Trickster was sitting by the water boiling his raccoon meat, and when it was ready, he broke off some twigs and dished the meat out. He was just about to put a piece in his mouth, when unexpectedly he heard a creaking sound almost directly above him. He stopped for a moment, wondering what it could be. Then he put the meat in his mouth and was about to cut it off, when he heard the sound again, so he took the meat out of his mouth and wondered about what could have made such a sound. For a third time the same thing happened, but the fourth time he heard the noise, he looked around, and much to his surprise, there nearby was a giant tree whose branches were creaking. So he climbed up the tree and scolded it, saying, "Why is it that when I'm trying to relax and take a little something to eat, you have to tease me?" Thereupon, Trickster angrily tried to split a fork in the tree, but instead of breaking, the fork held fast his arm so that he could not free himself.

Soon a pack of wolves sauntered by, so Trickster called out to them, "Say, younger brothers, over here! I'm caught in the fork of this tree. I left my meal down at the base of the tree but was not able to start eating it because I got hung up in this tree. Now don't eat the food that I left down there." "Well," said the wolves, "there must be something worthwhile over there." When they got to the tree, they found a nice meal, all prepared and ready to eat. Trickster called down to them, "Look, it's all right to eat some of it, of course. All I mean is that you should leave me a little of the leftovers." As far as the wolves were concerned, it was as if he wasn't even there, and they began to wolf down the entire dinner. "Now look," Trickster called down, "you've eaten all the meat, but there is a fair amount of soup left -- at least leave that for me." The wolves had quite nearly overlooked the soup, but now they lapped every bit of that up too. Now there was nothing at all left for Trickster to eat. Having had their fill, the wolves ran off, leaving Trickster to his fate. Trickster spoke angrily to the tree, "It's your fault this happened to me. Now I have nothing to eat, thanks to you." Then with all his might, he split the fork in the branches, but when he did so, he fell from the tree with a thud. Nevertheless, he picked himself up, and began running in the direction that he thought the wolves were heading. [1]

Version 2. A variant of this story told by Felix White, Sr. of the Nebraska Hotcâgara, the events proceed exactly as they do in the present story, but when Trickster tries to free himself from the tree after the wolves escape, the Tree Spirit speaks to him:

Wakjunkaga began scolding the tree again and finally the tree spoke. "Brother," he said, "we only move when the wind moves us. We are not like you who have power and do not use it. We stand here for years in one spot and we don't move around. You have power and don't use it. We are not that way. We are powerless. We are put where we are and that is where we stand." In this way the tree called Kunu's attention to his gifts. [2]

The story then concludes with Trickster breaking free.

Version 3. "Trees sometimes punished even more powerful deities as the god Earthmaker. According to a Winnebago myth, Wakanda once killed a deer and was roasting some of its meat over a fire. While he was doing this some nearby trees began to sing. This irritated Wakanda and he shouted to them to be quiet. He did this several times, but the trees paid no attention to him. They continued to sing and more loudly than before. This made the god very angry, and leaving his meat he arose and struck one of them. His arm caught in a crotch, and despite his struggles to free it, the big tree held him fast. He then struck a blow with his other arm, and this the tree also caught and held. While he was thus a prisoner in the grasp of the tree, some wolves came along and ate all of his meat. The tree afterwards released Wakanda." [3]

Commentary. "Earthmaker" -- this is not about Earthmaker at all, but about Trickster. See the next entry.

"Wakanda" -- this is not a Hotcâk word. It's actually an Ioway-Oto word for Earthmaker. The confusion, widespread in the works of C. E. and D. M. Brown (husband and wife), stems from a garbled hearing of the name Wakdjâka, "Trickster." In some tales it is clearly Trickster that is meant, in other stories they freely substitute the name Wakanda in place of "Earthmaker." The actual cognate in Hotcâk of the Ioway-Oto word Wakanda, is Wakâdja, literally, "Divine Ones," which is used to denote the Thunderbirds.

Comparative Material. The Lakota variant is essentially identical to the Hotcâk story, except that it follows the story Trickster's Anus Guards the Ducks. Iktomi, the Lakota trickster, tries to eat the ducks that he slaughtered by trickery, but gets caught in the tree when he climbs up to silence it. Wolves also come along and eat his food. [4]

The Sioux (tribe unspecified) have another version. Iktomi is sitting down roasting some rabbits when two coyotes pick up the scent. They hatch a plot, and go down to him to unfold it. "Iktomi," says one of them, "can't you hear the trees trying to say something to you? They say if you give them some meat, they will give you a great gift in return." Iktomi asks, "How shall I give it to them?" "Well, first make sure you get their gift, then give them the meat. They always give their gifts at the crotch where they meet -- see where this oak and the ash rub together, just reach where they join and you'll retrieve your gift. So Iktomi did just what they told him he should do, only instead of getting a gift, he found that his hand was caught between the pinching branches. While Iktomi was engaged in vainly trying to free himself, the coyotes helped themselves to all his meat. Despite Iktomi's pleas to leave a morsel for him, they eat everything, leaving just the heads behind. In time, the wind separated the branches, but by then it was too late. [5]

