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. |
Contents
COYOTE IN ENGLISH LITERATURE | 2 |
THE MYTHIC BACKGROUND | 19 |
COYOTE THE BRICOLEUR | 35 |
6 | 56 |
COYOTE THE LECHER | 65 |
COYOTE THE THIEF | 84 |
COYOTE THE OUTLAW | 92 |
COYOTE THE SPOILER | 105 |
COYOTE THE LOSER | 121 |
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Common terms and phrases
American Indian animals asshole Ba'ts'oosee Badger BRUCE BENNETT California Canis latrans coming Cottontail Coyote stories Coyote's Journal culture Cupeņo dancing daughter dead death Dell Hymes downriver downslope driftwood Earthmaker ethnopoetic Excerpt farted fingers fire floated frybread Gary Snyder go hunting Golizhi human hunting deer Hymes Jaime de Angulo Jarold Ramsey killed Klamath Klamath Falls literature little prairie dog living Lizard looked lore Ma'i Magpie Woman Melville Jacobs myth mythic narratives Native American night North Old Beaver Old Man Coyote Peter Blue Cloud Peter Coyote Pine tree poetry poets pound acorns prairie dogs pretty rabbits rattlesnake Ricketts river Ryden salmon Saucy Duckfeather shiłna'ash singing sweathouse tail tell things thought Toelken Told in Karuk took traditions Translated with WILLIAM trickster upriver weep Wendy Rose West Western WILLIAM BRIGHT wolf women young Coyote