For those newly arrived in the world, humanity experienced moments of profound joy. These were the days when spring painted the willow branches with delicate catkins, when children blossomed under the summer sun alongside ripening blueberries, and when goldenrod shimmered in the hazy autumn light. These were times of plenty, of warmth, and of vibrant life.
However, the idyllic days were inevitably followed by a stark contrast. The gentle mists of autumn evenings gradually deepened into a chilling embrace, and the sun’s life-giving rays grew increasingly feeble. As winter’s approach became undeniable, a sense of dread settled upon the hearts of humankind. Fear gripped them, not just for themselves, but for the vulnerable among them – the children, whose laughter filled the warmer months, and the elders, the keepers of the tribe’s sacred narratives, whose wisdom illuminated their path. The bitter, icy grip of winter threatened to claim the lives of many, both young and old, leaving a void in the community and silencing the voices of experience.
Coyote, a creature of the wild, shared the world with the People but initially remained indifferent to their plight. He, like the other animals, had no inherent need for fire. He rarely gave it a second thought until one spring day when his travels took him near a human village. There, he encountered a scene of profound sorrow. The women of the village were gathered, their voices weaving a mournful tapestry of grief. They sang a lament for the babies and the elderly who had succumbed to the harsh winter. Their voices, raw with pain, echoed like the west wind whistling through the hollow sockets of a buffalo skull, sending shivers down Coyote’s spine and raising the hairs on his neck.
One of the men spoke, his voice heavy with longing. "Feel the sun’s warmth upon our backs," he said, gesturing to the life-giving orb in the sky. "Feel how it warms the earth, making these stones hot to the touch. If only we could have captured even a small piece of the sun’s essence, to keep within our teepees during the long, dark winter."
How Coyote Stole Fire. Overhearing these words, a wave of empathy washed over Coyote. He recognized the depth of their suffering and felt a stirring of compassion within him. He realized that he possessed the means to alleviate their misery. He knew of a remote mountaintop, shrouded in mystery and guarded by three formidable Fire Beings. These beings possessed the secret of fire, jealously guarding it, fearing that if humanity gained access to its power, they would become as strong, or even stronger, than themselves. Coyote saw an opportunity to perform a noble deed for humanity, at the expense of these selfish entities.
Thus, Coyote embarked on a journey to the mountain of the Fire Beings. He stealthily crept towards its summit, his senses alert, carefully observing the methods by which the Beings protected their precious fire. As he drew closer, the Beings, ever vigilant, abruptly stood up, their eyes scanning the surrounding terrain with piercing intensity. Their eyes, like polished bloodstones, glinted in the firelight, and their hands were contorted into clawed shapes, resembling the talons of a great black vulture.
"What was that? What did I hear?" one of the Beings hissed, his voice sharp and suspicious.
"A thief! Someone is skulking in the bushes!" another screeched, her voice filled with alarm.
The third Being, more perceptive than the others, squinted and peered through the foliage. She spotted Coyote, who had intentionally approached the mountain on all fours, adopting the guise of an ordinary animal. The Being, deceived by Coyote’s clever disguise, dismissed him as nothing more than a common coyote, slinking among the trees.
"It is no one! It is nothing!" she cried, reassuring her companions. The other two Beings followed her gaze and saw only a grey coyote, seemingly harmless. They relaxed their vigilance, settling back down by their fire, paying Coyote no further attention.
How Coyote Stole Fire. Coyote patiently observed the Fire Beings throughout the day and night. He meticulously noted their routines, learning how they maintained their fire. He watched as they carefully fed it with pine cones and dry branches gathered from the sycamore trees. He saw how they reacted swiftly and decisively to any stray sparks or embers, stamping furiously on any runaway flames that threatened to spread to the dry grass surrounding their camp. He also observed their guard rotation; at night, they took turns watching over the fire. Two would sleep soundly in their teepee while the third remained on guard. At regular intervals, the Being on duty would retire to the teepee, and another would emerge to take their place by the fire.
