# The Gopher — Zuni Folktales character guide

> The Gopher in Zuni Folktales by Frank Hamilton Cushing.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** The old Gopher, The lubber-cheeked old Gopher, the old Gopher, himself

**First appearance:** 0001-zuni-folktales

## Snapshot

A lubber-cheeked burrower whose sly wit and underground tricks make him a wily rival in the old tales' contests of cleverness.

## Who they are

The Gopher belongs to the animal folk who populate Zuni storytelling, a creature of the earth whose burrowing ways give him advantages no winged or four-footed rival can match. His defining trait is cunning rather than strength, and he delights in turning the pride of others against them. In the early arc he embodies the tale-teller's lesson that wit, not size, decides who wins.

## In the story

### [How the Summer Birds Came](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-summer-birds-came)

The old Gopher who helps the boy tunnel to the Bison's heart.

### [The Coyote and the Locust](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/the-coyote-and-the-locust)

The old Gopher whose hole causes the Coyote to fall and forget the song the first time.

### [How the Gopher Raced with the Runners of Kʻiákime](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/chapters/how-the-gopher-raced-with-the-runners-of-k-i-kime)

The old Gopher who cunningly wins the race by enlisting his brothers to appear along the course.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters/gopher
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/zuni_folktales_se/characters