How the Skunk Got his Stripe
Skunk was a very beautiful animal, and very vain. He had a sleek white coat and a beautiful scent and so he thought he was better than all other animals. He loved to watch other animals, and harrass them whenever he could. Whenever he saw one who was not so pretty, or anyone make a mistake, he'd holler about it for all to hear. He especially liked to pick on Possum. Whenever he'd see Possum he'd say "Such a coward, and so ugly, how can you endure to be alive?" This bothered Possum very much, but Possum was never one to say anything back, that's just not the way he was.
Well, the other animals were getting pretty sick of this, but no one wanted to confront Skunk publicly, cos they knew that with his sharp tongue and his knoweldge of everyone else's weaknesses, they'd only come out worse for it. So Skunk got away with it for a very long time.
One day the lightning struck a dry bramble bush on fire, and a sudden whirlwind picked up Skunk and dropped him right into the fire! Skunk tried to free himself, but the more he tried the worse he got tangled in the burning brambles. He got very afraid and started hollering for help, but no one would help him. No one wanted to go out in the rain, no one wanted to go near a fire, especially one that had started that way. Besides, some secretly thought: at last Skunk is getting what he deserves. So Skunk hollered and hollered and he got so scared, that he let out a bad smelling wind from beneath his tail!
The bad scent attracted Crow, who thought that it was carrion. Crow flew down closer and saw that it was Skunk. He saw Skunk hollering and suffering like that, and found a little pity for him somewhere in his own black heart. Crow knew his own self, that he could endure the fire, he'd done it before, but that's another story. So he swooped down into the fire, and grabbed Skunk by the loose skin on his back. The spot where Crow grabbed Skunk is the only part of him that was not burnt, that is still white.
So that's why Skunk is the way he is, today.
(From a tale of the Southeast Indians, as told by Dee.)
Note: I'm posting this story to the heritage list and cc'ing it to a few of my friends who enjoy stories. This story is posted for enjoyment, does not target any individual. I heard this story from an Indian teller who tells tales of the Southeastern tribes. I can tell it also, cos I pay royalties to Crow. Not the tribe; the bird.
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