at the top of his voice
and danced all around. The alligator skin was flopping up over
his head and to the side. Weasel was dancing and singing for
all he was worth.


They came upon a creek which they had to cross.
Weasel, just for a change, went swimming back and forth
while he crossed the creek.

Eagle, of course, flew across quickly. Weasel caught up
with him at the other side. Weasel, still carrying the alligator
skin, walked on beside Eagle. They walked and walked and
Weasel had not pestered Eagle for a long time.

“Eagle must want to play now!” Weasel thought. “ How
can he just walk along and not want to do something fun?”

The alligator skin was getting heavy again. He pulled
the skin behind him, rolled it up, and carried it under his other
arm for awhile.

“Maybe Eagle will play now,” he thought, and threw the
alligator skin on top of Eagle. Eagle flew up and up, until
Weasel thought he was going to fly away forever.


He bit down on the rock ledge with his big powerful jaws
so hard that his eyes closed.

Weasel cried to Eagle, “Look, he has his eyes closed
now. We can get him!”

Eagle whispered to Weasel, “You grab him, while | kill
him!”

After killing the alligator, Weasel and Eagle were free
and could continue on their journey east to visit their friends.

Weasel was carrying the alligator skin. He thought it
might make a nice gift for one of his friends. But Weasel
became tired of carrying the skin and threw it on Eagle’s back.
Eagle was tired too, and did not want to play.

Eagle told Weasel, “I'll fly away and let you walk alone if
you do that again!”

Weasel said he was sorry and promised not to do it
again.


ee! THE INDIAN READING SERIES:
“% Stories and Legends of the Northwest



This work has not as yet been published and is afforded all
protections under the U.S. Copyright Law (PL. 94-553) effective
January 1, 1978.

Copyright in the published edition will be held by and in the name of
The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon.

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transcribed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written
permission of the author agency identified below.

The project presented or reported herein was performed
pursuant to a grant from the National Institute of Education,
Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. However, the
opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the
position or policy of the National Institute of Education,

and no official endorsement by the National Institute of
Education should be inferred.

Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
710 S.W. Second Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97204


The Otter and the Beaver

Series IV

11


Long ago, Otter and Beaver lived together in a tepee.
Otter and Beaver were both blind and could not see anything
in or around their tepee.

The Otter and the Beaver each had five pokers or fire
sticks. With their five pokers, they would always poke around
here and there to find things. They were always counting their
pokers to make sure they had them all. The pokers left
mounds when they were poked into the ground.

13


THE INDIAN READING SERIES

ttt Stories and Legends of the Northwest

The Weasel and the Eagle
The Otter and the Beaver

Series IV

By members of the Warm Springs
Reservation Committee

Verbena Greene, Coordinator
Jackie Estimo

Lillie Heath

Viola Kalama

Stella McKinley

Clara Moody

Ada Sooksoit

Christine Tom

Felix Wallulatum
Wilson Wewa, Jr.

Debra Smith, Illustrator
Carol Allison, Illustrator

Cover Illustration by Carol Allison

Joseph Coburn, Director
Pacific Northwest Indian Program
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory



THE INDIAN READING SERIES: Stories and Legends of the
Northwest is a collection of authentic material cooperatively devel-
oped by Indian people from twelve reservations. Development ac-
tivities are guided by a Policy Board which represents the Indian
community of the Pacific Northwest. The Pacific Northwest Indian
Reading and Language Development Program Policy Board mem-
bers are:

+ Warren Clements — Warm Springs
Chairman

+ Clement Azure — Devils Lake Sioux

+ Walter Moffett — Nez Perce

+ Emmett Oliver — Quinault

+ Bob Parsley — Chippewa

* Lloyd Smith — Warm Springs

+ Max Snow

+ Jeanne Thomas — Yakima


All of a sudden, the alligator skin flew out of his paws
and landed on Eagle’s back once more. This time Eagle flew
straight up in the sky and out of sight.

Weasel turned around and when he saw what had
happened, he called to Eagle, but he was gone.

Eagle flew on and on. When he reached the east, he let
the alligator skin drop. The skin fell until it landed in what is
now called Florida. That is why there are lots of alligators in
Florida and none in The Dalles, Oregon, anymore.