How the Turtle out Hunting Duped the Coyote

Name: How the Turtle out Hunting Duped the Coyote
Author: Frank Hamilton Cushing

In ancient times, an old Turtle successfully hunts a deer but lacks a means to skin it. He seeks a flint-knife, singing a magic song that attracts a Coyote. The Coyote, curious and hungry, approaches the Turtle, demanding to know what he is doing. The Turtle, evasive, eventually reveals the location of the deer. The Coyote insists on helping to skin it, hoping for a share of the meat. After skinning the deer, the Coyote expects half of the meat, but the Turtle refuses, offering only the stomach and liver. The Coyote threatens the Turtle, but his attempts to attack fail due to the Turtle's hard shell. Frustrated, the Coyote fills the Turtle's shell with sand, believing he has defeated him, and goes to prepare a feast with the deer meat. The Turtle, feigning death, waits until the Coyote leaves. He then climbs the tree where the meat is hung, securing it from the Coyote's family. The Coyote returns with his family, excited for the feast. The Turtle tricks them by pretending to offer meat while actually dropping heavy ribs on them, injuring most of the Coyotes. One young Coyote survives and is lured by the Turtle to climb the tree for more meat. The Turtle deceives him into reaching for a drop of pitch, causing the young Coyote to fall to his death. The Turtle reflects on his cleverness, having used ingenuity to both hunt and retain the deer. The story concludes with a note on the descendants of the surviving Coyote, marked by distinctive facial features.

By Frank Hamilton Cushing · First published 1881 · Genre: Fable, Folklore, Adventure · 3,764 words

First lines

In the times of the ancients, long, long ago, near the Highflowing River on the Zuni Mountains, there lived an old Turtle. He went out hunting, one day, and by means of his ingenuity killed a large, fine deer. When he had thrown the deer to the ground, he had no means of skinning it. He sat down and reflected, scratching the lid of his eye with the nail of his hind foot. He concluded he would have to go hunting for a flint-knife; therefore he set forth. He came after a while to a place where old buildings had stood. Then he began to hum an old magic song, such as, it is said, the ancients sung when they hunted for the flint of which to make knives. He sang in this way:

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How the Turtle out Hunting Duped the Coyote is listed on Textopian as a short story by Frank Hamilton Cushing, dated 1881 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Frank Hamilton Cushing
Date: 1881 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fable, Folklore, Adventure, Humor, Animal Fiction
Length: 3,764 words
Structure: 1 section, 75 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Fable — The story features anthropomorphized animals and conveys a moral lesson, typical of fables.
Folklore — The narrative reflects traditional storytelling elements and cultural themes common in folklore.
Adventure — The plot involves a hunting expedition and the ensuing conflict between the Turtle and the Coyote.
Humor — The interactions between the Turtle and the Coyote contain comedic elements and absurd situations.