The Wye The Coyote Howls

The Wye The Coyote Howls

Blackhall, Sheena

(Owersett in Scots frae a sky-lore tale o the Hopi Native Americans)

Eence langsyne, fin there wis anely enough sun fur hauf the time, the sun hid tae wauk across the lift in hauf a day. An in yon days langsyne, fin the sun lay doon ilkie nicht an deed ayont the muckle Bens an watters, the lift abeen stude affa derk an teem.

'We canna fin oor wye alang the pathies,' quo the fowk. 'It makks us feart'.
Sae the Makker o Aa gaithered aabody thegither fur a cooncil meetin...a cooncil o aa the breets, tae help him licht the lift. An the Makker o Aa said tae the breets, 'Gyang tae the burn an gaither aa the teenie glimmerin steens.'
He even tuik ae wee steen up Hissel, an set it in the lift. Quo He, 'This steen is caad a starnie. An it will be the hame starnie, like a campfire. It'll niver meeve awa. Luik fur this starnie gin yer tint, an it'll show ye the richt wye hame. Aa the ither starnies will furl aroon it.'

Syne, the Makker o Aa spakk tae the breets, 'Ilkie een o ye takk some glimmerin steens, as monie as ye can cairry, an draa a pictur o yersels in the lift.'

An ilkie craitur set tae wark. Bit maist breets war ower wee tae cairry enough steens tae makk their pictur, sae the Makker o Aa gied Coyote a muckle pyoke o steens, fur Coyote tae help the ither, wee-er beasties. Bit Coyote grew scunnert wytin fur the ithers tae gaither their steens. He tuik the steens frae the pyoke an haived them ower the lift.

An yon is foo some starnie picturs arena feenished, an nae aa starnie picturs luik sae clear. It wis jist then Coyote mindit that he hidna made a pictur o hissel. There werena ony steens left ower tae makk een. An sae he howled, an howled an howled an howled, an fegs, he's howlin yet, Coyote, howlin up at the meen. Fur fin he luiks up at the lift o starnies, his pictur is the anely een nae there.