Extra Reading Diary: British N. America (Judson)

I decided to go with British N. America (Judson) for my extra reading diary this week. This unit piqued my interests since I have never read about Native American tribes from Canada before this week. I instinctively think of tribes that would be in the United States instead of all of North America. These stories were very unique and interesting!

Grizzly Bear and Coyote: I do have to admit that I did not expect this to be the story that explains day and night from its title. I loved the balance that the Grizzly Bear and Coyote had in this story. They were the perfect counterpart to one another throughout the story. I especially liked how they had a stalemate after they tried to out dance/sing one another until they were exhausted; they were both equally passionate about their cause. One of my favorite elements from this was how they used tail feathers to determine the number of moons and the number of months; this was such a unique way of explaining the numbers behind it. I really enjoyed this story!

(Grizzly Bear and the Coyote)

Why the Sun is Bright: The explanation for this was nothing that I could have had in mind before reading this. Portraying the Sun's brightness as being attributed towards his robe was very interesting. I really liked how he had to trade his goat skin robe to the boy to obtain his bright robe. It makes me wonder if the robe was as vibrant on him when he wore it. 

Storytelling Week 10: The Conniving Coyote

I am tired of Iktomi thinking that he is the best trickster in the land. He thinks that he can underestimate me just because I am a coyote. That big oaf does not even know what funny is. He just walks around all day looking for potential targets to try his shenanigans on. There is too much nuance and subtlety in pulling off the proper prank, something Iktomi will never grasp.

Everywhere I go I hear the other animals talking about how Iktomi is the best trickster around. I have had it with all of this malarkey! I am going to settle this once and for all; I will orchestrate my own prank that will befuddle that nincompoop Iktomi to no end. I want him to know that I am the top dog in these parts. If I can orchestrate my prank perfectly, he will quit his hijinks completely; this will be a lesson for him.

This is going to take a lot of time and effort to cook up something great. Wait, that's it! I am going to get him when he is looking for his next meal. He is going to go to bed hungry and duped. This is going to sound dangerous, but I think I am going to use myself as bait for his supper. He meanders around every evening looking for an easy meal since he thinks hunting takes too much effort. I bet my bottom dollar that he will take me home to eat if I just play dead. Once he carries me all the way back to his shanty, I will make my move. I am going to wait for him to stoke the fire and get his cauldron ready for his big meal before I spring into action. He will be entirely too exhausted from all of that work to stand a chance in catching me. I might even kick some embers in his face before I dash off into the night. I can not wait to see that dumbfounded look on his face!

This is going to be my finest performance ever! I know exactly where he will be today too since he is so predictable. I am already waiting for him by the sage patch that he likes to visit. I might even catch-up on some of my beauty sleep while I wait for Iktomi to stumble upon me. I should probably nap out here in the open since he is not the brightest chap in these lands. I think I hear him coming now!

(coyote)

Author's Note: I decided to do this story from the first person perspective of the coyote. I wanted to show the thought process and resentment that he had for Iktomi in his own words. I also wanted to illustrate that he is only a trickster when he needs to be; he doesn't just do it for the sake of doing it.

This was based off the Sioux story Iktomi and the Coyote. In the original, it focuses on Iktomi finding the coyote playing dead and taking him back to eat him. The coyote comes to life once Iktomi throws him onto the fire. He kicks the embers into Iktomi's face and lets him know that you should never make a fire until you know your meal is dead. I modeled my story as being the precursor to the original story.

Bibliography: 

"Iktomi and the Coyote" by Zitkala-Sa, from Old Indian Legends (1901). Web Source: Un-Textbook

Reading Diary B: Sioux Legends

I finished the rest of Sioux Legends, and it did not disappoint. It was full of very peculiar, but entertaining stories. The peculiarity of the stories actually made me focus more since they have such unique plots. It really makes me wonder how long these stories were only passed along by word of mouth since it took so long to transcribe them.

Iktomi and the Ducks: I still am having trouble envisioning the Iktomi character, especially since he is the spider fairy. I wanted to immediately envision him as being some gigantic spider that ran around causing a muck. I was very surprised to read that Iktomi is actually a man outfitted in deer skin. My favorite thing from this story was how they described him as being dishonest since he used snares to catch his prey. I have never thought about using a snare to be a dishonorable activity. It makes me curious as to how highly they valued the top hunters in their culture.

Iktomi and the Coyote: The coyote was actually more interesting than Iktomi, which I did not think was possible after reading all of the stories before this one. I kept thinking that he was going to dart off of Iktomi's back at any moment. Riding on someone's back for the sake of not walking sounds like a very dangerous game. I am curious if the coyote was actually asleep before or if he put on a guise just for Iktomi. I also could not comprehend why he waited until he was thrown into the fire to make a run for it; he could have left while Iktomi was gathering supplies. I think I am going to write about this bold coyote this week.

(coyote)

Reading Diary A: Sioux Legends

I decided to go with Sioux Legends this week since the description for it said there would be a trickster. Trickster stories have proven to be some of my favorite tales that I have read in this class. Each culture has such a unique way of making their own trickster that you love to hate.

The Rabbit and the Bear with the Flint Body: This is one of the most peculiar stories that I have read in this class. The bear having a body that was half flint wasn't even close to being the most intriguing part of this story. The rabbit had so much more power than I had expected. He was able to summon enough strength to split the flint bear in half and kill all of the remaining bears that chased him. The rabbit was so much more violent than I could have ever expected. I always perceive rabbits as being gentle animals; the Sioux people seemed to have had a slightly different outlook on them.

               (The Flint Bear and Rabbit illustration from the original book)

The Boy and the Turtles: This was another story that had an unexpected ending, in my opinion. The boy character was very interesting, especially since he ended up receiving such a high honor in the end. I am curious as to why he received the Holy Man title since the two warriors also saw the turtles as men. I am left wondering if it took the boy spotting them for them to actually turn into men. I have a lot of questions after reading this story.