Coyote discovered a critical weakness in their seemingly impenetrable defenses. There was a brief window of opportunity in the earliest morning, when the first winds of dawn swept across the mountain. During this time, the Being on guard, shivering from the cold, would hastily retreat into the teepee, calling out, "Sister, sister, go out and watch the fire!" However, the next Being, still groggy with sleep and lost in the fleeting dreams of dawn, was always slow to respond, delaying her departure from the warmth of the teepee.
Having carefully analyzed the Fire Beings’ behavior, Coyote descended the mountain and sought out his friends among the People. He told them of the plight of hairless man, shivering in fear of the cold and the looming threat of winter’s death. He spoke of the Fire Beings and the invaluable warmth and light of the flame they possessed. He convinced them that humanity deserved to have fire, and they all pledged their support to Coyote’s daring undertaking.
How Coyote Stole Fire. With renewed determination, Coyote once again ascended the mountain to the realm of the Fire Beings. As before, his arrival triggered alarm. The Beings leaped to their feet, and one of them cried out, "What’s that? A thief! A thief!"
However, as before, the others scrutinized him closely and saw only a grey coyote, seemingly hunting among the bushes. They dismissed him as a threat and resumed their positions, ignoring his presence.
Coyote waited patiently throughout the day, observing as night fell and two of the Beings retreated to the teepee to sleep. He continued to watch them as they rotated their guard duty throughout the night, until finally, the dawn winds began to stir.
The Being on guard called out, "Sister, sister, get up and watch the fire!"
And the Being whose turn it was slowly and sleepily climbed out of her bed, grumbling, "Yes, yes, I am coming. Do not shout so!"
But before she could emerge from the teepee, Coyote seized his moment. With a burst of speed, he lunged from the bushes, snatched a glowing ember of fire, and sprinted away down the mountainside.
The Fire Beings, their slumber shattered, shrieked in fury and gave chase. Despite Coyote’s speed and agility, the Beings were rapidly closing the distance. One of them reached out a grasping hand, her fingers brushing against the tip of Coyote’s tail. The brief contact was enough to permanently alter the color of the hairs, turning them white. To this day, coyote tails still bear this mark as a reminder of that fateful encounter.
Coyote cried out in pain and alarm, flinging the fire away from him. Fortunately, the People, anticipating the need for assistance, had gathered at the foot of the mountain. Squirrel saw the falling ember and, with incredible bravery, caught it, placing it on her back and fleeing through the treetops. However, the fire scorched her back so severely that her tail curled upwards and backwards, a characteristic that squirrels retain to this day.
How Coyote Stole Fire. The Fire Beings redirected their pursuit towards Squirrel, who, in turn, threw the fire to Chipmunk. Paralyzed with fear, Chipmunk froze in place until the Beings were almost upon her. Then, as she turned to flee, one of the Beings clawed at her back, leaving three distinctive stripes that remain visible on chipmunks’ backs to this very day. Chipmunk then tossed the fire to Frog, and the Beings immediately turned their attention towards him. One of the Beings managed to grasp his tail, but Frog, with a mighty leap, tore himself free, leaving his tail behind in the Being’s hand. This is the reason why frogs have no tails.
As the Beings continued their relentless pursuit, Frog flung the fire onto Wood. And Wood swallowed it whole, concealing the precious flame within its very core.
The Fire Beings gathered around Wood, their frustration mounting. They were baffled, unable to devise a method to extract the fire from its hiding place. They tried everything – they offered it gifts, sang to it, and shouted at it. They twisted it, struck it, and even tore at it with their knives. But Wood remained steadfast, refusing to relinquish the fire. Finally, defeated and exhausted, the Beings retreated to their mountaintop, leaving the People in peace.
But Coyote, ever resourceful, knew how to liberate the fire from Wood’s embrace. He returned to the village of men and demonstrated his technique. He showed them the art of rubbing two dry sticks together, generating friction and heat. He revealed the secret of spinning a sharpened stick in a small hole carved into another piece of wood, until the friction ignited a spark. From that day forward, humanity possessed the power of fire, providing warmth, safety, and comfort through the long, unforgiving cold of winter.