Hawk and Buzzard: A Catawba Tale

This is a Catawba story told by Mrs. Sally Gordon, daughter of Margaret Brown, born around 1865, told this story; you can see the Catawba text here (and here's a story told by Margaret Brown: Snapping Turtle and Rabbit):

Hawk and Buzzard

Hawk got his food by taking what he wanted.

One day he asked Buzzard, "How do you get your food?"

"I wait for God to take care of me," Buzzard replied. "I know God will provide."

"You're going to get mighty hungry that way," said Hawk, "waiting on God like that. You should do what I do. Watch!"

Then Hawk swooped down, thinking to snatch a farmer's chicken, but the farmer shot Hawk and killed him.

Buzzard swooped down and feasted on Hawk. "I knew God would provide," he said. "If you wait on God, you'll have the better part."

This is a very well known African American folktale. You might know it from Zora Neale Hurston's Of Mules and Men, where it's told by Jim Allen: "You know de hawk and de buzzard was settin' up in a pine tree..." (text online). Its first appearance in print (to my knowledge) is in Joel Chandler Harris's book Nights with Uncle Remus, published in 1883: Brer Hawk and Brer Buzzard. Here's another African American version that includes Rabbit too! The second oldest recorded version I know is the Gullah version in Jones, published in 1888: Buh Fowl-Hawk and Buh Turkey Buzzard.

This is the first time I've seen it in a Native American source. It's always been one of my favorite African American stories, and now I know it's a story that was shared back-and-forth with Native American storytellers in the southeast.

buzzard

(turkey vulture)