In this folktale from the American Southwest, a misunderstanding arises due to a priest’s poor choice of words. In soliciting donations, he alludes to the biblical concept expressed in Mark 10:30, whereby he who gives up everything for God will be rewarded a hundredfold. A misled, or more likely wily, parishioner donates a cow and takes a hundred of the priest’s cattle in return. The story’s message is to make sure you understand the culture of people you are dealing with before making promises and, even then, be careful what you say.
A secondary message may be greed in the church. The priest, who has managed to accumulate a herd of a hundred-plus cattle, is soliciting donations from parishioners, many of whom may have only one or two cows.
The Indian and the Hundred Cows Text / PDF (550 words)