Reading Notes: Apache, Part B

Jicarilla Apache Texts edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911) = New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII.

The Supernatural Person in the Lake
I am curious why the old woman cursed the boy when he said he had already delivered her gift. He clearly has some powers if he was able to work at corralling so many antelope, as well as the fact that he moves to live at the bottom of the lake. It was also interesting that he requested an all-black horse from the warriors after they won their battle. What makes this horse so special?

Solid Black Horse

Source: Wikipedia

Coyote Steals a Man's Wife
I'm surprised that the man didn't take his wife on the rock with him. Why did Coyote want to steal his wife? He must have known that the man would eventually come back, seeking his wife and punishing the one who took her away. Or was it maybe a mutual decision? It also seems cruel to kill Coyote by making him eat hot stones, burning him from the inside and being that much more painful.

Coyote Tries to Make His Children Spotted
Coyote seems like a very naive character from the many stories that involve him. How would burning your own children under a fire cause them to become spotted? The only thing Coyote achieved was killing his children, not causing them to be spotted. The only reason he did this is because he didn't believe that Deer's children were born with the spots on their backs, which is more plausible than the fire method.

Porcupine and Coyote
How does Porcupine come back to life? Coyote killed him twice, and each time, he manages to come back and somehow attack Coyote or his children. Does the porcupine have some supernatural powers in Apache history that causes this? I'm also surprised that Coyote didn't make sure that Porcupine was truly dead or gone before he left the area, although this could also be the naive part that he's displayed previously.

Coyote and His Hosts
Coyote is constantly trying to do the same things that his hosts are able to do, which only makes him look like a fool. He kills himself trying to get food from a frozen river, bleeds by sticking sticks in his nose, and even burns his own house down. I am constantly waiting to see if there is a story where Coyote is able to redeem himself and shake off this notion of being very naive and lacking smarts. I had always thought that coyotes were relatively intelligent creatures.

The Animals Race
The Heron wasn't a part of the race? I figured he would be just as eager to marry the girl if he was also flying along the same path. I'm also surprised that he helped the mole win, although it is a better alternative to helping the coyote win. What did the mole do to be able to gain this advantage compared to everyone else?

Reading Notes: Apache, Part A

Jicarilla Apache Texts edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911) = New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII.

The Emergence
I like the contrast between the Apache creation story compared to the Great Plains story from last week. This one focuses on them coming up out of the ground, rather than being created by the sun and moon. I wonder what caused the difference between each tribe's creation story.

The First War
I like the continuation this story has from the creation one. I had to reread the story because I was confused about why the chief had been shot, as well as by whom. I wonder why he refused to attend the feast when everybody else went. Maybe this is why the first war was a disaster, due to the apparent dysfunction.

The Killing of the Monsters
This story definitely takes a lot of time to dissect. The beginning is easy enough to understand, as the man kills the elk and wears its hide, but it begins becoming very complicated next. At first, where it says the eagle digs its talons into the man and carries him to its nest, it seems to infer that the man is dead, yet he is alive and avoids being eaten by the eagle's children. The man then kills both the mother and father eagle, making me wonder if the monster isn't the creatures that he is killing, but is him instead. I mean, he tells the young eagles that they will essentially be servants to man, inferring their feathers will be taken as man "will like your feathers." His interactions with grandmother bat seem to avoid these same actions, as he tries to help her as long as she follows directions, but he also becomes vindictive when she keeps returning as she was unable to follow his commands, leading bats to become the featherless creatures they are today. This does make me wonder where his motivations truly lie, and whether he is a good or bad character.

Elk on Apache Hunting Land

Source: SCAT Recreation

Naiyenesgani Rescues the Tao Indians
This is the second story that includes 4 different pieces of the same thing, each a different color. The Emergence had 4 ladders, while this has 4 hoops, with one black, one blue, one yellow, and one multi-colored. I'm wondering what kind of symbolism these 4 items have when together, and why these colors are important to the Apache. The fact that they are all used in the same fashion makes it even more interesting.

I also have noticed in other stories that the number 4 is very prevalent. For example, the phrase "making motions four times" and other similar variations are commonplace in these stories. Since they make 4 motions, and with the colors, it is 4 items that vary only in color, this number must have had significant value to the Apache.

Coyote Secures Fire
The coyote was the only creature that did not have its hide restored by jumping in the river after losing it in the hoop and pole game. Is this because of the coyote's ultimate actions where it set almost every tree on fire, or is it related to him simply being a coyote? The making fire with a drill being due to coyote is an interesting little tidbit. That was one area that I never thought about how people might explain why it works. I guess a coyote is as good an answer as any.

Coyote

Source: IndigenousPeople