As Fox went on his way he met Kingfisher, Kêt-la’-i-le-ti, whom he accompanied to his home. Kingfisher said that he had no food to offer his visitor, so he would go and catch some fish for Fox. He broke through six inches of ice on the river and caught two fish, which he cooked and set before his guest. Fox was pleased with his entertainment, and invited the Kingfisher to return the call. In due time the Kingfisher came to the home of the Fox, who said, ” I have no food to offer you;” then he went down to the river, thinking to secure fish in the same manner as the Kingfisher had done. Fox leaped from the high bank, but instead of breaking through the ice he broke his head and killed himself. Kingfisher went to him, caught him up by the tail, and swung Fox around to the right four times, thereby restoring him to life. Kingfisher caught some fish, and they ate together. “I am a medicine-man,” said Kingfisher; “that is why I can do these things. You must never try to catch fish in that way again.”

After the departure of Kingfisher, Fox paid a visit to the home of Prairie-dog, where he was cordially received. Prairie-dog put four sticks, each about a foot in length, in the ashes of the camp-fire; when these were removed, they proved to be four nicely roasted prairie-dogs, which were served for Fox’s dinner. Fox invited the Prairie-dog to return the visit, which in a short time the latter did. Fox placed four sticks in the fire to roast, but they were consumed by it, and instead of palatable food to set before his guest he had nothing but ashes. Prairie-dog said to Fox, ” You must not attempt to do that. I am a medicine- man; that is why I can transform the wood to flesh.” Prairie-dog then prepared a meal as he done before, and they dined.

Fox went to visit Buffalo, I-gûn-da, who exclaimed, “What shall I do? I have no food to offer you. Buffalo was equal to the emergency, however; he shot an arrow upward, which struck in his own back as it returned. When he pulled this out, a kidney and the fat surrounding it came out also. This he cooked for Fox, and added a choice morsel from his own nose. As usual, Fox extended an invitation to his host to return the visit. When Buffalo came to call upon Fox, the latter covered his head with weeds in imitation of the head of the Buffalo. Fox thought he could provide food for their dinner as the Buffalo had done, so fired an arrow into the air; but when it came close to him on its return flight, he became frightened and ran away. Buffalo then furnished meat for their meal as on the previous occasion. “You must not try this,” said he; “I am a medicine-man; that is why I have the power.”

Some time afterward, as Fox was journeying along, he met an Elk, Tsês, lying beside the trail. He was frightened when he saw the antlers of the Elk moving, and jumped to avoid what seemed to be a falling tree. “Sit down beside me,” said the Elk. “Don’t be afraid.” “The tree will fall on us,” replied Fox. “Oh, sit down; it won’t fall. I have no food to offer you, but I will provide some.” The Elk cut steaks from his own quarter, which the Fox ate, and before leaving Fox invited the Elk to return the visit. When Elk came to see Fox, the latter tried unsuccessfully to cut flesh from his own meager flanks; then he drove sharpened sticks into his nose, and allowed the blood to run out upon the grass. This he tried in vain to transform into meat, and again he was indebted to his guest for a meal.” I am a medicine-man; that is why I can do this,” said Elk.

Frank Russell, Myths of the Jicarilla Apaches, 1898

As Fox was going along he met a Deer with two spotted fawns beside her. ” What have you done,” said he, “to make your children spotted like that?” “I made a big fire of cedar wood and placed them before it. The sparks thrown off burned the spots which you see,” answered the Deer. Fox was pleased with the color of the fawns, so he went home and told his children to gather cedar wood for a large fire. When the fire was burning well, he put the young foxes in a row before the fire, as he supposed the Deer had done. When he found that they did not change color, he pushed them into the fire and covered them with ashes, thinking he had not applied sufficient heat at first. As the fire went out, he saw their white teeth gleaming where the skin had shriveled away and exposed them. “Ah, you will be very pretty now,” said he. Fox pulled his offspring from the ashes, expecting to find them much changed in color, and so they were, — black, shriveled, and dead. Fox next thought of revenge upon the Deer, which he found in a grove of cottonwoods. He built a fire around them, but they ran through it and escaped. Fox was so disappointed that he set up a cry of woe, a means of expression, which he has retained from that day to this.

Myths of the Jicarilla Apache ,Russell, Frank ,Newell, William Wells

“My name is Gose ‘flicker.’ I eat with my long bill. I fly with my wings which are red underneath. My legs are blue and the borders of my eyes are pinkish. My voice is loud and when I sing all the people hear me. They like my voice. This is my nature,” he said they say.

Jicarilla Apache Texts, by Pliny Earle Goddard; New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII; (1911) and is now in the public domain.

The Apache and Ute were camping together near Cimarron. After they had held the bear dance, they moved away to the Canadian River and continued camping at “small hills”, “saddle-washed-away”, Carriso, “Cimarron dry”, and “five peaks” until they came to a plain where there were many ponds of water. From here, they moved toward the east to the plain where many buffalo had been killed. They could not tell who had killed them. They next moved to a place on the Arkansas River called “white sands.” From this camp they rode eastward looking in vain for buffalo. They found only bulls going about by themselves, one of which they killed and brought back with them.

About half the hand turned back west from this point While the others went on eastward. Another buffalo bull was found by itself and killed. East of the Arkansas River they found the track of a mule and a horse led behind, evidences of the enemy They moved their camp back toward the west to a mountain called, Tseintcincyihi.

