RABBIT AND PUSSY-WILLOW A SENECA JUST-SO STORY

Tonawanda Reservation

March 30, 1937

Long time ago, when animals were still in their natural form as the Good Spirit had created them, our friend the common Rabbit, often called “Cotton-tail” looked like all other animals: he had a nice bushy tail, and his forelegs were just like any other animal. The only peculiar habit of the Rabbit was his love for green leaves and buds, or the tasty inner bark of the Black birch, and his desire or love for running. He had an idea, in his own way, that he was the fastest runner of the animal world. Thus it goes:

One fine night this certain Rabbit came out as was his custom, and being in good spirits he started to run around in one large circle in an opening near a swamp. The soft downy snowflakes were falling softly like some feathers. As he started to run around, he sang his song thusly: “Ahgah- nee-ya-ah-yenh, ah-gah-nee-ya-ah-yenh, Da-ken-dadonh, Nah-ga-nee-ya-ah-yenh,” in other words his song went like this: “If it would snow, if it would snow, how I would run about, if it would snow.”

Thus he ran in his own tracks round and round singing as he ran, and sure enough it began to snow so much more, then he was so much pleased and ran that much more.

He kept up his song and running until quite late in the night when he began to feel tired. Then he noticed that he had all the snow he wanted; some of the smaller trees were buried in the deep snow; he was very high in his track, as the snow had packed while he ran around. So he ceased his singing and started to look for a place to rest. He finally found a crotched limb of an old willow tree nearby, close enough for him to jump to, which he did, and as he was very tired, he fell asleep. When he had settled down on this limb, he slept all night and quite late in the next day.

In the meantime the weather got warmer, the spring thaw came, the snow melted very fast and was all gone by morning. In its place green grass and other plants were growing, spring had come, snow and Frost Spirit had gone back to their North land. There was our friend the Rabbit, up in a tree asleep. As we know him, he never was a tree climber of any sort. So, what was his surprise when he found himself way up on a tree! We also know that he never was very bold nor brave. He was timid by nature. Always let well enough alone. But he had to come down or starve up there on the tree. He tried to reason as best he could; he wanted an easier way to get down; and to make matters worse, he felt much more hungry when he noticed the green things growing all over. He wanted to jump, but lacked the courage to do so; so there he sat and worried for the first time in his life. He sat there and looked down. The distance was so great to risk jumping, but there seem no other choice. He did not dare to move around much in his little nest, as it seemed otherwise he would fall down. The more he looked down at the new growing things, the more his hunger grew- still he was afraid to jump.

Thus it went on for quite a while until he could not stand it any longer; then he gathered all his courage and, with his eyes closed, he fell off more than jumping. And by doing so his bushy tail got caught in this crotch where he sat. As he fell, his own weight caused his tail to break off, and there it hung on the limb. When he landed on the ground, the force of his jump drove his forelegs into his body, thereby causing the two legs to be much shorter than his hind legs. As he landed so hard and his forelegs being driven into his body, he struck his upper-lip on a sharp stone, thereby cutting it deep and causing him to have a Split lip. And as the legend goes, he has never climbed any tree since, and all his tribe have to this day been tailless, with short forelegs and a split upper lip. Every spring we see those tiny catkins on all willow limbs to tell us that spring is here again. Remember that it really was the tail of a Foolish Rabbit. I have now come to the end of my rather short legend.

This legend has been told me when I was but a little boy. I have heard the song that goes with it often that it seems but only yesterday when I last heard it. Most of our wintertime legends dealing with animals had a song or two with it. I could close my eyes, live over these days, when life was just one round of childish enjoyment. During wintertime the story tellers would be going house to house; they would come in; the wee children are gathered around the fireplace or stove as the case may be. We would fill his pipe with tobacco and light it for him, so he could smoke as he related his stories of the animals or the mighty beings and beasts that used to roam. When I was the age of fifteen or thereabout, I used to go out myself and tell some of the legends that I had heard earlier in my life. So I know it is told here as it was told me about forty-odd years ago. This legend is intended more for children.

Your Seneca Brother,

Jesse J. Cornplanter