My creative project for the class

I thought I would go ahead and post my creative project on the blog. It's an original trickster tale I just wrote. Enjoy.

Coyote and the Rainbow

One day Coyote and Crow were sitting in Starbucks having coffee together. All around them were people going about there business. Some were ordering triple caff, caff, whippy, latte. Some were on their laptops Facebooking their friends and nearly all of them were on their cell phones.

"Crow, I do not like this. No one here seems to see us. It seems that we are forgotten in the world," said Coyote.

"I too have noticed this. These human beings we have created no longer seem to need us. They have forgotten the old ways. They have forgotten how to fish. They have forgotten how to hunt. They have forgotten how to sing and dance at the fire," Crow replied. "What shall we do about it?"

"Crow, we must wipe them out and start over. These human beings are bad. They hurt each other, and they hate the world we gave them. See how they pollute it. Yes, we must rub them out and start over."

"No, brother. That has been done before and did not work. We must find a way to punish them and let them know we still exist."

"But how?", Coyote howled.

"We must take away something important to them. It must be something they cannot do without. Then when that thing is taken away, they will cry out to us and beg for it back."

"I see," said Coyote. "But what is the thing they love the most?"

Crow thought and thought. He looked around and saw everyone on their laptops and cell phones, so he decided on something. "I know. We will take away their technology. Once they are without Facebook and Twitter and Verizon, they will cry like babies and will come to us and plead for them back. We will say no. You have been very bad and we will not give this back to you."

Coyote pondered this in his heart. He said, "No that will not do. They are too smart and will only develop an alternate way to do these things. We must think of something else."

Crow thought and thought and then said, "I have it. We will take away their language. If they cannot communicate, they will not be able to work together and will have to come to us for help. They will cry like babies and will come to us and plead for them back. We will say no. You have been very bad and we will not give this back to you."

Coyote again pondered this. "No that will not do either. They will indeed not be able to speak to each other, but they will also not be able to sing and worship us. No something else must be thought of."

Crow then thought. And he thought. He flew up into the rafters and sat upon the beams. He hopped to and fro looking down on the human beings trying to get an idea. He noticed the technology, he noticed the language and the noise. He hopped back down to Coyote and said, "I have nothing."

Coyote scratched his ear and looked around. His keen eyes darted back and forth. His nose wriggled with scent. He panted. Then he slurped his tongue and licked his muzzle. "Aha! I have it!

"Please, brother. Tell me so that I can begin the destruction," cawed Crow.

Coyote placed his paws on the table and leaned very close to Crow. "We will take away all the color."

"Whaaaat?", Crow screeched. "What will that do? This is a foolish idea Coyote."

"No. It is a great idea. You will see. I will gather all of the color in the world and put into a great ball and hide it."

"I still don't see what this will do," said Crow.

Coyote ran around in circles and jumped with joy. "It is the best idea ever! I must start at once." Right then Coyote ran around the Starbucks and began taking color out of things. He took the color from the clothes on the human beings. He took the color from the walls. He took the color from the laptops. Then he ran down the street taking more and more color as he went. Faster and faster he ran until he was just a blur of color himself. Soon he has gathered all of the color in the world into a giant shimmering ball. There was no color in the world. Everything was black and white. This pleased him and Crow was pleased too.

"Brother! I see now what you have done. You are very smart. Soon all of the people will complain that things are dull and colorless. They will cry like babies and will come to us and plead for them back. We will say no. You have been very bad and we will not give this back to you."

Coyote's tongue wagged in his mouth, "Yes, I too, am pleased with my idea."

Crow put a wing over his beak and squawked, "Oh, no! There is a a problem.Where will we hide the color so that the human beings will no be able to find it?" Coyote had not thought of this. He quickly had an idea. He went to find Possum.

"Possum, we have taken all of the color from the world and we need you to hide it," said Coyote. "You are very good at hiding and this will be a good job for you."

"I can do this," said Possum. "I have the perfect place." Possum climbed up onto the massive ball of color and began to roll it back and forth, and back and forth. Soon he had worked the color ball into his pouch. "See? I can keep it here in my pouch and no human being will be able to find it."

Coyote wagged his tongue and Crow cawed. They then went and listened to all of the human beings who were complaining. When the human beings begged Coyote and Crow for the color, Coyote would say, "You have been very bad and we will not give this back to you." He and Crow would then laugh and laugh.

