A long, long time ago, when the world was new, Ban (Coyote) stole an old woman's chu'i (pinole). The chief of the village chased the thief.

To escape, Ban flew to the sky, spilling the white chu'i across it. The chief flew after him. When he caught the culprit, he angrily picked him up and flung him to the moon.

Thus on a bright moonlit night, the desert Coyotes look up to the sky. They see the Coyote in the moon and wail for their brother.

And when you look up at the sky, you can still see the pinole scattered all across it.

* Note: This story was used as a teaching tool to teach children not to steal or they might end up like Coyote in the moon.

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