A Pima Legend
Long, long ago, when the world was new, Ban (Coyote) stole an old woman’s chu’i (pinole). The chief of the village, furious at the theft, chased after the mischievous Coyote. To escape capture, Ban flew up into the sky, spilling the white chu’i across it like stars scattered in the night.
The chief pursued him into the heavens. When he finally caught the crafty thief, he was so angry that he picked Ban up and flung him all the way to the moon.
Now, on bright moonlit nights, the desert Coyotes look up at the sky and wail for their lost brother, Coyote. And if you gaze upward, you can still see the pinole sprinkled across the sky, a reminder of Ban’s mischief.
This story serves as a teaching tool for children, a warning against stealing, for if they do, they might end up just like Coyote, forever roaming the moon.
