Hello Reader,

Last month I gave you a popular version of the Secwepemc (Shuswap) creation myth. You can read that post here if you like.

In it, Coyote featured prominently. He's a confusing one, this Coyote, or Sk'elep as he's called. On one hand, he is a great magician with powers matched only by the Old One. It is Coyote under the directions of the Old One who is tasked with getting the world ready for the people to live in. Coyote is one of a group of beings called Transformers. And no, these are not robots from outer space that can morph into cars. They are beings that have powers to transform the land by creating mountains, moving rivers, and turning living things into stone. Some are good, many are bad and Coyote was the best known and most remembered.

Although very powerful, Coyote is a bit of a klutz and ends up dying a lot because he is constantly doing stupid things. However, he is always brought back to life by his friends, usually Fox or Mole. They do this by jumping over him four times. Coyote is described as scraggly and "pitiful-poor" with an insatiable appetite, both for food and sex. He is forever hungry, but very clever in his pursuits.

It is no accident that the Looney Tunes cartoons portray Wile E. Coyote the way they do. In his never ending pursuit of the Roadrunner, in a quest to satisfy his constant hunger, Wile E. Coyote is constantly falling off cliffs or blowing himself up.

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of Coyote stories that have been passed down over the centuries by First Nations people. Some of them are pure entertainment, but most include a teaching element to them, a lesson to be learned. And there are different versions of these stories depending on the lesson the speaker wishes to impart.

Sometimes Coyote is a standard hero who vanquishes "Cannibals" from the land and makes it safe for people to live there. Sometimes he is chasing flying vaginas through the desert. Some of these stories are too good not to share so I'm going to tell you about a couple of them next time.

Until then, take care out there...

Dan

danredwater.com

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