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Native American Coyote
The Coyote and It’s Many Roles
The Native American coyote is present in a lot of the folklore and is often cast in a variety of roles. Deceiver, realist, goofball and survivor … these are but a few of the roles that these dog relatives played. Native American coyote facts state that these animals represented the original Indians in folklore. With traits characteristic of humans, the coyote stars in a number of these Indian stories and teachings, much like the white man’s fables and stories with a moral to them. These Native American coyote tales are passed down generation to generation and used to illustrate the foibles of the human race. Because coyotes are secretive and are predatory, they can co-exist close to us humans without us ever knowing they are around. It is this secretiveness that brings about other coyote facts in relation to Native American culture.
At night, Native American Indians could hear the sound of the coyote howling. With their high-pitched howling, it's no wonder that the coyote became the center of many of the Native American Indians legends, stories, and folklore. These wild animals howl to help stay in touch with other coyotes. Coyote means “barking dog”, which suits them well, but the actual word coyote is from an Aztec Indian word "coyotl". Hearing a coyote at night is more common than actually seeing one any time during the day or night. Coyotes are nocturnal. They run in small packs but will hunt for food alone.The Native American coyote is the topic of many songs and stories. He is often the trickster with his cunning ways and often the stories tell of tribal rules and why they should not be broken. Though there are many coyote stories among the Indians, the ending is almost always the same. The coyote always is tricked in the end. Several crafts and clothing items of the American Indians were made from coyote fur. Bow and arrow quivers were completely wrapped in coyote fur. Today this may be thought of as a crude wrapping but it is also quite costly as a treasured artifact. War bonnets can still be purchased with handing coyote tails making this Navajo design unique and definitely a collector’s item. Coyote fur also hangs below Chickasaw turtle rattles, making this a treasured keepsake. Though the Native American Indians thought of the coyote as cunning and clever, able to weave his way out of difficult situations, today collectors of coyote statues big and small, claim that the coyote is the protector of the home. Since coyotes lived underground in dens, their homes were protected and so it is believed, you will be also.
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