Monday 23 March 2009

Coyote- ‘Creator’

Coyote- ‘Creator’

" In ages past, our old ones were the storytellers. This was the way things were passed along to the generations that followed. For this reason the aged people made it a point to remember every detail so they could relate it at a later time. They were the word and picture carriers making history and spiritual values alive and important. In recent times we have made our old ones think they are not so important. We spoof their stories and make them feel foolish. The truth is that we are ignorant of what is precious and how to 'a da li he li tse di -- appreciate age. Rigidity can creep in and set even the young mind if there are no soft memories, no laughter, no times too deep for tears. Age is grace -- a time too valuable to waste."
(Hifler, S.J: 1992-pg.9)

The Coyote myth lore is one of the most popular among the Native American. Coyote is a ubiquitous being and can be categorized in many types. In creation myths, Coyote appears as the Creator himself; but he may at the same time be the messenger, the culture hero, the trickster, the fool. He has also the ability of the transformer: in some stories he is a handsome young man; in others he is an animal; yet others present him as just a power, a sacred one.


Certain myths could not be told lightly. They formed the basis of sacred rituals, including ceremonies in which participants acted out traditional sacred stories. Many Native Americans believed that some myths could be told only at certain times, often during winter nights. A dire fate—such as an attack by snakes—awaited those who told the stories at the wrong time. Other myths resembled folktales. They could be told for fun or to teach a lesson about proper behaviour, and those who told them were free to change or add elements to the basic story. Many such tales involved tricksters. (Kazakova, T: 2004)

Coyote is known as the prairie wolf.
A species of Candid -Found in North and Central America, South, North, Mexico , U.S and Canada and as far as Alaska.

19 recognised subspecies. 16 in Canada, Mexico and US and 3 in Central U.S.

The Coyote is related to the Gray Wolf.

The Coyote reproduce in metro political areas.

Coyote’s name originates from Mexico means ’barking clog’.

Coyote Mythology.

The Coyotes antagonist is his brother, the wolf.
The wolf is wise and good natured but always gives into his demands.

In the Northwest, the Coyote is seen as sexual-white settlers were perhaps to scandalous to retell such stories.

These stories have banished by sexually conservative European-Americans.

Coyote Followers:

California.

Kraus, Tongra of Southern California.
Ohlone mythology of Northern California
The Miwor mythology of Northern California.
Pomo mythology of Northern California.

Great Plains.

Crow Mythology.
Ho Chunk Mythology
Menominee

Plateau.

Myths and Stories of Coyote can also be found in cultures of Plateau.

The Chinook an (including Wishram people and Multnomah)
The Falthead
The Nez Perce
The Nlaka’pamux
Secwepemc#St’at’imc
Tssilqo’tin
Yakama.

According to the mythologies of most Native American cultures, their people originated in the places where their ancestors traditionally lived. Some tales speak of ancient migrations. However, Native Americans are descended from hunting and gathering peoples of northeastern Asia who travelled across the Bering Sea into North America during the most recent Ice Age. During that Ice Age, which ended around 8000 B.C., the level of the oceans was much lower, and a bridge of land linked Siberia and Alaska. Some groups may also have reached Alaska from Siberia by boat or by walking on ice. Over thousands of years, the population of North America grew and diversified into the peoples and cultures that Europeans encountered when they began to colonize the continent in the A.D. 1500s.(Native American Mythology, Encyclopedia of Myths:2008)

Mythology, religion, history, and ritual were not separate things for Native American peoples. They were strands woven together in the various tales and stories that defined peoples' identity and gave order and meaning to their lives. The most serious of these were myths about how the gods created and ordered the universe and about the origins of important things such as humans, landforms, food, and death.

The Oral Tradition. Before the arrival of Europeans and the spread of European influence, Native Americans did not use written languages. As a result, their myths and legends were passed from generation to generation in oral form, usually by special storytellers who sometimes used objects such as stone carvings, shells, rugs, or pottery to illustrate the tales.
(Native American Mythology, Encyclopedia of Myths:2008)

There are many different stories known throughout Native American tribes about Coyote. Each tribe portrays their coyote an individual way and his meaning is transformed from one legend to the next.

