Dog for President

[Guest guest]

The Dogs Hold an Election

 

[sioux]

 

We don't think much of white man's elections. Whoever wins, we Indians

always lose. Well, we have a little story about elections. Once a long time

ago, the dogs were trying to elect a president. So one of them got up in

the big dog convention and said: "I nominate the bulldog for president.

He's strong. He can fight."

 

"But he can't run," said another dog. "What good is a fighter who can't

run?

 

But the other dogs cried: "Naw, he can run all right, but he can't fight.

When he catches up with somebody, what happens then? He gets the hell

beaten out of him, that's what! So all he good for is running away."

 

Then an ugly little mutt jumped up and said: "I nominate that dog for

president who smells good underneath his tail."

 

And immeditatley an equally ugly mutt jumped up and said: "I second the

motion."

 

At once all the dogs started sniffing underneath each other's tails. A big

chorus went up:

 

"Phew, he doesn't smell good under his tail."

 

"No, neither does this one."

 

"He's no presidential timber!"

 

"No, he no good, either."

 

"This one sure isn't the people's choice."

 

"Wow, this ain't my candidate!"

 

When you go for a walk, just watch the dogs. They're still sniffing

underneath each other's tails. They're looking for a good leader, and they

still haven't found him.

 

--Told by Lame Deer at Winner,

Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota, 1969.

Recorded by Richard Erdoes