Uncle Rabbit, Uncle Coyote and the chickens is part of the Transmitted stories from generation to generation. Authors such as Celso Lara and Héctor Gaitán have compiled different Legends of Guatemala In his works, with the aim of preserving these stories against the passage of time.
Among the stories attributed to Celso Lara is Uncle Rabbit, Uncle Coyote and the chickens. According to one of the versions of this story, everything begins when Uncle Rabbit meets Uncle Coyote and talk for a long time.
Suddenly, Uncle Coyote exclaims: “It seems to me that you are very rich. I do not say it because you think you have a lot of money, I say it because I think you are rich to eat.” Upon hearing these words, Uncle Rabbit says that he is not well and that he has measles.
“But we can do one thing,” he continued. Uncle Coyote nodded and accepted the proposal.
However, Uncle Coyote waited a lot of time, but Uncle Rabbit never returned. Several days later they met again. Then, Uncle Coyote claimed Uncle Rabbit for lied. He replied that he had suffered a delay.
What happened later with Uncle Rabbit and Uncle Coyote?
During the conversation, Uncle Coyote mentioned that he was looking for work and that he would go to the peoplewhere they needed a coyote to take care of the chickens and goats of a man. As energy required, he again expressed his desire to eat the rabbit.
Uncle Rabbit proposed a new treatment: “I will make a letter of recommendation for that man, because I know him and we are very good friends.” However, when the message came to the owner of the chickens, the letter said:
Dear friend: I recommend the bearer of the present to give him the job he has there. Be very careful with him, because he intends to eat the chickens and give goats to his mother during the night.
When reading the letter, the Lord asked the Coyote to enter his room and told him that his brothers would take a chicken, already ready to eat. He covered him with a sheet, called his brothers and his father, and explained that he wanted to give a lesson to the coyote. He told them that, hearing the cry “Bring it, it’s time”, They had to enter the room.
According to the narrative, the Lord told the Coyote that he would pretend to be sick for his brothers to take a well -peeled chicken. While I was with him, he shouted: “Bring her, boys, it’s time! Bring her already peeled!” LThe brothers entered the room with a large hose wrapped in paper, “peled” and hit the coyote, who fled from the house. That was the “chicken” they gave to eat.
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Historical and cultural context of the story
The story of Uncle Rabbit, Uncle Coyote and the chickens It is an essential part of the Guatemalan oral tradition, although it has several versions. In his work The popular traditionthe historian and writer Celso Lara points out that Uncle Rabbit is a character that challenges values:
“To him a series of actions have been transferred, especially to overcome the powerful using, exclusively, the cunning and boasting spell. In this case, the powerful is configured by Uncle Coyote,” says Lara in that text.
In Guatemala, the rabbit character is associated with great feats. Therefore, The historian mentions that the subaltern classes are reflected in the actions of this character, which causes the theme to remain in force.
“As in every story, the actions are timeless. However, in this case the sharpness of the character, recreated by specialized tellers, makes it very Guatemalan and therefore American,” Lara indicates in his character analysis.
According to the essayist Fernando Peñalosa, this story is part of the collection of popular stories among the indigenous Akatecos of Guatemala. However, each legend and popular story are part of the oral tradition that is transmitted from generation to generation in every corner of the country.