Native American Legends
The Rabbit escapes from the Wolves
A Cherokee Legend
Some Wolves once caught the Rabbit and were going to eat him when
he asked leave to show them a new dance he was practicing. They
knew that the Rabbit was a great song leader, and they wanted to
learn the latest dance, so they agreed and made a ring about him
while he got ready.
He patted his feet and began to dance around in a circle, singing:
Tlâge'sitûñ' gäli'sgi'sidâ'hä
Ha'nia lïl lïl! Ha'nia lïl lïl!
On the edge of the field I dance about
Ha'nia lïl lïl! Ha'nia lïl lïl!
"Now, said the Rabbit, "when I sing 'on the edge of the
field,' I dance that way"--and he danced over in that direction--"and
when I sing lïl lïl! you must all stamp your feet hard."
The Wolves thought it fine. He began another round singing the
same song, and danced a little nearer to the field, while the Wolves
all stamped their feet. He sang louder and louder and danced nearer
and nearer to the field until at the fourth song, when the Wolves
were stamping as hard as they could and thinking only of the song,
he made one jump and was off through the long grass.
They were after him at once, but he ran for a hollow stump and
climbed up on the inside. When the Wolves got there one of them
put his head inside to look up, but the Rabbit spit into his eye,
so that he had to pull his head out again.
The others were afraid to try, and they went away, with the Rabbit
still in the stump.
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