The Anishinaabe story is also very close to the Hotcâk. One day Manabozho (Hare), also known as "Wenebojo," killed a fat moose. Just as he was about to take a morsel when the tree behind him made a loud creaking noise in the wind. Manabozho sternly rebuked the tree, but just as soon as he was about to take a bite of his repast, the tree again breached the peace. This time he climbed the tree to deal with the offending branches, when the wind blew and he found himself trapped in the fork of the tree. Right then a pack of wolves came along. Manabozho yelled, "There's nothing over here. What could you be looking for?" The wolves realized who it was and immediately headed for the voice. There they found the moose, and proceeded to eat every bit of it until nothing was left but the bones. The next day the wind shifted the tree again, and Manabozho extricated himself. He thought to himself, "I shouldn't have worried about little things when I had something good in my grasp." [6]

This story is similar to an episode from an Assiniboine trickster tale:

Coyote approaches [Inktonmi], pretending to limp. Inktonmi offers to give him food, provided he gets a bucket for him. Coyote gets several buckets, but Inktonmi is not satisfied with them and sends him off again. Finally, he obtains the desired vessel, and Inktonmi sits down on a rock, which holds him fast. Coyote notifies other animals, and they eat up all the food. [7]

In another tale, Inktonmi throws his eyes into a tree while trying to juggle them. When he climbs the tree, he gets stuck in its branches. [8]

The Omaha tell a similar story about Rabbit and Ictinike (the trickster). Rabbit shoots a bird that gets hung up in a tree. Ictinike persuade him to climb up the tree and fetch it. While he is up there, Ictinike says "You can just stay where you are," and Rabbit becomes glued in place. As Rabbit had taken off his clothes before climbing the tree, Ictinike now stole them and wore them himself. [9]

The Ioway story is essentially identical to the Omaha version. [10] (See the Ioway website version)

It is said by the Ponca that Ictinike was the one who got stuck in the tree. [11]

In the Arapaho counterpart to this tale, the trickster Nih'âtcâ persuades a group of beavers to set out overland for a better lake. On the way he kills all but two of them. While he is roasting the meat, two limbs of the nearby cottonwood tree rub together making a bothersome squeaking noise, so Nih'âtcâ climbs the tree to separate the two "fighting" branches only to get himself stuck between them. While in this predicament, Coyote came along, and despite Nih'ârcâ's entreaties, ate all the meat. However, later Nih'âtcâ found Coyote asleep in the grass, and setting it ablaze, singed Coyote's legs. Thus ever after coyotes have had yellowish legs. [12]

A similar misadventure befalls the Kickapoo trickster Wiza'ka'a. As Wiza'ka'a was sitting beneath a tree cooking his meal, he heard the tree go, "Kii, kii!" He spoke to the tree saying, "Why do you cry, little brother, our parents are long dead. Sit there in silence, for if you don't, I'll whack you with this burning poker." Again the tree squeaked out, "Kii, kii!" At that point, Wiza'ka'a lit the end of his poker and started for the tree. He climbed up and whacked it a couple of times with his burning poker. Just then, he found himself trapped between two branches. He couldn't free himself. While this was going on a pack of wolves smelled Wiza'ka'a's food and walked by under the tree. Wiza'ka'a shouted, "Wolves, run away from here. Don't eat what I'm cooking!" The wolves said, "Wiza'ka'a said go ahead and eat!" So the wolves began eating his meal. Then Wiza'ka'a said, "Don't damage my plates." The wolves replied, "Well, Wiza'ka'a said we should bust up his plates!" So they not only broke his plates, but destroyed his utensils. By the time the tree released him the wolves were long gone. [13]

Links: Trickster, Tree Spirits, The Sons of Earthmaker.

Links within the Trickster Cycle: §12. Trickster and the Mothers,§14. The Elk's Skull.

