Why The Owl Asks Who
Cherokee/Choctaw

Three children were playing in the forest -- two brothers and their little sister. The brothers climbed trees and pretended to be squirrels, or they hopped across the ground and pretended to be rabbits. Their little sister sat quietly beside a small stream where she watched the fish and frogs swim. When the afternoon was spent and darkness slipped in, the brothers forgot their sister and rushed back to their village for supper.

Meanwhile, the little sister noticing the darkness was all around, called for her brothers but they did not answer. Becoming afraid, she left the stream and ran through the forest crying. unfortunately., she ran in a direction away from her village. Night settled comfortably upon the forest, waking all the animal creatures. First to notice the little sister was Fox. Fox hid himself in a small cave, thinking she might want to eat him.  Next to notice was Coyote. Coyote followed her for a short distance, as he was only curious. But when her crying began to bore him, he left. Then Owl spotted the child.

"Who are you?" Owl asked, perched high above her on the branch of an oak.
"Help me, help me," she wailed below Owl's tree.
"But who are you?" Owl asked again. Owl ha never seen such a big ugly animal-creature.
"Oh my," she moaned, "Oh my, I am so lost."
Owl was wise, and usually tolerant, but he was growing impatient with the creature. "Who, who, who are you?" he insisted on knowing.
 

The little sister finally stopped her wailing long enough to answer with her name and the name of her tribe.

"Why didn't you say so in the first place," Owl said.
"Because I am lost and afriad."
"Well then, go home."
"I would if I knew how," the little sister said.
"Turn around and go back where you came from," Owl said.

The little sister turned around and retraced her steps to the stream. Her brothers were there, waiting. They each took one of her hands and led her safely back to their village.

Owl, pleased that he'd been such a helpful creature, decided to make it his official job. From that time until today, whenever he spots a stranger in his forest, he asks, "Who, who, who are you?"

From Traditional Stories and Foods: An American Indian Remembers, by Joan Leslie Woodruff