ULUPOKA, AN evil god of one of the smaller of the Fiji Islands, got himself all mixed up in a great battle of the gods. He did not fare so well in the imbroglio, in that after much thunderous clashing his head was cut off and it fell to the earth, landing on the island of Ono. Being a god and also malicious, his head was immortal and it rolled all over the island causing trouble. Any who saw it soon became sick and died.
Preceded by a sudden chill in the air, the head would come rolling along at dusk. Sometimes it would roll into a basket, so if one saw an old basket rolling along the ground on a windless evening one knew that Ulupoka was about.
It could happen that the head would enter a house in the village. The people inside would hear a snarling sound, then the head would bounce over the threshold and come rolling over and over, turning this way and that as it sought its victim, all the while grimacing in the most hideous fashion imaginable. Seeing its victim the god would roll over to him and bite off one of his toes. Then with a piercing shriek the head would roll out of the house and away, and soon the man would die.
* * * * *
Now, up until the turn of the last century some of the Melanesian natives of Fiji practiced cannibalism. They were rather fond of human flesh, which they called 'long pork' — so fond of it were they indeed that in addition to consuming their enemies they would upon occasion eat their friends. Severed heads must therefore have been a familiar sight to these people.
This is not the case with the native tribes of the northern coast of California, however, with whom this next tale originated. My retelling in this instance is a condensation of a portion of a longer tale — done to provide an interesting comparison with the Fijian legend. One can note, for example, the presence of a basket, the atmosphere of 'trouble,' the supernatural occurrence. Simultaneously, it will be evident that the entire atmosphere and attitude of the two tales considerably differ, as do the central motive and symbology of the featured character.
* * * * *
One day Coyote was going along when a louse landed on his ragged tail. It wasn't long before his tail began to itch, so he rubbed against a tree but that only made it worse. He took a piece of bark and rubbed and rubbed it on his tail but still the itch continued. This made him mad. Coyote found a big rock, laid his tail over a stump, then pounded and pounded his tail off. Ah! — that was better!
Now he continued on. But soon his leg began to itch. Immediately he looked around for a rock and laid his leg over a stump and pounded it off. Fine!
Hopping on one leg, he continued on his way. Until his other leg began to itch. So he found another rock, sat on another stump, and pounded this leg off as well. He toppled to the ground and started to pull himself along with his forelegs. But these itched also. He pounded one off and kept on, dragging himself with a single foreleg. Finally the itching was just too much. Coyote grabbed a rock, laid his neck on another rock and pounded his neck until his head came off. His head went rolling down a hill.
Some children were playing near their village. When they saw the head rolling down the hill toward them they got scared and ran home. In the village, upon hearing their story of a monster rolling along the ground, two brave young men were sent to capture it. They laid a basket on the trail to the village and when the head came along and rolled into it they lifted the basket and ran to the village and placed the laden basket beside the center-post inside the ceremonial house. Whereupon the head hopped out of the basket and cried, "Bring me all your beads and finery!"
The people all went to their homes and quickly returned with their beads and goods and piled them up in the ceremonial house. It was a large pile. "Okay now," said the head, "I'll be right back!" Then the head rolled out of the house, out of the village and back to where it had pounded itself from the neck and reattached itself to it. Then it dragged itself with one foreleg to where the other one was, and then back to where each of the hind legs was, reattaching each part in its turn. The last to be put back on was the tail.
Whole once again, Coyote ran back to the village ceremonial house to get his beads. But the basket was gone. Coyote went outside to find a basket so he could gather up all the loot. He looked all over the village. When at last he found a basket and returned, the people had taken back all their beads and finery and gone home. And so Coyote went around the village as usual, begging for food....
