East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-09-21

crafty wise in some respects but full
OF folly and childish in others, Upon
the whole he was a good god as view
cd by the Indians ana must have rep
resented Ia a great extent their ideal.
A most singular myth connected
with Coyote was that he had three
sisters who lived in his abdomen.
These sisters were in the form of ber-
ues that grew in the mountains.
They were very wise and We're their
brothers chief advisers. Whenever
he was unable 10 accomplish his de-
sI-us or was in doubt as to how to
proceed. he consulted them, They
were represented as always being un-
wilmg to give the desired iniorma-
tton. because Coyote invariably took
ull credit for himself for all their
SUGGESTIONS. telling them that their
.oeas were Just the ones he him@elt
had He always secured their ad-
N.ce in the end through threats Of
sending ram upon them.
Speclyai Wonderful Dog.
Coyote was nearly always equal to
any emergency ana Was generaily able
to accomplish his purpo~es without
ass stance. As an illustration OF his
mag.c the story OF the dog he created
ont OF mud is interesting.
In those very ancient usys, Coyote
was travelling through the country
now oaltd Oregon and one day en-
countered a man who had power
ful, one-horned dog, This dog was
cross and fierce and its owner had
some difficulty in restraining it from
attacking the god. This did not
please Coyote and he taxed his in
genuity to devise a plan for ridding
the earth of such a rerocious animal.
That evening he took a little lump
of soft clay and, by his magic, trans
formed it into a mighy-two horned
dog With his dog t:otting at his side
he approached the stranger and sug-
gested a dog fight 70 see which OF
the animals was the better. The
stranger demurred, liking not the ap>
pearance Of the tw0-horned dog.
Wen. then" said Coyote" let us
send our dogs out ana see which can
tear down yonder cliff,
To this the man assented and set
his dog to work. The one horned an
imal tore up a few rocks and then
quit Speelyai's dog went out and
reduced the cliff to a level in few
moments. Thereupon, Coyote offer
ed to trade dogs The stranger was
UNIV ling and Coyote again proposed
a fight but the other would not con-
sent.
Thereupon, Coyote challenged him
to a digging contest The strangers
deg dug a small hose in the ground
and then returned. The gods two
horned brute tore great rents in the
earth. A second offer for a trade
was accepted and Coyote, leading the
one-horned dog. went away
The stranger was much elated and
amused himself by sending his new
Is acquired animal 20 tear down
mountains Four times he sent him
out " tn satisfactory results but the
afth time saw the end of the dog.
The man sent him 20 tear down a
great stone wall. The animal lunged
al the wall and disappeared The
man investigated and found only a
lump of wet clay sticking on the
rocky precipice Thus d Coyote rid
the country Of a snarling enemy OF
the people. What became Of the 9TH
er dog is never told.
Another interesting legend tells
how Coyote destroyed the power OF
a great water god This god, X
Taary 4,.dlan gods Of the magic Wa
tee-:ash age, was remale she liv' L
behcath a whirlpool Of the Columbia
.''ver above the present site of I'll.
Dalles where the Indians were wont
to fish for salmon. She was describ-
ed as a fearful monster with long
reddish-brOwn hair.