COYOTE (South-western Indians, but known in other areas as well) -
A trickster, a clown. The creator and teacher of men. Like Loki, Coyote is always lurking about, causing trouble and playing pranks. To the Zunis, Coyote is a hero who set forth the laws by which men may live in peace. The Pomo Indians maintain that Coyote created the human race and stole the sun to keep them warm. The Montana Sioux say that Coyote created the horse.
(Burke,N: 2008)

Coyote is either presented as noble or bad.

More often than not Coyote is a trickster, but he is always different. In some stories, he is a noble trickster, "Coyote takes water from the Frog people... because it is not right that one people have all the water." 9. In others, he is mean, "Coyote determined to bring harm to Duck. He took Duck's wife and children, whom he treated badly." 10. (Kazakova, T: 2004)

Coyote is shape shifter, Illuminator and uses pranks to teach and help people learn by their foolish mistakes and to laugh at themselves. (J, Stefko: 2006 )

The coyote is seen as a trickster, some stories he is a Buffoon and some see him as evil.
Coyote myths vary from tribe-to-tribe. Each Native tribe has their own individual myths and stories following Coyote.

Coyote however comes in many forms, Man or animal.
Coyote usually male, resembles a human although has features like a coyote-fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, tail and claws.

Coyote is cunning, a shapeshifter, opportunity, stealth, white and dark magic, creativity, illumination, experience and new life. He stole fire for the humans, but he can also create floods. Trickster of Native American tales often gets duped, but he always rebounds and, at some point, even teaches himself lessons he learns from.(Jill Stefko: 2006)

Positive Traits.

Humour
Cleverness

Negative Traits

Greed
Desire
Recklessness
Impulsiveness
Jealousy

Coyote according to many tribes is the great trickster. He is often fooled and astonished by the outcome of his own pranks. He survives this, then goes onto not learning by his mistakes and makes bigger ones. He denotes both folly and wisdom and the balance of the two. Wisdom is hidden in the foolery. He may have lost the skirmish, but remains unbeaten. Coyote is keeper of magic, teacher and creator. The cycle of power is year around.

People see their weaknesses in his foolish acts. He helps them to become aware of their silliness and learn from it. Coyote teaches by folly. The message is to see through the actions of self sabotage, laugh at oneself and learn.( Jill Stefko: 2006)

The Native Americans tribes differences of on who and what is our ’creator’ can be seen within many religions of our time. As well as the idea of a 'sense of spiritual force' sensed -through earth, land and animals etc.

Each tribe shares their own interpretation of “ the creation of the world, the appearance of the first people, the place of humans in the universe, and the lives and deeds of deities and ‘heroes’ (Native American Mythology, Encyclopedia of Myths:2008)

Most religions tell us how earth was first shaped and formed, as does the Native Americans belief in Coyote the ‘Creator‘. Within Native American tribes Coyote is either human , animal or simply a force however all believe he is the creator of man and earth as well as fire.

Creation myths are highly apparent in the Native American mythology-they tell of how the world was brought together and took it's form.

One myth tells the story of Coyote creating the first human by kicking a ball into mud, which then became a man.

Other tribes such as Navajo believe Coyote created man in honour of saving other animals from a monsters stomach

Majority of religions tell us how earth was created along with mankind. The Hindu religion believe their creator to be Ganesha, Muslims speak of their creator as the name of ‘Allah’ Sikhs call to their creator by the name of ‘Waheguru’. Every religion believes their God to be the creator of man kind and the universe, however each one is called by a individual name and stories of how they created us and the world differ.


Responsible for many things, including the Milky Way (see BLACK-GOD) and the diversity of mankind (see HUMAN-MAKER), there are more stories about him than stars in the sky. He ought to have his own website. (Saunders C, Peter A:1999-2008)

A creator is often analysed upon outside theology but daily quest upon, as to how was man first formed and where did it all begin? Darwin proves to us all that man will go to great lengths to seek where he has come from. The Big Bang tells us of how earth was first formed and rational arguments are put across in order to achieve an understanding of our universe and ultimate creator.

