392 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1945 



The Owens Valley Paiute have a story about Cottontail, the rabbit, 

 and the sun. The sun was too hot, so Cottontail decided to try and 

 change it. He traveled east to find the place where the sun emerged ; 

 he crossed ridge after ridge but always the sun came up beyond. Fi- 

 nally he reached a great sea, here he saw Sun emerge from the water, 

 shaking himself. Cottontail grabbed Sun as it came from the water 

 and by covering it with a slice of fresh liver, cooled it off somewhat. 

 Now the sun is not too bright. (Steward, 1943.) 



The Kato sun-theft story is as follows : 



Coyote slept with his head to the east and his forehead grew very warm. 



"I dreamed about the sun," he said when he awoke. 



Then Coyote decided to get the sun and bring it back for the people. He set 

 off. On the way he met three mice, and he took them with him for dogs. 



"My heart is glad because I found you, my three dogs," he told them. 



When they arrived at the house where Coyote knew the sun was, he instructed 

 his dogs. 



"The sun is covered with a blanket and tied down in the middle of this house. 

 I am going in and shall sleep there tonight. When all are asleep you must come 

 in and chew off the straps that hold the sun. Leave, however, the straps 

 with which I am to carry the sun. When you are through, poke me with your 

 noses." 



Coyote then went into the house. 



"I do not want food, grandmother," he said to the old woman of the house. 

 "I will sleep." 



"Yes," said the old woman, and gave him a blanket. 



Covering his head in it, Coyote began to sing: "You sleep, you sleep, you sleep." 

 Soon the woman fell asleep. After a while the mice came and poked Coyote. 



"We have finished," one of them said. 



So Coyote got up, took the sun, and carried it off. Mole saw him do this 

 and he called out: "He is carrying off the sun," but no one heard him for his 

 mouth was too small. Then Lizard saw him. He took up a stick and beat on 

 the house of the old woman, calling: "He is carrying off the sun." 



The old woman heard this time and she got up and started to chase Coyote. 



As she neared him she called out to him: "Why did you take it? I was fix- 

 ing it." 



"You were hiding it," Coyote called back. "Turn into a stone where you are 

 standing." 



At these words of Coyote the woman turned into a stone. Then Coyote took 

 the sun and cut it up, and from it he made the moon, the stars, and the sun. 

 As he made them he told them when they were to appear. 



To the morning star he said : "You shall come up just before day." To the 

 sun he said : "You shall come up in the east in the morning, and go down at 

 night. You shall be hot." To the moon he said: "You shall travel at night. 

 You shall be cold." 



The people were very grateful to Coyote for what he had done and they 

 brought him many presents upon his return. (Gifford and Black, 1930.) 



According to the Porno, formerly the sun did not shine and every- 

 thing was dark. 



When the people went hunting or traveled they had to carry torches for light. 

 People were much disturbed because they could not tell which end of the day 

 was night and which was day. 



