Roadrunner's Dance

• In the beginning, a snake scares a family and says that he is "king of the road" and that no one can cross without his permission
• The village elders (wise people) gather to decide what to do about the big snake, he is stopping people from visiting neighbors and going places
• Desert Woman has a solution
• She rode on a summer cloud to the snake, and placed a rattle on his tail
• This way whenever he was going to strike, everyone could hear him rattle first
• The snake became a rattlesnake and became even more mean
• Desert woman gathers clay from Sacred Mountain and made a body
• Deer brought branches for legs
• Raven gave long black feathers for a tail
• Eagle gave strong feathers
• Heron gave a long reed for a beak
• Desert woman made the new animal and called him roadrunner
• Then she breathed life into the clay
• Desert Woman told roadrunner to dance around rattlesnake and peck at his tail to teach him he is not king of the road
• Roadrunner had to practice his running and dancing tricks
• Roadrunner and rattlesnake fight, rattlesnake loses
• He is no longer king of the road
• Everyone was happy and free to come and go without fear of rattlesnake