Native American Legends
Blue Jay and Lizard and the Grizzly-Bears
An Achomawi Legend
Some Grizzly-Bears lived in a sweat-house near where Blue jay and
Lizard lived. These latter had all kinds of food stored in bags
of tule. The Grizzly-Bears had only acorns, and used to have to
go to the other house to get salmon and meat. A Grizzly-Bear went
over at sundown and sat down, saying, "I was sent over for
scraps;" then Blue jay would say, "All right, get out
some salmon," and Lizard would give Grizzly-Bear a large pile
of it. When he got back home, the others would say, "They always
give us a lot." In the morning another Grizzly went, and came
back with a huge basket of pine-nuts; and in the evening then another
would go, to get a lot of sunflower-seeds. In this way Blue jay
and Lizard gave away all the food they had, and began to get hungry.
Lizard, however, had been afraid that this would happen, so he had
hidden ten salmon under his pillow while Blue jay had gone after
wood one day. When all the rest of the food was gone, Lizard produced
this reserve supply, and the two lived on this for a time. The Grizzly-Bears
had saved much of the food they had begged, and feasted while the
others were starving. The Grizzly-Bears hoped the others would die.
Blue jay soon got very weak, but Lizard was still able to get about.
One day Lizard covered up the coals with ashes in their house, closed
the smoke-hole, and, taking his knife, crept over to the house where
the Grizzly-Bears were, all asleep. Lizard looked in and saw all
the food they had there in storage. Then he went into the house,
picked out the largest Grizzly-Bear, crawled into his anus, and
cut out his heart. He brought the heart out, then skinned the body
of the bear, the others meanwhile sleeping on. Lizard baked the
liver quickly in the ashes, and ate it, then, leaning a pole up
against the door, he walked on this, so that the Grizzly-Bears could
not see his tracks. He took all the Grizzly-Bear meat home with
him, and one basket of acorns. He found Blue jay almost dead; but
he cooked some meat, and gave him some, and, after getting a little
stronger, he was able to eat a great deal; and the two ate nearly
all night.
In the morning the Grizzly-Bears woke up, and missed one of their
number, but thought he had merely gone out of the house for a time.
So they were not worried, but built a fire and sweated. Lizard and
Blue jay kept quiet in their house, and did not move out. Every
night Lizard did the same thing, killing one of the Bears until
he had killed four of them, - two on each side of the door as they
slept. The Grizzly-Bears did not suspect what the trouble was, for
they thought both Lizard and Blue jay were dead. Thus Lizard and
Blue jay lived through the winter.
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