Coyote Tales from the Indian PueblosOne of the most constant symbols of North American Indian mythology is coyote, a figure that has not only persisted but successfully crossed cultural barriers. Coyote survives both as an animal and a myth in literature and art. Why have coyote stories lasted so long? Although they are entertaining, one of the purposes of the legends is to point up a moral. Coyote serves as a model of what to do and what not to do. In many of the stories his anti-social behavior results in misfortune. And some of the stories provide a relief from serious and tense concerns. Listeners or readers are also able to take a vicarious delight in Coyote's irreverent attitude toward authority. In the end, coyote has the power to draw us all into his magic circle and, in his own way, he serves to reinforce our human identity. This book is an ideal companion to "Kachina Tales from the Indian Pueblos," American Indian legends collected by Gene Meany Hodge from authentic sources in the 1930s, also published by Sunstone Press. "Booklist" reported: "This collection includes a good sampling of the stories as told in a variety of different pueblos.... They also make comprehensible the moral and cultural heritage of the Indians of the Southwest." |
Contents
| 4 | |
The Medicine Man Isleta | 11 |
The Brown Stone Eyes Zuni | 17 |
The False Colors Taos | 23 |
The Forgotten Song Zuni | 31 |
The Jolly Snowbirds Santo Domingo | 39 |
The Playful Fawns Jémez | 45 |
The World Catches Fire Taos | 51 |
The Pine Gum Baby Santa Clara | 57 |
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Common terms and phrases
American Folklore Society American Indian antlers Apache Indians asked Coyote began burning Catalog Sunstone cedar Charles Lummis Cochiti Coyote ambled Coyote fell Coyote gathered Coyote Grandfather Coyote hurried Coyote is going Coyote put Coyote ran Coyote sat back Coyote Stories Coyote tried Coyote Woman Coyote's habit Coyote's heart crows Deer Woman fastened Fawn Children fire flew forgotten your song friend Coyote Friend Woodpecker gone grind and sing ground halfway home happened that coyotes hole Hopi Horned Toad hunting Insect Isleta Jémez jumped laughed legends looked melons morning Mouse Navajo Old Coyote Old Turkey Old Woodpecker Parsons patch PINE GUM BABY pouch prairie dogs Pueblo Rabbit Boy Rabbit sprang Santa Fe sharp stick Skunk snowbirds spill the song SPOTTED DEER squash stone stuck fast Sunstone Press teach telling about Coyote's Thought Woman THUNDER KNIVES told toothache tough tree trick trickster trotted Turn me loose young coyotes الله