Stories: featuring Trickster as a character: The Trickster Cycle, Trickster Gets Pregnant, Trickster's Warpath, Trickster's Anus Guards the Ducks, Lake Winnebago Origin Myth, The Mission of the Five Sons of Earthmaker, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Trickster Soils the Princess, Trickster, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Meadow Lark, Soft Shelled Turtle Gets Married, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Trickster Concludes His Mission, The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster, The Elk's Skull, Trickster and the Mothers, The Markings on the Moon, The Spirit of Gambling, The Woman who Became an Ant, The Green Man, The Red Man, Trickster Takes Little Fox for a Ride, Trickster's Tail, A Mink Tricks Trickster, Trickster's Penis, Trickster Loses Most of His Penis, The Scenting Contest, The Bungling Host, Mink Soils the Princess, Trickster and the Children, Trickster and the Eagle, Trickster and the Geese, Trickster and the Dancers, Trickster and the Honey, Trickster's Adventures in the Ocean, The Pointing Man, Trickster's Buffalo Hunt, Trickster Eats the Laxative Bulb, Trickster Visits His Family, The Coughing Up of the Black Hawks, The Petition to Earthmaker, Warughápara, Hare Secures the Creation Lodge; relating to dogs or wolves: The Gray Wolf Origin Myth, A Man and His Three Dogs, White Wolf, Wolves and Humans, The Wolf Clan Origin Myth, The Old Man and His Four Dogs, Worúxega, The Dogs of the Chief's Son, The Dog that became a Panther, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Wild Rose, The Man Whose Wife was Captured, The Resurrection of the Chief's Daughter, The Canine Warrior, The Raccoon Coat, Wodjidjé, The Big Eater, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, Sun and the Big Eater, Redhorn's Sons, Trickster, the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Meadow Lark, Hog's Adventures, Holy One and His Brother, The Messengers of Hare, Grandmother's Gifts, The Hotcâk Migration Myth, Bladder and His Brothers, The Old Man and the Giants, Rich Man, Boy, and Horse, Peace of Mind Regained (?); mentioning trees or Tree Spirits: The Creation of the World, The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head, The Children of the Sun, The Boy who would be Immortal, The Commandments of Earthmaker, The Woman who Became a Walnut Tree, The Old Woman and the Maple Tree Spirit, The Pointing Man, The Abduction and Rescue of Trickster, The Baldness of the Buzzard, Trickster Eats the Laxative Bulb, The Journey to Spiritland (v. 2), Thunderbird Clan Origin Myth, Warughápara, The Chief of the Herok'a, The Red Man, The Shell Anklets Origin Myth, The Annihilation of the Hotcâgara I, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, The Spirit of Gambling, Peace of Mind Regained, The Necessity for Death.

Themes: a man's meal is stolen before he can eat it: Trickster's Anus Guards the Ducks, A Mink Tricks Trickster, A Raccoon Tricks Four Blind Men; trees cause Trickster to suffer: Trickster Eats the Laxative Bulb.

Notes:

[1] Paul Radin, The Trickster: A Study in American Indian Mythology (New York: Schocken Books, 1956) 31-32; Kathleen Danker and Felix White, Sr., The Hollow of Echoes (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1978) 19-20.

[2] Danker and White, The Hollow of Echoes, 20.

[3] Dorothy Moulding Brown, Indian Fireside Tales: Ka Gwe Do Say ... Sunrise Walker, Wisconsin Folklore Society Booklets (Madison: 1947) 2-3, 9, 10, 36.

[4] Zitkala-sa, Old Indian Stories (Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 1901) 11-14.

[5] Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz (edd.), American Indian Trickster Tales (New York: Penguin-Putnam, Inc., 1998) 96.

[6] "Manabozho, or the Great Incarnation of the North," in Henry R. Schoolcraft, Schoolcraft's Indian Legends, ed. Mentor L. Williams (East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1991 [1956]) 75. A variant with Wenebojo is found in Tom Badger, "The Wenebojo Origin Myth," trs. by Julia Badger, in Victor Barnouw, Wisconsin Chippewa Myths and Tales (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1977) Story 9, pp. 23-25. Another variant with Winabozho says that it was a deer that he killed and that the tree was a poplar -- Charles E. Brown, "The Poplar Tree," in Winabozho (Madison: 1944).

[7] Radin, The Trickster, 99, #16. These tales are collected in R. H. Lowie, The Assiniboine, in The Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History (New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1909) 4:239-244.

[8] Radin, The Trickster, 100, #23.

[9] Roger Welsch, Omaha Tribal Myths and Trickster Tales (Athens: Ohio University Press, 1981) 40.

[10] Lewis Spence, "Myths of the North American Indians" (London: George G. Harrap & Company, 1916) 266-268.

[11] Radin, The Trickster, 128, #2. The Ponca trickster cycle is found in James Owen Dorsey, Cegiha Texts, in Contributions to North American Ethnology (Washington, D. C.: 1890) vol. 6.

[12] Found, "Nih'âtcâ's Feast of Beaver Stolen by Coyote," George A. Dorsey and Alfred L. Kroeger, Traditions of the Arapaho (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997 [1903]) Story 24, pp. 57-58. Dorsey adds, "The Osage have a similar tale."

[13] Kickapoo Tales, collected by William Jones, trs. by Truman Michelson. Publications of the American Ethnological Society (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1915) IX:15-17.