A Coyote ReaderWily, raunchy, and heroic. A trickster, lecher, and supreme survivor. Such is the magical Coyote, that mythic Native American figure whose various roles are recounted here in a wonderful selection of poetry and stories. Anthropological linguist William Bright brings together diverse portraits of Coyote from American Indian texts and modern American writing. Because Native American myths have been recited and transmitted orally, Bright addresses the special problem of converting them into written stories. His familiarity with the native languages gives his retranslations a liveliness that conveys their original vitality. The collection also includes poetic translations and original works by important contemporary writers Leslie Silko, Gary Snyder, Wendy Rose, Peter Blue Cloud, and Simon Ortiz, along with the voice of an earlier American author—Mark Twain. We see how the figure of Coyote serves both to entertain and to instruct and, by his similarities to the actual biological coyote, provides a link between culture and nature. At the same time, since he embodies distinctive characteristics of Homo sapiens, Coyote also reflects many aspects of human nature. Bright places each tale in relation to the larger Native American context and shows Coyote's affinities with classic mythological figures and popular cultural images such as Bugs Bunny. Filled with humor and at times disturbing, Coyote's tales mirror the human condition across time and cultures. |
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A coyote reader
User Review - Not Available - Book VerdictAnthropological linguist Bright has compiled an excellent introduction to the complex Native American Coyote figure, simultaneously representative of Homo sapiens , Canis latrans , and the mythical ... Read full review
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 5 |
THE MYTHIC BACKGROUND | 19 |
COYOTE THE BRICOLEUR | 35 |
COYOTE THE GLUTTON | 56 |
COYOTE THE LECHER | 65 |
COYOTE THE THIEF | 84 |
COYOTE THE OUTLAW | 92 |
COYOTE THE SPOILER | 105 |
COYOTE THE LOSER | 121 |
COYOTE THE CLOWN | 131 |
COYOTE THE PRAGMATIST | 139 |
COYOTE THE HORNY OLD MAN | 146 |
COYOTE THE SURVIVOR | 152 |
THE ONCE AND FUTURE COYOTE | 177 |
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Common terms and phrases
American Indian animals asshole Ba'ts'oosee Badger Berry Feast biological bricoleur BRUCE BENNETT California Canis latrans coming Cottontail Coyote stories Coyote Woman Coyote's Journal culture dancing daughter death Dell Hymes Dennis Tedlock ethnopoetic Excerpt feathers fingers fire floated Franz Boas frybread Gary Snyder Golizhi human hunting deer Hymes Jarold Ramsey killed Klamath Klamath Falls Klamath River literature living Lizard looked lore Ma'i measured verse Melville Jacobs myth narratives Native American night North Old Beaver Old Coyote Old Man Coyote Paiute Peter Blue Cloud Peter Coyote poetry poets prairie dogs pretty rabbits Ricketts river Ryden salmon Saucy Duckfeather singing stick sweathouse T T T COYOTE taboos tail Tedlock tell texts things thought Toelken Told in Karuk took traditions Translated with WILLIAM trickster trickster figure upriver weep Wendy Rose West Western WILLIAM BRIGHT wolf women young Coyote
Bibliographic information
| Title | A Coyote Reader |
| Author | William Bright |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | University of California Press, 1993 |
| ISBN | 0520080629, 9780520080621 |
| Length | 202 pages |
| Subjects | › › Language Arts & Disciplines / Linguistics / General Literary Criticism / American / General Social Science / Anthropology / General Social Science / Folklore & Mythology |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |