Monday 20 April 2009

Crow tales of Coyote

In the beginning, Old Man Coyote stood alone with water surrounding him. Two ducks swam by, and Coyote asked if they had seen anyone else. The ducks said no but thought that something might exist under the water.
Coyote asked if they would travel underwater for him and report on what they saw. The ducks did as they were asked, finding nothing. He asked again, and the ducks returned with a root. On the third try, they found mud and Coyote was happy. He told the ducks that they could build with it, and he began to shape and mold the mud into an island. He blew on it, and it expanded. He blew again, and it grew into the earth. The ducks said they did not like the earth's emptiness, so Coyote created grass and trees out of the roots that came from the water.
Coyote and the ducks loved the earth, but it was flat. They wanted rivers, valleys, mountains, and lakes. So it was done. Soon Coyote and the ducks made a perfect earth, but they grew lonely, with only the three of them to sit and enjoy the land. So Coyote molded dirt to form men and then more mud to create many types of male ducks. Soon, they realized that without women, the males could not have children. So with more dirt he made women and female ducks to populate the earth.
One day Old Man Coyote traveled upon the land and was surprised to find another Coyote. When asked where he came from, the younger brother, named Shirape, said he was unsure of his origin and only knew he existed. As the two traveled along, Shirape wanted Old Man Coyote to make other animals, for only ducks, humans, and the two Coyotes had been created. The elder Coyote agreed, and as he spoke the new animals' names, they were created. He said "Elk" and an elk appeared. He said "Bear" and a bear appeared. This is how it was until all animals were created.
Aside from the Crow story, Coyote is generally portrayed as a sly, keen trickster who uses his bizarre and comic behavior to teach lessons and inject humor into tribal life. Otherwise called a Heyoka, or clown, Coyote is blamed in many stories for what is unexplainable. It is said that Coyote caused the various colors of the world's people and that he once got his head stuck in a buffalo skull while trying to enjoy a dance performed by flies. He represents challenges, lessons, healing through irrelevance, and accepting contrary situations.
When Coyote is part of a creation story, or any other tale, it is certain that a moral or surprise will be present. One such tale comes from the Nez Percé, who lived in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. They trace their ancestry back to the tricky Coyote.

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