The Girl Who Had Power To Call The Buffalo

The following data is extracted from Traditions of the Caddo.

    A girl who had power to call the buffalo lived with her six brothers. The brothers were stars, and every night they left the girl to travel through the sky. Every morning after they had returned from their nightly journey they put the girl in a swing of lariat rope that hung down from the sky and swung her through the air. As she swung through the air the buffalo saw her and came. The boys killed all that they wanted, and then the rest of the herd went away. In this way the girl called the buffalo for her brothers, and so they always had plenty to eat.
    One time Coyote came to visit them, and, finding that they always had meat, he decided to come and live with them. The brothers did not think much of Coyote, but they decided to let him stay. Every morning he watched the boys put their sister in the swing and swing her until the buffalo came. Before the brothers would let Coyote watch them swing her they made him promise that he would never try to do the same while they were gone, because if any one else tried to swing the girl he would swing her too hard and she would swing to the sky and never return. Coyote promised, but one day while all of the brothers were gone he called the girl to come and get into the swing. She refused, but he threatened her and made her obey him. She climbed into the swing and Coyote pushed her. The buffalo did not come, and so he pushed her again and caused her to go higher and higher through the air until she disappeared. Coyote became frightened and called to her to come down, saying that if she did not come he would jump up and pull her down. The girl did not come, and he could not see her.
    When the brothers came home they missed their sister and asked Coyote where she was. He said that he did not know, but that he thought some monster had carried her away. The brothers knew that Coyote had lied, and that he had been the cause of her disappearance. They drove Coyote away, telling him that he and his children would always be hungry because he had disobeyed them. Then they held a council among themselves and decided to go to the sky and live there with their sister.

Source: Traditions of the Caddo

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