Coyote Stories

Mourning Dove

• Publisher: Bison Books
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9780803231450
• eBook ISBN: 9780803283442
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Literature General
• Index: Literature

A powerful force and yet the butt of humor, the coyote figure runs through the folklore of many American Indian tribes. He can be held up as a "terrible example" of conduct, a model of what not to do, and yet admired for a careless. anarchistic energy that suggests unlimited possibilities. Mourning Dove, an Okanagan, knew him well from the legends handed down by her people. She preserved them for posterity in Coyote Stories, originally published in 1933.

Here is Coyote, the trickster, the selfish individualist, the imitator, the protean character who indifferently puts the finishing touches on a world soon to receive human beings. And here is Mole, his long-suffering wife, and all the other Animal People, including Fox, Chipmunk, Owl-Woman, Rattlesnake, Grizzly Bear, Porcupine, and Chickadee. Here it is revealed why Skunk's tail is black and white, why Spider has such long legs, why Badger is so humble, and why Mosquito bites people. These entertaining, psychologically compelling stories will be welcomed by a wide spectrum of readers.

Jay Miller has supplied an introduction and notes for this Bison Books edition and restored chapters that were deleted from the original.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Introduction to the Bison Book Edition
• Foreword
• Preface
• I: The Spirit Chief Names the Animal People
• II: Fox and Coyote and Whale
• III: Coyote Fights Some Monsters
• IV: Chipmunk and Owl-Woman
• V: Coyote and the Buffalo
• VI: Why the Flint-Rock Cannot Fight Back
• VII: How Turtle Got His Tail
• VIII: Why Skunk’s Tail Is Black and White
• IX: Rattlesnake and Salmon
• X: Coyote Meets Wind and Some Others
• XI: Why Gartersnake Wears a Green Blanket
• XII: Coyote Quarrels With Mole
• XIII: How Coyote Happened to Make the Black Moss Food
• XIV: Why Spider Has Such Long Legs
• XV: Why Badger Is So Humble
• XVI: Coyote Juggles His Eyes
• XVII: Why Marten’s Face Is Wrinkled
• XVIII: Crawfish and Grizzly Bear
• XIX: Coyote and Wood-Tick
• XX: Why Mosquitoes Bite People
• XXI: The Gods of the Sun and the Moon
• XXII: Porcupine Learns the Sun Dance
• XXIII: En-am-tues—The Wishing Stone
• XXIV: Chickadee Makes a Shoo´-Mesh Bow
• XXV: Coyote and Chickadee
• XXVI: The Arrow-Trail
• XXVII: Coyote Imitates Bear and Kingfisher
• Notes on the Stories
• Appendix: Additional Stories