The Coyote Myth

In “The Coyote and the Buffalo,” “The World on a Turtle’s Back,” and “Brother Bear” there are many themes. All these themes teach viewers how to live life. Also they teach about how the Earth was created and why things change and evolve in it.

Coyote was an excellent trickster to Crow in the myth Coyote and Crow, According to textual evidence, “Coyote sees Crow munching on some deer fat, he is making a plan to steal the deer fat from Crow, Coyote is hungry and he needs food. He goes up to Crow standing on a cliff and munching on some delicious, juicy deer fat. Coyote says to himself, “I know how to get the deer fat from Crow,” (Ella Clark, Ella Clark Pg 68). Coyote trots to the cliff were Crow is munching on some dear fat. “Oh, Chief I heard you can make a good noise, A pleasing noise.

The figure of the Trickster is a common aspect in First Nations mythology and creationism. Much like Loki is to Northern Europe and Hermes is to the Greeks, the figure of the trickster has god-like abilities and often leads through negative example. First Nations mythology uses various characters like the coyote and Nanabush (Nanabozho) to shares stories of the creation of man, to share morals, to explain how things came to be, and to toy with gullible victims and trick them into doing things against their moral judgment. The mythological use of the trickster through various roles helps to parallel human experiences and the understanding of the creation of man through a relatable and familiar character.

“One general truth that threads throughout the Native American spiritual beliefs is the belief of the Mother Earth spirituality” (Coll). They often called earth their mother and called father the air. The earth to the Natives is very sacred to them and is the most important thing to them. Most of the ceremonies were in some way revolving around the earth and they called earth “home.” Most of the ceremonies were practiced for many years and were passed down through generation to generation. The Native Americans didn’t have a book like the bible or any language that was written. One big thing they had was Totems. These were everywhere in their tribes and it was supposed to represent people and the animals that represented them. The Indians were supposed to have 7 spiritual animals and the many animals on the totems were supposed to represent all the person’s spiritual

I think tricksters are essential to any world belief system. Human beings work so hard at figuring out the rules of the physical and spiritual world! We create language, governance, religion, music, art … and they all come with rules and rituals, regulations, do’s and don’ts. The problem comes when we make our lives so safe, so predictable, that we lose our ability to innovate, to meet new challenges, to deal with the unexpected or tragic. A trickster like Coyote is the crazy, creative, inventive energy that gets us out of that rut and comes up with solutions that our rules won’t allow us to see.

Myths are of great importance in the Navajo community because it is believed that it was a way to connect to the Holy People. The myth helps recognize symbolized supernatural in chants, translates the meaning of songs, and explains the importance of the ritual objects (Lamphere 1969). For example, there is myth of the two heroes who had gone through some misfortunes but thanks to the supernatural’s aid, the two heroes created a

Early in the tale the readers are told, “Coyote decided that this was the time to get the fire away from Thunder”(Erdoes and Ortiz 45). This quote reveals that Coyote’s main goal is to steal the fire away from Thunder. This example occurs after Thunder lets out a loud rumble, and Coyote makes his conclusion to steal the fire. At this point of the tale Coyote is clear in the fact that he wants to steal the fire from Thunder and in order to do so he must confront the god like character about it. Once Coyote gets to the top of the mountain he tells Thunder that he would like to play a game of dice with him, and that if Coyote wins Thunder must “...give [him] fire”(Erdoes and Ortiz 45). Here Coyote is telling Thunder the results of the game, then as the readers know, he is also clearly telling Thunder what he wants, the fire. After the game is over and by the end of the tale, Coyote receives the fire which is what he intended to do. Coyote was successful in fulfilling the task that he wanted to complete, and that is clear because every animal gathered a piece of fire and spread it all around the world. Many animals came to the rock, just as Coyote asked them to do, and they each took some fire in order to be spread to the people. In the beginning of the tale Coyote wanted to give fire to everybody, and by the end he was able to do that because he tricked Thunder into giving the fire to him. All of the characters in the three tales receive what is wanted by them and for Coyote it is giving fire to the