In Chelan myths, Coyote belongs to the animal people but he is at the same time "a power just like the Creator, the head of all the creatures" 5. Yet his being 'just like the Creator' does not really mean being 'the Creator': it is not seldom that Coyote-Just-Like-Creator is subject to the Creator, Great Chief Above, who can punish him, send him away, take powers away from him, etc (Kazakova, T. 2004)

Coyote is the Trickster which can be punished for doing either good or bad. He usually sets about to disrupt and cause havoc. Many of Coyote’s stories establish him doing a mis deed or performing some reckless behaviour.

The trickster, who is almost always male, represents uncertainty. He loves to upset things and spread confusion.

Sometimes the trickster's acts are comic pranks, but they often have a cruel side as well. They might involve sexual trickery, as when the trickster disguises himself as a woman so that he can marry a man or marries his own daughters while in disguise. A trickster can also be a devilish figure who eats babies or leads other creatures to harm themselves. His behaviour often stems from impatience or from uncontrollable appetites. (Native American Mythology, Encyclopedia of Myths:2008)

Coyote--wanderer, glutton, lecher, thief, cheat, outlaw, clown, pragmatist, survivor. In the desert Southwest US, where I grew up, coyote the trickster still plays an important pragmatic and ceremonial role in the lives of Native American people. (David W. Fanning: 2006)

The Great Spirit is Coyote’s ultimate creator. The Great Spirit is used in a healing ceremonies which the Natives use to perform a ceremony which is to cure any illness.

Creators, Gods, and Spirits. Many Native American mythologies have a high deity—sometimes referred to as the Great Spirit—who is responsible for bringing the universe or the world into existence. Often, however, the Great Spirit merely begins the process of creation and then disappears or removes itself to heaven, leaving other gods to complete the detailed work of creation and to oversee the day-to-day running of the world.
In the Pacific Northwest tradition, Coyote is mostly mentioned as a messenger, or minor power, "Coyote was sent to the camp of the chief of the Cold Wind tribe to deliver a challenge; Coyote travelled around to tell all the people in both tribes about the contest." Coyote "was cruelly treated, and his work was never done." 7. (Native American Mythology, Encyclopedia:2008)

The Great Spirit therefore represents the good, healing mankind, an ultimate force which can help protect and cure whereas and the Coyote is evil, much in the same way as seeing the other force as the Devil, Satan, temptation, a sin.

Pairs and Opposites. A number of Native American mythologies feature paired or opposing characters or qualities. Twins or sets of brothers appear in many myths and legends. For example, in Iroquois mythology, Earth Woman gives birth to the twin brothers Good Twin and Evil Twin. Good Twin creates light, forests and food plants, while Evil Twin creates impassable mountains, mosquitoes, and a toad that drinks all the water. After a long struggle, Good Twin finally kills Evil Twin. However, Evil Twin's soul and his creations survive to make life difficult for the people that Good Twin brings into being.

Many stories told within religions perceive the Devil at attempting to gain control of God and humanity by employing some temptation for man to give into, therefore one ‘gives in to the Devil.’

Stories within the Bible shows how the beginning of time came about through ‘Adam and Eve’ and also shows us how ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ came to be our balance of life. Eve’s giving into temptation allows the Devil to control life.

In all religions there is a Creator known to everyone under an individual name. They are available in many forms. Whoever we may call are creators they provide us with the unique balance in life of both good and bad.

My religion being Sikh does not state the form of God, however it is does tell that there is ‘Only one God‘- Whatever he may be.

"God is everyone, everything. He is the ultimate creator which comes in all forms. He is both human and animal. Present and invisible. He is the driving force which creates a balance of both pure and evil."

References

1. Hifler, J.S (1992) A Cherokee Feast of Days. Council Oak Books

2. Kazakova, T (2004) Coyote [Online] available from: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/coyote.html [accessed 20.3.2009]

3. Stefko, J (2007) Coyote, Pagan Symbol: Trickster [online] available from: http://paganismwicca.suite101.com/article.cfm/coyote_pagan_symbol_trickster
[accessed: 19.03.2009]

4. Saunders, C: Peter, A (2006) Gods from Native American Mythology,
COYOTE
[online] available from: http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/native_american-mythology.php?deity=COYOTE

5. Native American Mythology (2008) Native American Mythology,Encyclopedia of Myths [online] available from: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Mi-Ni/Native-American-Mythology.html


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