Species: Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens)
Status: Endangered
The man saved by prairie dogs
Jicarilla Apache legend*
According to legend, forty-four warriors set out on a journey, forty-three died, and the last one was barely alive, dying of thirst. He finally collapsed by a prairie dog hole. The prairie dogs came out to see what happened, and asked him why he was lying there. When they learned he is dying of thirst, they took him into their home and gave him water from a small vessel - but no matter how much he drank, the vessel never emptied. They sent him on his way with the vessel. This is how people learned that prairie dogs have power over water and rain.
(One version of this story ends with "Prairie dog gave him no songs or ceremony. He just took pity on him and saved him from death.")
*Okay so I'm cheating here because the habitat of the Utah prairie dogs don't overlap with Jicarilla Apache lands, but I couldn't find any prairie dog legends that are more local. My resources are currently limited...
Sources: Read versions of the story here or here.
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Read about conservation efforts here, here, here, or here.
Have you ever seen prairie dogs in the wild? I only ever met them in a zoo...
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The prairie dogs should have learned right then and there this insatiable beast should be allowed to die right there. Look what came after...
ReplyDeleteI loved the prairie dogs that lived in the field we'd cross on our walks to school. They were little little sentinels. Don't their tails flick when they communicate, or did I make that up in my childhood?
ReplyDeleteInteresting tale! And, yes, I've seen prairie dogs in person. They are adorable and VERY alert. A few years ago, scientists managed to decode their language. Apparently those cute squeaks they make tell their fellow prairie dogs what type of animal you are, if you're dangerous. They even can say what color shirt you are wearing!
ReplyDeleteI always love your posts!
~Tui Snider, @TuiSnider TuiSnider.com - Historic Cemeteries & Symbolism from A to Z
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ReplyDeleteI deleted my first comment because there were so many typos. Here it is corrected.
ReplyDeleteThey look like squirrels without tails.
I wonder how they got him down in their little hole in the ground.
Not in the wild, in an enclosure that was built to be like their natural habitat. People had to crawl around in tunnels and could peek up. They were used to it, and didn't mind! I had no idea they were endangered.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Indian mythology also makes references to vessels that never get emptied- its called "Akshay Patra" here.
ReplyDeleteCute little one, looks like a marmot(or groundhog?).
ReplyDeleteWith all the wonderful tales you dig up and share here Csenge, you're allowed a little cheating:) All is forgiven.
ReplyDeleteAnother tale of the kindness of animals.
As a kid the first time I traveled to Utah, I discovered prairie dogs. They were in a field across from the where we were, and there were dozens of them poking their heads in and out of their holes. I'd never seen anything like it, and was entirely mesmerized.
ReplyDeleteYes I have see prairie dogs out scampering around and dashing into their burrows....cute little guys.
ReplyDeleteThey look so much like a squirrel! And I wonder how humans thanked them for their service.
ReplyDeleteLove that last sentence.
ReplyDelete@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter - Living the Twenties
Interesting creature -- looks a lot like a Meerkat :-)
ReplyDeleteAn A-Z of Faerie: Werehyena