How Coyote Kept His Name
Coyote Stories - Tales of the Okanogans by Mourning Dove
The Okanogans lived in the North Central part of Washington State.
Coyote and the Cedar Tree
Coyote Was Going There, collected by Jarold Ramsey, University of Washington Press
This tale is from the Clatsop/Chinook Indians that lived along the lower part of the Columbia River which divides Oregon and Washington.
Background
Long ago, according to the beliefs once held by the Indians of the Northwest, the animals were the people of this country. They talked to one another, married, fished and hunted, and lived in lodges. The animal people in tribal tales lived exactly as the Indians themselves in later times. At the end of this mythical period of the animal people, the world changed. Human beings were created and the animals shrank to their present size.
Coyote played a prominent role in the stories told by the Indians of Washington and Oregon. He aided in creation and taught the Indians skills they needed to live. He was also a trickster. The coyote stories were frequently humorous and provided an element of comedy to the storytelling tradition.
The first story is performed with masks and rod or stick puppets. The masks in this story are worn high on the head and do not cover the mouths of the actors. The second story is performed with bunraku puppets and a mask which does cover the entire face. In bunraku puppetry you will see the bodies of the puppeteers but they have their heads covered with hoods.
- Tahmanhnawis: (tah man a wis) a word from Chinook jargon, both noun and adjective, meaning "supernatural", "supernatural power", "beings endowed with supernatural power"
- Old Man Spirit: how the Okanogan tribe referred to the supernatural power
- Hiaqua: (hi a qua) shell money and ornaments highly prized by the Indians of the Pacific Northwest
- Coyote
- Fox
- Old Man Spirit
- Grizzly Bear
- Eagle
- Salmon
- Human
- Raven
- Woodpecker
- Snail
- Read Native American stories about Coyote. After reading some of these tales, discuss the special characteristics and powers of Coyote.
- Look at a map. Locate where the Clatsop and Chinook people lived. Research the Chinook Tribe. Why were they called the "Flatheads"? (Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1904-05 living among these Indians at the mouth of the Columbia River).
- Look at a map. Locate where the Okanogan Indians lived in North-Central Washington.
- Look for elements of the set or the costumes that let you know where this story takes place.
- Divide the class into groups. Have each group read and report on a tale about Coyote. Reports could be in the form of storytelling, plays, or puppet shows.
- Have children draw their favorite part or parts of the story, or their favorite character. Write or tell why it is their favorite.
- Why was the human turned into a snail? List characters in other stories who were punished for being greedy.
- Button blankets were created and worn by Coastal Indians in British Columbia. The design on the blanket worn by Human in this story is of a man transforming into a codfish. Find other pictures of button blankets and make your own.
- Hiaqua was mainly found around Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Locate this large island on a map. How could Clatsop and Chinook Indians have gotten to Hiaqua?
- The cedar tree was an important part of the culture of the coastal tribes. List some ways it was used.
