Coyote: The cunning trickster

Native American mythology is generally centered around nature itself but mainly focuses on the animals that roam around freely. Each animal represents a certain meaning, symbolizing a God, a strong attribute, or something supernatural. In Native American myth, the coyote is cardinally known for being a trickster, someone whose actions must not be followed. One of the first myths that shapes the coyote's reputation explains how he ended up being so cunning. In this story, all the animals are waiting for Man to come with the bows and arrows to distribute their rank and power (since their god Kareya had accidentally put them all on the same level). Obviously, whoever was first to get the longest bow and arrow would be the one who got the most power. Although Coyote's plan was a complete fail, he had "schemed to outwit the others" (How Coyote 382) wanting the longest bow to himself. Since Man felt bad for poor Coyote (who ended up getting the shortest bow and arrow), he gave Coyote his cunning, to make up for being the weakest animal. The fact that the Coyote was thinking so selfishly crystallizes what his reputation would end up becoming. In another tale, Coyote seemingly does have good intentions, but goes about them in very defective ways. This particular tale is about a beaver named Wishpoosh who never let any of the animals catch fish by the lake. Coyote was determined to put Wishpoosh in his place because he did not like the way  he treated the other animals. Coyote picked a fight with the monstrous beaver, and the two of them clawed at each other, both wanting to win the fight no matter how bad they got hurt (because of the amount of thrashing their fight caused, the Native American's claim that this is how waterfalls were created). Coyote was intimidated by the strength Wishpoosh had but since "[Coyote] was the most cunning of all the animals, and he came up with a plan.(Schlosser)" Coyote undertook Wishpoosh by swimming with the fish, getting the crazy beaver to swallow him. By doing so, Coyote brandished out a knife and killed the beaver from inside out.  Even if his title is shrewd, his stories "often serve to convey some sort of moral lesson...an example of how one should not behave" (Smith). Other animals that symbolize adversity are the eagle (who may be seen as a hero in certain tales but still has the same cunning attributes as the coyote), rattlesnake (mainly known as the coyote's arch nemesis), and raven (who used to be white but did a horrible thing causing the feathers to change black). These animals are "often portrayed as rebellious and stubborn tricksters who, by their foolish actions, cause harm, not only to others but to themselves as well. (Smith)" In this case, coyote is the primary animal world renowned for his mischievous ways.  In fact, back in 1800's the Native Americans worst name to call one another was coyote because it "stands for everything low.(Winnemucca 65)"


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Works Cited

• Dembicki, Matt. "How Coyote Got his Cunning ." Trickster: Native American tales : a graphic collection. Golden : Fulcrum Pub., 2010. 382-383. Print.
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  Schlosser , S.E.. "Coyote and Wishpoosh: From Native American Myths at Americanfolklore.net."American Folklore: Famous American folktales, tall tales, myths and legends, ghost stories, and more. . N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2011. <http://americanfolklore.net/folklore/2010/08/coyote_and_wishpoosh>.
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  Smith, Evans Lansing. "The Complete Idiot's Guide to World ... - Evans Lansing Smith, Nathan Robert Brown - Google Books." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2011. <http://books.google.com/books?id=UYdGl8XM8L0C&pg=PT33&lpg=PT33&dq=why+is+the+coyote+bad+in+native+american+myth?&source=bl&ots=Qa6ykqtyzs&sig=lt0AIse6QbW0S2IEV0rs0tWEGh0&hl=en&ei=2f6QTvN8xYOyApSvyYYB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBwQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q&f=false>.
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  Winnemucca, Sarah . "Life among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims. ." The literary west: an anthology of western American literature. London: Oxford University Press, 1999. 65-69. Print