Three men turned back to hunt deer. The enemy who had been following, discovered these hunters and riding up, took away their horses. One man hid himself successfully, another escaped through the thick brush, and the third was followed by the enemy. On this side, where a small arroyo passing through a little flat enters the larger arroyo, the enemy began shooting at him. An arrow which the Apache was holding in his hand was hit in the middle. The Apache, having dismounted, waited close by in the arroyo. He shot one of the enemy who came up close to him causing him to fall from his horse. The others, coming to the same place continued the fight, shooting the Apache in the back. He pulled out the arrow but the small flint arrow-head remained in his body. He shot again and another enemy fell from his horse. The enemy were now afraid and withdrew. The Apache went into the brush. One of the men came to the Apache camp and brought them word of what had happened. That evening, several of them rode to the place on horseback. Having spent the night in the thick brush close to the enemy, they came early the next morning to the place where the two men were still staying. They found that the stones on which the blood had dropped where the enemy had been shot from his horse, had been all turned over and the bloody grass had been pulled up and thrown into the brush.

On the top of a small hill near by, a platform had been built on which the body had been placed together with all of his personal belongings. The Apache rode close by this place. They found where the enemy had been encamped in large numbers near the creek and had killed sheep and eaten them. The enemy had gone to the mountains on the other side of the river. The Apache turned about and started toward home.

Some of the Apache, two men, two women, and three children; seven in all, had started on in advance. They noticed some people traveling behind them and sent one of the men back to see if they were their own people. When he had ridden close enough to them he saw they were not his people. When he turned to ride away the enemy rode after him, calling to him to wait. Then he stopped his horse, took off his clothes, put on his war-bonnet and shouted to them, “Now.” A chief of the enemy rode toward him. The two men, drawing their knives, and stopping their horses close together, tried to pull each other from their horses. Each stabbed the other with a knife and both were killed.

The enemy then rode up and surrounded the remaining Apache. The man kept shooting at the enemy. Although the arrows fell all about none of them hit him nor was he wounded by the bullets. After a while, he was shot in the sole of his foot. He killed many of the enemy. The enemy killed two white horses near one of which the wounded man was lying. He took off the bridle and then put it down again on top of the horse. While standing there he was killed. They were all killed except one small child whose body was not found. The enemy had taken it captive. The arms and legs of two of the children had been cut off.

When the remainder of the Apache came back to Cimarron they inquired for their relatives. Finding they had not returned, a party of eight went out on horseback and found their bodies where they had been killed. They gathered up and brought home four large bundles of arrows some of which they distributed among the Ute. The Ute said that even when several had been engaged in the fight they had never found so many arrows.(1)

Footnotes:

(1) When asked how the information was obtained concerning this encounter Casa Maria explained that a Mescalero Indian who was with the enemy at the time, afterward told of the occurrence on a ration day. The immediately killed him.

Jicarilla Apache Texts, by Pliny Earle Goddard; New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII; (1911) and is now in the public domain.

They started from Tierra Amarilla and placed their camp at Cebolla. From there they moved camp to Cangillon and from there to El Rito. Next they went to Cuchilla. From there they moved to Española. From there they moved to Santa Fe, camping on the hill east of the town. Then they moved to TseLkaihî?âye. From there they went east to a Mexican town. Then they camped at Anton Chiso. Next they stopped at Alamo Gordo. From there they moved to Bosque. From there they moved to DzeLk’ane daLkîdjîye, “mulberry trees scattered”. From there they moved to Naudajehi. From there they moved to Rio Bonito where the soldiers were living. They camped right among the houses of the soldiers remaining four days. From there they removed to Carrizo where the sawmill stood. The Mescalero were camped there and we camped among them. They were drinking tiswin.

After a while a number of us started after deer together. One Mexican who had married a Mescalero, Carilla, by name, was with us. We camped right by the soldiers. They nearly caught us. Some were in front of us, among them Carilla. During the night he rode back to us and we moved camp before day, although it was raining. Two men rode up behind us telling us to hurry up. We came to a gap at the end of a mountain about daylight. A large number of people camped there. We came to a lake called Pato. Early in the morning we moved from there separating into two bodies and camped at a place where there was no water. “You look for water,” he told us. We searched for water in vain. Three of us found a little water standing right in the plain. We returned to the camp to find that they had moved away from us. We followed behind them until evening. They had camped at the edge of the water by Turkey Mountain.

“To-morrow we will hunt,” he said. Early the next morning before daylight, Luna and I went together a considerable distance before it became daylight. We found deer running through the timber. We separated, one going on either side, and lost sight of each other. One deer ran toward me and then ran off to a distance.

I went where trees were standing and climbed up where I could see in all directions. The deer were moving about but there was nothing that could be used for cover. Being unable to get close, with the sight at the highest notch, I shot and missed. The deer ran east and I followed them. When I got near to them as they were going slowly up the mountain I shot without having moved the sight. I did not hit them. The deer ran up the steep place to the top. Then I remembered the sight and moved it back. Close by me I heard the discharge of a gun. I sat down on top of the hill and was smoking when I looked over there and saw a deer running straight toward me. I was sitting behind some trees. When it was close to me I shot. It ran off this way and I ran after it. I found blood and over there it was lying dead. I butchered it and put the meat on a tree thinking, “I will come after it to-morrow.” I went home to the camp. When I came past the arroyo there was a band of deer jumping over each other. Coming up to the edge of the rock, I shot, killing seven. I butchered them and left them right there on the ground. I ran back to the camp, got a horse, and rode back. Having tied them on the horse, I brought them home.

The others also brought back meat from different directions. Luna had killed five; three antelope, two deer. Another man killed one, another two, and another three. This way they brought back meat.

They started out in another direction. I killed two bucks. From there we brought back a large amount of meat. From there we moved camp to the lakes and went out hunting in different directions. Some brought back antelope and some brought back deer. We dried much meat and packed it in parfleches. Coming back with it we camped at Rio Bonito.

Jicarilla Apache Texts, by Pliny Earle Goddard; New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII; (1911) and is now in the public domain.