Meanwhile, Thunder came and began to rain on the ground. He brought the rain for the crops and the streams and lakes, but his favorite job was to bring water to the flowers. He would look down and at their beauty and would even take pictures with his lightning. However when he came to water the flowers, there was no color. Thunder became very angry and he rumbled greatly and sent mighty winds and lightning bolts to strike the earth. "WHERE IS THE COLOR!? WHO HAS TAKEN ALL OF THE COLOR?"

Now Coyote and Crow were frightened and hid from Thunder. The wind and lightning smote the tree where Crow was sitting. "I must go and hide with Coyote!" Crow flew and fluttered and was tossed about violently. "Coyote, where are you brother?" he cawed. But Coyote was afraid and would not answer so Crow was beaten up by Thunder's fury.

Thunder asked Crow, "WHERE IS THE COLOR?! TELL ME OR I WILL RIP OFF YOUR WINGS!" Of course Crow blamed everything on Coyote saying it was all his doing. Thunder dropped Crow who had fainted and went to look for Coyote.

Coyote had hidden in an old fox den deep under the ground. "You cannot get me in here, Thunder," he shouted up the hole. Thunder sent the wind and lightning but could not reach Coyote. Coyote laughed and laughed. About that time, Possum fell out of his tree and began to roll around on his tremendous belly. Thunder noticed and asked Possum, "WHY ARE YOU SO FAT POSSUM? WHAT ARE YOU HIDING IN YOUR POUCH?"

Possum was no fool like Crow and Coyote, so he answered right away. "I have all the color in the world in my pouch. Coyote told me to keep it there." Thunder rolled and flashed, "SO IT WAS TRULY COYOTE. I SHALL PUNISH HIM BUT I CANNOT GET TO HIM WHEN HE IS DEEP IN THE EARTH."

Possum spoke up, "I know how you can get him great Thunder." "SPEAK IT THEN,"Thunder roared. "Make it rain and rain and rain. Let it rain for days until the water reaches deep into the hole and drowns Coyote."

Thunder laughed a loud booming thunder peal, "HO, HO HO! THAT IS AN EXCELLENT IDEA." Thunder let it rain for one day, two, three, four. After one week, Coyote finally floated up out of the hole, dead. Thunder revived him with his breath, "YOU HAVE BEEN VERY BAD, COYOTE. BUT I FORGIVE YOU. NOW GO AND GIVE ALL OF THE COLOR BACK TO THE WORLD. POSSUM WILL HELP YOU." Both Coyote and Possum started to complain that the job was too big and would take forever. Thunder grew angry and shot down a lightning bolt. It singed Coyote's tail, which is why it has a black tip, and it burned all of the hair off of Possum's which is why it is bare. Possum was blown so high into the sky that he left a streak from one end of the world to the other. To this day when Thunder comes by, if he sees Possum not doing his job, he will send lightning to make him jump into the sky and leave a rainbow.

THE END

We've walked far and seen much.

Today in class the question was put forth by Dr. Hobby, "What have you learned so far?" A simple enough question but one full of complexity when it comes to the writings and films we have viewed in this class. I'd like to be able to nail it down to one thing such as, "I learned that there are written texts by Indians and they are good." Or maybe, "Hey there are funny and raunchy stories in Indian folktales." I honestly cannot tack this whole course on just one thing, one concept that will define Indian literature. 
     That being said, I can admit to learning dozens of things. I can also admit that many of my preconceived notions and prejudices have been shaken and removed. I learned that if I set aside these constructs of human nature, mainly, race, education, progress, that my mind can open and more readily help me to understand American Indian culture.
     The most helpful author so far in this venture has been Sherman Alexie. I was brought up watching westerns on TV and at the movies and they were my whole viewpoint on how Indians were supposed to be. Warbonnets, bow and arrow, half-naked fire dancing, these were my experience. Who knew they had a language that could be put down on paper? Why would I even care; they're savages, right? Alexie brought for me a modern sense of humanity about American Indians. A connection of people to people, heart to heart. I caught myself saying, "Hey, that happened to me." or "Wow, that is totally a reservation thing and I have no reference to understand it,".  His poetry, stories and website are full of not stories, but life. Just life. I can see myself easily being friends with him and his people. I can also see myself in deep meaningful debate with some of his ideas. But that's what friends do.
     People become friends because they have a shared experience. Whether it's school, church, family or even something traumatic, people need  connections. When it comes to a connection with the American Indian our connection is unfortunately the tragic. One can only hope that we could use this connection in a positive manner. Set aside the guilt, the horror and just be people, just be friends.