How
Raccoon Got the Circles Around His Eyes and Tail
A
Micmac Legend - As Told By Cat
Long
ago, there was a pillage where two unhappy blind
men lived. They were unhappy because they were
unable to do things for themselves. So they decided
that they would sit on a log in the woods forever.
One day the mighty warrior Kluskap, who was returning
from a hunt, noticed the two men sitting on the
log. He approached them and asked "What is wrong?
Why are you sitting here?"
One of the men said "We are not wanted. We can't
take care of ourselves or anyone else, so we will
just stay here in the woods until we die."
Kluskap could not let the men just sit there,
so he built them a wigwam. He also gave them a
rope. "What is this for?" the men asked. "You
must take the rope down to the river. There you
will tie one end of the rope to a tree near the
water and the other end of the rope to your pail.
Now you can get water for yourselves, for when
you are thirsty you can toss the pail out into
the river and when you pull it back it will have
water in it." Kluskap explained."
Little did they know that someone was watching
them. Raccoon had been secretly watching the two
men, trying to find out why they had been sitting
on the log. Raccoon chuckled to himself and said
" I will have some fun with these two!" So he
sat and waited.
When the first man went to the river for water,
raccoon went with him. He took the pail and threw
it into the water. When he had done this, raccoon
quietly moved the pail into the sand.
When the man pulled the pail in there was no water
in it, only sand. He went back to friend and said
"Our river has gone dry! There is no water, just
sand."
His friend laughed in disbelief. " You are just
lazy, you probably didn't even go for water."
The first man became angry. "You don't believe
me, but I am telling the truth!" The second man
went down to the river and he too was followed
by raccoon. Who made sure that it filled with
water. The man returned to the wigwam with his
pail of water.
"See,
I have brough twater! I knew you were just lazy!"
he said angrily. The two men began to fight.
Raccoon, who had been watching the mischief he
had caused, suddenly noticed that the first man
had started supper. Raccoon wandered over and
saw four pieces of meat in the cooking pot. He
helped himself to two pieces of the meat and went
and hid with his treasure.
When the fighting had ended the first man went
to the pot and took two pieces of meat for himself.
When the second man went to his supper there was
nothing left. This made him angry.
"You
are not only to lazy to get water, but now you
steal my supper! There is nothing here!" he cried.
"What
foolishness is this?" said the first man. I cooked
four pieces of meat and took two, there should
still be two left in the pot!"
Raccoon sat back laughing as the men began to
fight once more.
Just then Kluskap appeared. Rushing over he separated
the two men and asked "Why are you fighting?"
"Because
of him" said the second man pointing at the first.
"He is too lazy to get water and tried to say
that the river was dry! I went down to the river
and there is plenty of water, and now he has taken
my supper and I have nothing to eat!"
That’s when Kluskap heard laughter, he turned
and saw raccoon rolling on the ground and laughing.
Suddenly, he knew what had happened.
He quickly captured the raccoon and carried him
to the campfire. He took a coal from the fire
and marked a black circle around each of raccoon's
eyes.
"This
is for the two pieces of meat that you stole from
two blind men. These marks will always show you
to be thief and you will be known as a thief wherever
you go" said Kluskap.
Then Kluskap used the coal to draw four rings
around the raccoons tail. "And this is for the
times you made these men fight. You will always
remember this, because these marks I have given
you will stay with you forever."
This is why raccoon looks like a bandit and still
bears the marks of Kluskap.
* *
*
How
Raccoon Got the Circles Around His Eyes and Tail
A Micmac Legend retold by Cat |