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Hopi - A Bet Between The Cooyoko And The Fox[1]
Alíksai! In Shupaúlavi, north of the village, is a bluff where there is a place called Cóoyoko House (Cóoyok-ki). Here the Cóoyoko lived. One time a Fox, who was very handsome, came along, and the Cóoyoko Uncle (Táhaam) was sitting on the edge of the bluff when the Fox came along. The sun had not yet risen, and the Cóoyoko was sitting and waiting to watch the sunrise. "Come here," he said to the Fox, "come to me here." "All right," the Fox said. and came. "Sit down, sit down with me," the Cóoyoko said, which the Fox did. ''Now," the Cóoyoko continued, "let us have a contest and see upon whose song the sun will rise. The one that loses shallbe killed with this knife here," which the Cóoyoko had, the Fox said. "Yes," the Cóoyoko said, "let us have a contest." "All right," the Fox said, "be it so. You sing first." So the Cóoyoko sang the following little song:
To -- ishkakolitai to -- ishkakolitai
Aaaha, iiihi—[1]
and then said to the Fox: "Now, you sing, too," whereupon the Fox sang the following song:
Ishka! Ishka!
Hereupon the Cóoyoko repeated his song. The sun by this time was just about to loom up. "Now you sing again," he said to the Fox, whereupon the latter repeated his song, and when he was singing, the sun loomed upon the horizon. So he had won the contest. "Alas!" the Cóoyoko said, "well now, I have wanted it this way and you have beaten me. Be it so then." The knife was lying by their side, so the Fox took it, approached the Cóoyoko, and cut the latter's throat. And so the latter died over a bet.
Footnotes
[1] Told by Sik'áletsiwa (Shupaúlavi).
Abstract
A Bet Between The Cóoyoko And The Fox.
Fox comes along as Cóoyoko uncle is sitting on bluff. He is waiting to watch sun rise. He tells Fox to come and sit near him. Says they will have contest to see on whose song sun will rise, looser to be killed with knife. Cóoyoko sings song first. Fox follows. Cóoyoko sings again and sun is just about to loom up. Fox repeats his song and while singing sun looms up. Fox wins contest and he cuts Cóoyoko's throat with knife.
Traditions of the Hopi, by H.R. Voth. Field Columbian Museum Publication 96, Anthropological Series Vol VIII. Chicago. [1905] and is now in the public domain.
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