Reading Notes: SW/CA, Part A

 

Story of Fire. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

    One story that stood out to me in Part A of this week's reading was called "The Theft of Fire." It tells the story of how a coyote came up with a plan to steal some fire from some "hags" to give to some Indians known as the Karoks. The Karoks were cold, and the coyote knew the fire would be a big help to staying warm.

    The coyote came up with a plan to get a bunch of animals together to form a line from the land of the fire to the land of the Karoks, just like a relay. One animal was to pass off the fire to the next and get it back to the land of the Karoks.

    The coyote started by going to the hags and asking if he could sit by their fire to stay warm. They agreed and so he stayed there all night. The next morning, the coyote made a plan with an Indian to steal some of the fire. The plan was initiated and the coyote was able to pass off the fire to a lion.

    I really like the variations of animals in the story as well as the teamwork that is demonstrated through the variety of animals. I also really liked how the author used this story as an origin story to explain certain characteristics of animals. For example, a ground squirrel caught his tail on fire, which burned his back. This is why to this day you can see the black spots on a ground squirrel's back. The hags caught the tail of the frog who was holding the fire and kept it. This is why frogs have no tails.

    I love stories where someone can be very creative and use their imagination to explain the things in the world.

Story Source: "The Theft of Fire" from Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson (1912).