 How the Bluebird
and Coyote
Got Their Color
Paraphrased from Myths and Legends of California
and the Old Southwest,
Compiled and Edited by Katharine Berry Judson, 1912.
Probably Pima or Cherokee in origin.
 A
long time ago, the bluebird was a drab, ugly color. One night the
Dream spirit spoke to him and told him how he could change his
color. "Far away in the mountains," said Dream Spirit, "there
is a magic lake that has no inlet or outlet, so the water there
is always the same deep blue color. "Bathe in the blue lake
each morning for five mornings," Dream Spirit told him, "and
while you bathe, sing this magic song:
"The water is blue.
I went in.
I am now blue."
Bluebird did as the Dream Spirit said. On the fourth morning,
all of Bluebirds' feathers fell off, and he came out of the lake
as naked as the day he had hatched. But the fifth morning when
he emerged from the lake, he was covered with blue feathers.
Now all this while Coyote, who was bright green, had been hiding
in the grass, watching Bluebird. He wanted to jump in the lake
and eat Bluebird, but was afraid of the water. But on the fifth
morning Coyote said, "How is it you have lost all your ugly
color, and now you are blue and gay? You are more beautiful than
anything that flies in the air. I want to be blue, too!"
"I went in the lake five times on five mornings," said
Bluebird. He taught Coyote the magic song, and Coyote went in five
times, and sang
"The water is blue.
I went in.
I am now blue."
And on the fifth morning Coyote emerged as blue as the little
bird.
Then Coyote was very, very proud. He was so proud that as he strutted
along the road, he looked from side to side to see if anybody was
looking at him now that he was a beautiful blue coyote. Then he
looked back to see if his shadow was blue too, and ran headfirst
into a stump so hard that he fell down in the dirt and was covered
all over with dust. And that is why even today coyotes are the
color of dirt. |
