Coyote Tales Of The Native American Indians

Book excerpt: Native American Mythology began long before the European settlers arrived on North American soil. Contrary to popular beliefs, there is more to Native American Folklore than stories of buffalo hunts, teepee living and animal stories. Hundreds of tribes throughout North American created a huge mythological system that has rivaled that of the Greeks. Many of these tales have been lost, or are often hard to find. This collection represents a history that should be remembered. As a Native American myself, I embrace these stories. Native Americans tribes offer such a rich heritage. They have recorded a huge amount of their history through storytelling. In these stories you will relive their history and the lives of North America's First People. The stories in this book have been handed down from generation to generation. And in such tradition, they are now handed down to you, to share with the next generation. Included in this anthology, are a group of collected works from the well-known, to the often-forgotten tribes. The tales included within this book feature one of the most familiar animals in Native American folklore, the trickster known as the Coyote. Often deceptive and always out for himself, the Coyote was often the bad guy in stories, as you will read in the folklore within this collection. Among the stories in the anthology are: Tale of Coyote and the Origin of Death, Creation Myth (Atsugewi), How the Old Man Made People, Coyote Frees the Buffalo, Tale of Coyote Becomes a Buffalo, Tale of Coyote, the Deer, and the Wind, Turkey Makes the Corn and Coyote Plants It, Coyote and Sun, Skunk Outwits Coyote, Coyote's Salmon, Iktomi and the Coyote, Creation Myth (Maidu), Adventures of Coyote, The Creation (Maidu), Coyote Kills the Prairie Dogs, Coyote Steals Sun's Tobacco, The Maiden Who Became a Bear, Creation and Longevity, Coyote and the Rattlesnake, The Offended Rolling Stone, Coyote's Eyes, Coyote Proves Himself a Cannibal, Coyote Keeps His Name, and many more.