ONE TIME COYOTE WAS walking along the edge of a big lake. He wanted to cross over to an island on the other side but he did not know how to swim. He was thinking of how he might get over there when he noticed a young man paddling a canoe. When he got closer Coyote called him over to the shore and asked what he was doing. “I am hunting ducks.”
“Very well. I will paddle your canoe for you while you are shooting.”
The young man agreed and they proceeded out onto the lake together. After they had gotten some ducks Coyote said, “Brother, let me go across to the other side there while you are plucking these ducks.” The other man agreed and went ashore and Coyote paddled over to the island and tied the canoe up and climbed a hill so he could look around. He saw a large village, a circle of forty lodges with one in the center. He went up to the village and at the edge he met a young girl. Coyote thought she was good-looking. “Are there many men here?” asked Coyote.
“We don’t know what men are.”
“Who lives in the center of the circle?”
“Two chief women who look after us. Go to them, they are our leaders.”
Coyote entered the main lodge. On the right there was a young fox strapped to a papoose board and on the other side there was a rabbit. The rabbit jumped up and hit Coyote with a coup stick which meant that Coyote would belong to the rabbit’s mother.
Rabbit Woman sat down next to Coyote and handed him a bowl of pemmican to eat. When he was through eating he handed her the bowl and asked, “What are these two here for?”
“These are our children.”
“Are there any men?”
“No, we don’t know what men are.”
The lodge was beautifully decorated with skins and quill and bead work. There were all kinds of nice work bags around. Coyote thought he might have some fun and get some of these things for himself. He thought, “I will show them something.” He showed them his erect member making his pants stand up. Rabbit Woman noticed it first and stooped down to look at it more closely. She was amazed. The other woman also looked down. “What is this thing, what is it good for?”
“For connecting our bodies together.”
“Is it necessary to put this in some part of my body?”
“Come over here, I will show you.”
He put his hand under the woman’s dress and indicated a place. “If I put my member in this place, you will find it very agreeable.” Coyote eased her down on the earth and began to have intercourse with her. When he was finished he made love with her a second time and then rolled over and said to the other, “I would like to lay your legs open like this too.” He got on top of her. During the time he was with this woman, the mother of all the women in the village came along. She heard the women making agreeable sounds and wanted to know how pleasurable this intercourse was. Coyote took her down and had coitus with her until his penis went flat. But she wanted more and made him do it again. It wouldn’t work and Coyote was afraid. All the other young women were crowding around and demanding to have intercourse with Coyote. Coyote couldn’t get his member erect. They were all grabbing for it and trying to make it stiff. Coyote wanted to get away and he started to move off but they grabbed him.
“After intercourse,” he warned them, “you will be heavy, bringing forth children, who will come out of that opening.” They did not want to believe him. “You will give birth to little boys and girls. The boys will have a member hanging down like this. You will have all you want.”
Coyote saw that they didn’t believe him. They wanted intercourse. He wanted to get away. “I have to go off and pass water,” he said. “It is not possible for you to watch while I do this.” But the women wanted to go along so he wouldn’t get away. “I won’t go away,” said Coyote. “I will be on top of that hill there. You can see me. It is impossible for me to run while I am passing water anyway.”
Coyote went up to the top of the hill and as soon as he got to the top he ran for the canoe. One woman saw him fleeing and gave the alarm. They came after him but he reached the canoe first. Some of the women jumped into the water and tried to swim after him but he paddled off as hard as he could.
When he got to the other side he told his companion, “Brother, there was nothing over there but rocks and trees. I found nothing.”
The women watched the men on the far shore until they disappeared.