Week 9, Reading Diary: Native American Unit

This weeks reading diary is based upon the Native American stories that have been assigned for this week. I knew that this particular unit was more than likely going to be filled with interesting materials due to the fact that they are coming from those that originally and rightfully inhabited this land.

The story that most stuck out to me was The Thief of Fire story by Story source: Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson (1912). This story particularly stood out to me because I felt like it was a great story that was shared with the youth of the Native American community and I also liked how it broke down reasoning for why certain animals are as they are, due to the Coyote trying to steal the fire.

So, in this particular story, the Kareyas created fire in a fireless world and gave it to two old hags (funny that these two individuals were called hags because when i hear that term, I think of two old miserable women that aren't the nicest, don't look the nicest and are just down right rude.)

The following text is a compilation of my thoughts as I read the story.

The Coyote wanted the fire and was trying to devise a plan to steal it from he hags.
-- That's nice that they hags allowed him to join them.

They coyote went to sleep but really wasn't sleep and was watching the entire night, trying to find a time to steal the fire.  He couldn't find a time that night.

He went back to regroup with the others to figure out the best time to steal the fire.

That next night, all of the animals attached and the coyote was able to steal a blade of fire. It was almost like a relay race since the fire was handed off to other animals such as the frog, which kept getting its tail caught, which is why it doesn't have a tail today. Or like the ground squirrel that was running so fast that it's tail caught fire and burned it's back so that's why there are black strips on it's back.

(Picture of a Coyote)