“Coyote and the Enemy Aliens” is a satirical commentary that effectively expounds on the intense objectification and dehumanization of Japanese Canadians during the colonial Canadian era. By depicting the grotesque living conditions, the Japanese were subjected to, King is able to critique the racist perspectives of the Canadian society. King condemns the actions of colonial white-men, depicting them as creatures engulfed in moral blindness that strive to fabricate an ideal white world. Moreover, King vividly portrays the idea of social dynamics, expounding on the helplessness of Citizens against dominant political powers. King also introduces an idea of conformity, showcasing how citizens gradually adapt to

The motifs found in the creation myths are undoubtedly different from those found in any other type of myth. Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of the creation myths is much greater than a primitive attempt to explain the mysteries of creation. Behind each creation myth is a vast variety of symbolism along with a number of motives which are often shared between cultures, despite vast geographical differences. My intention here is not only to discuss the purpose of the creation myths, but also to compare and contrast common themes which can be found in three selected works. These being, an Eskimo creation myth, the Ongwe creation myth and the Navajo creation myth.

Recently, I read a story of “A Coyote Columbus Story” by King. The story included history, the discovery of island by Columbus. However, this was written in different point of view, not similar to general history books. He was described as an invader from the other island, rather than a hero who explored the new land. From First nation people’s eyes, Columbus must have been a foreigner who stole everything from their land. His characteristic was told to be rude and disrespectful. Why does it contain different story comparing history books? Why is Columbus described as an invader? I realized story depended on who is writing the story. I started thinking about how history books were written, and furthermore, considered why novels were written.

The Navajo believe there are two classes of beings, The Holy people and the Earth people. The Earth people of the Navajo must do everything they can to maintain the peace and harmony of Mother Earth since they are an integral part of the universe. According to Discover Navajo, “it is believed that centuries ago the Holy People taught the Navajo how to live the right way and to conduct their many acts of everyday life“ (Navajo culture, 2008). The Navajo people were taught to live one with animals, insects, man, and plants. Mt. Blanca to the east, Mt. Taylor to the south, San Francisco Peak to the west and Mr. Hesperus to the North near Durango, Colorado, were put in place by the holy people in the four different directions. Jet Black, Turquoise, White Shell, and Yellow Abalone represent the four directions. The Navajo culture uses the number four to symbolize many other different things. For example, there are four seasons and four distinct directions.

In the story “Coyote Steals Fire,” Coyote utilizes the help of others to reach his goal of getting the fire rock from Thunder. Many different animals contribute to the achieving of the fire, and they play a significant role in what happens. Coyote would not have successfully got the fire if not for the animals, most specifically the birds. Particularly in the story the narrator reveals, “Coyote called upon all the animals to come up to the mountaintop to help him carry the big rock that contained the fire” (Erodes and Ortiz 45). Coyote obtains the assistance of all of the animals that are willing, showing he needs as much help from others as he can get.

There was once a man and his son who had a cow.They had very little grass for the cow to eat.A man who walked past their 3 bedroom Austrian house said “You should buy big pieces of land.” They did what he suggested .The cow happily munched on the grass for 4 days until the cow had eaten it up.They spent 3/4 of their money to buy a 5 acre piece of land.A week later a woman walking by their house said”Buy little pieces of land.”They listened to her suggestion as well.The 1 acre land then bought was eaten in 1 day buy the cow.They had 8/10 of the 1/4 they had left.4 days later a little boy seen the hungry cow being milked and the lack of grass.He happily suggested “maybe you could buy big and small land plots.The son told his father the idea

I have decided to do my thrid quarter project on “El Chupacabra”. El Chupacabra is a myth or legend centered from Puerto Rico. I have grown much interest in this folktale. The mysterious and puzzling creature brings great interest to me. I’m eager to learn more about the Chupacabra. So with interest I believe this topic would be the correct choice for me.

"A Coyote Columbus Story" shows the Native point of view of the beginning of colonialism. When introducing Christopher Columbus into the short story, Coyote says "[t]hat is the one who found Indians" (King "Coyote" 123). In many of King's stories, he writes narration without quotations, but this particular short story doesn't contain a single quotation. The style in which it is written is not similar to many other post-colonial texts. Rather than depicting historical facts directly and accurately, this story portrays real characters, such as Columbus and the Indians, but rather doing strange things, like playing ball. While the events didn't occur the way King states, he is reaching for a deeper meaning of the how colonization effected