Many Native American mythologies share a curious and enigmatic figure called the Trickster. He often wears the guise of this or that animal depending upon which tribe you are dealing with. Although he is a creator, and a teacher of humans, he can also be the epitome of chaos and foolishness. Here is an example:
One day while wandering aimlessly about, Trickster hears someone say, "Anyone who chews me will defecate; he will defecate." After a short search he determines that the speaker is a bulb on a bush. Feeling challenged, and certain that nothing can cause him to defecate any sooner than he wishes to, Trickster eats the bulb. Before long he begins to break a little wind. Well," he thinks, "this is not serious. Besides, I am not defecating, only breaking a little wind. I am a great man even if I do expel a little gas."
So he continues on his way. But soon it happens again, very loudly, and this time his rectum begins to hurt. The next time he is propelled forward. "So," he thinks, "it can give me a little push, but it cannot make me defecate."
At the next instance he is forced off balance; and the time after that he is lifted up into the air and he lands on his stomach. He begins to take the matter seriously now. He grabs onto a log, and both he and the log are blasted up into the air. On the descent the log is above him and he is nearly killed. He grabs onto this tree and that, and each is uprooted by the force of his farts, so he rushes to a village and contrives to have everything in the village -- lodges, people, dogs, everything -- piled on top of him. His next explosion scatters the village in all directions.
Amidst this chaos Trickster begins to laugh hilariously. But he also begins to defecate, at first just a little, and then copiously, so much so that he must begin to shimmy up a tree, higher and higher, to try to keep above his excrement. Finally he reaches the top of the tree, where he slips and falls, and eventually comes out of the bottom of the pile covered and blinded by his own filth.
Personally, I rather like it that a nasty little tale like this can impart, with some reflection, such wisdom.
Peter Kohler is a hermit and an organic gardener who also enjoys exploring the deep roots of human culture. You can write to him at [email protected]
