Coyote and the Butterflies: An American Indian Folktale

There is a harvest festival in the village. Everyone contributes. Coyote and his wife decide to make a vegetable stew. He tells her if she will clean the pot and boil the water, he will do the rest of the work. In the morning, she does her work and when the water is boiling, wakes Coyote to do the rest. He makes excuses to get her to do the work of gathering the vegetables. This happens again and again until the stew is all ready, except for salt. She tells Coyote to travel to Salt Lake to get the salt. He does not want to go, but he does.

When he gets there, he's tired and he takes a nap. Butterflies come by and play a trick. They lift the sleeping coyote and carry him home. His wife discovers him asleep outside the house. She's angry. The confused coyote promises he'll do the job the next day. The same thing happens.

The third day, he arrives at the lake and scrapes salt off the rocks and puts it in a bag. Then he takes a nap. The butterflies carry him and the bag of salt. Wife finds him again. She's angry and he's upset when he sees the salt bag. He hands it to his wife. They salt the stew. It is delicious! They go to the festival for a great celebration.