A Coyote Reader

Wily 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.

Preface
Acknowledgments

I. INTRODUCTION

2. COYOTE IN ENGLISH LITERATURE
-The Coyote by Mark Twain
-A Berry Feast by Gary Snyder

3. THE MYTHIC BACKGROUND

4. COYOTE THE WANDERER
-Coyote Goes to a Dance,
by Mamie Offield and William Bright,
-Coyote's Homecoming,
by Chester Pepper and William Bright,
-Telling about Coyote by Simon Ortiz,

5. COYOTE THE BRICOLEUR
-Coyote and Friends by Jarold Ramsey,
-How Her Teeth Were Pulled by Jarold Ramsey,
-Coyote Establishes Fishing Taboos by Charles Cultee
and Franz Boas adapted by William Bright,
- Coyote Lays Down the Law,
by Nettie Reuben and William Bright,
- Coyote Gives Birth by Tony Tillohash and Edward Sapir,
adapted by William Bright,
- Coyote Places the Stars by Hamilton Tyler,
-Fivefold Fanfare for Coyote by Dell Hymes,

6. COYOTE THE GLUTTON
- Coyote Steals a Drink,
by Julia Starritt and William Bright,
- Coyote Eats Grasshoppers,
by Chester Pepper and William Bright,
- Coyote Cooks His Daughter by Rosinda Nolasquez and
Jane H. llill adapted by William Bright,

7. COYOTE THE LECHER
-Coyote Turns into Driftwood,
by Nettie Reuben and William Bright,
-Coyote and Beaver Exchange Wives,
by William Brandon,
- Coyote Sucks Himself,
by Victoria Howard and Melville jacobs,
adapted by Dell Hymes,
-Coyote in Love by Bruce Bennett,
- Coyote Man and Saucy Duckfeather,
by Peter Blue Cloud,

8. COYOTE THE THIEF
-Coyote Steals Fire by Julia Starritt and William Bright,
-"What Stinks?" by Leslie Silko,
-Trickster by Wendy Rose,

9. COYOTE THE CHEAT
- Coyote Baptizes the Chickens by Alejandrina Murillo
Melendres Maria Aldama and Leanne Hinton,
adapted by William Bright,

10. COYOTE THE OUTLAW
- Coyote and the Prairie Dogs by Yellowman,
with Barre Toelken and Tacheeni Scott,
-Muddy Prints on Mohair by Peter Coyote,

11. COYOTE THE SPOILER
-Sex Fingers and Death by Sam Batwi and Edward Sapir,
adapted by William Bright,
-First Woman Invents Compassion by Jarold Ramsey,

12. COYOTE THE LOSER
-Coyote Starts Upriver,
by Nettie Reuben and William Bright,
-Coyote Continues Upriver,
by Julia Starritt and William Bright,
- Coyote and Badger by Charles Cultee and Franz Boas,
adapted by William Bright,

13. COYOTE THE CLOWN
-Coyote Tricks Grey Fox by Rudolph Kane,
Katherine Davenport and Larry Evers,
-Two Coyotes by Harry Wheeler and Haruo Aoki,
adapted by William Bright,
-Coyote and the Gypsies by Bruce Bennett,

14. COYOTE THE PRAGMATIST
-Coyote's Metaphysics by Bruce Bennett,
- Frybread Story by Peter Blue Cloud,
-Coyote Coyote Please Tell Me by Peter Blue Cloud,
-Coyote Roshi Goroku by Robert Aitken,

IS. COYOTE THE (HORNY) OLD MAN
-Coyote Marries His Own Daughter,
by Julia Starritt and William Bright,

16. COYOTE THE SURVIVOR
-Coyote on the Beach,
by Nettie Reuben and William Bright,
-Coyote by Will Staple,
-The Incredible Survival of Coyote by Gary Snyder,

17. THE ONCE AND FUTURE COYOTE
-Coyote's Epilogue to the Telling by Jarold Ramsey,
-Spearfish Sequence by Dell Hymes,
-Song for the First People by David Wagoner,

18. SUMMARY

Notes
References
Index