In the history of American Indian tribes, the myth of Old Man Coyote is one of the most prevalent and most beloved. He is the trickster who takes many forms. He teaches lessons to the tribe by way of his words and deeds but he is not to be trusted because things are never as they seem. Here is a story of the Coyote:
A long, long time ago, people did not yet inhabit the earth. A monster walked upon the land, eating all the animals--except Coyote. Coyote was angry that his friends were gone. He climbed the tallest mountain and attached himself to the top. Coyote called upon the monster, challenging it to try to eat him. The monster sucked in the air, hoping to pull in Coyote with its powerful breath, but the ropes were too strong. The monster tried many other ways to blow Coyote off the mountain, but it was no use.
Realizing that Coyote was sly and clever, the monster thought of a new plan. It would befriend Coyote and invite him to stay in its home. Before the visit began, Coyote said that he wanted to visit his friends and asked if he could enter the monster's stomach to see them. The monster allowed this, and Coyote cut out its heart and set fire to its insides. His friends were freed.
Then Coyote decided to make a new animal. He flung pieces of the monster in the four directions; wherever the pieces landed, a new tribe of Indians emerged. He ran out of body parts before he could create a new human animal on the site where the monster had lain. He used the monster's blood, which was still on his hands, to create the Nez Percé, who would be strong and good.
Some times you go into the belly of the beast like Coyote.
2 comments:
I used to have a book entitled "Raven Steals the Light" by Bill Reid, a northwest Indian. I liked that book. I just realized I can buy it again. So I will.
Reid is also a sculptor, and I have seen his work in various museums in Canada, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull. Very nice work indeed.
Maybe I should do a post about such things.
As usual, I'm not sure what part of the story is authentic to the original or what may have been added to arrive at this particular rendition. So it goes with myths. The teller holds the key.
I did however, find this description, which made me wonder if one of the shapes assumed by the Trickster is that of an old guy from New York.
Trickster alternately scandalizes, disgusts, amuses, disrupts, chastises, and humiliates (or is humiliated by) the animal-like proto-people of pre-history, yet he is also a creative force transforming their world, sometimes in bizarre and outrageous ways, with his instinctive energies and cunning. Eternally scavenging for food, he represents the most basic instincts, but in other narratives, he is also the father of the Indian people and a potent conductor of spiritual forces in the form of sacred dreams.
Post a Comment