Coyote Tales from the Indian Pueblos [Paperback]

Evelyn Dahl Reed (Author), Glen Strock (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1986

One of the most constant symbols of North American Indian mythology is coyote, a figure that has not only persisted but successfully crossed cultural barriers. Coyote survives both as an animal and a myth in literature and art. These stories illustrate the many roles and adventures of coyote. The Western Writers of America selected this book as a Spur Award winner for cover art. Readers will also want to read Kachina Tales, published by Sunstone press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 63 pages
• Publisher: Sunstone Press; 1st edition (December 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865340943
• ISBN-13: 978-0865340947
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 5.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,131,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars coyote stories are teaching stories, November 21, 2010

By 

MO "mm" (Eastern Seaboard) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Coyote Tales from the Indian Pueblos (Paperback)

I watched the Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons as a kid. And that is one adaptation of Coyote stories, if a bit shallow. This is another adaptation. Coyote is in a way the eternal Id, similar in some ways to another Warner Brother's personification of the id: Daffy Duck. Stories have to touch emotional chords to survive. Stories are the software of a culture, perhaps its highest art forms. I used to see the Ramakrien danced, as a kid, overseas, one can see The Nutcracker danced at Christmastime, in the US in the same way. Coyote is Homer Simpson on steroids. He is a very entertaining teacher. Will Rogers used to say that some people learned by reading books, but not many; some by learning from the mistakes of others, but not many; and most people have to learn by peeing on the electric fence for themselves. In the stories, Coyote is the one with the electric fence, so to speak. Native American worldviews are radically different from White Man culture. Journey to the Ancestral Self: The Native Lifeway Guide to Living in Harmony With Earth Mother, Book 1 (Bk.1) gives some idea of what that life is like. Whispers of the Ancients: Native Tales for Teaching and Healing in Our Time gives some idea of the radically different use of story by indigenous cultures. House of Shattering Light: Life as an American Indian Mystic gives another taste of how different stories are, for native peoples. This book is a safe sort of buffet offering of elements of a very different culture. It's worth it. I never knew Wile E. Coyote had such great depth of character.Coyote Tales Coyote: A Trickster Tale from the American SouthwestCoyote: A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest are others that flesh this out. Hearing Coyote tales from a Native American storyteller is great, too. I heard Dovie Thomasson tell a Coyote story, years ago, I think she is of Kiowa Apache lineage. Her group only tells Coyote stories in the Winter. When she was young, she tried to tell a story out of season; a white faced bumblebee stung her in the throat, and she had to stop. She later mentioned the story to an elder, who said oh yes, that story is protected by the white faced bumblebee, that is one you really don't want to tell out of season. I would not be telling Coyote stories out of season, myself. It is important to respect the culture that birthed a story. Tom Brown, Jr., The Tracker calls himself a Coyote teacher. This is a different kind of teaching, one of giving just enough information to fascinate a child, so the child goes off to learn for him/herself, and them comes back for the next step. Sometimes children find better answers than the adult had. This is a Westernization, but a necessary Westernization, of teaching stories. Recall that the Br'er [Brother] Rabbit stories were all teaching stories. Br'er Rabbit and the Tar Baby is a story about the cycle of revenge, which happens out of consciousness. The story brings it into consciousness, so the cycle can be interrupted. This is a useful lesson. The Bible is full of similar metaphors, as Neville Goddard points out, but Western literalist exegesis ignores this. When you read the Coyote stories, look for the metaphor. If you need practice in this, google the story of Jumping Mouse, by Hyemoyohsts Storm, the metaphor is very easy to see in that story. Metaphor speaks to the deep mind. COyote stories are not easy to translate, just as Australian Aboriginal stories are not easily translatable. This book does rather well.

3.0 out of 5 stars The Pitfalls of Vanity and Trickery, March 31, 2004

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Plume45 "kitka12345" (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coyote Tales from the Indian Pueblos (Paperback)

This anthology of 15 cautionary tales for Pueblo children--of all
ages--focuses on the antics and exploits of a typical figure in
the American Southwest: Coyote. Native American Aesop, this
story cycle depicts the protagonist as wily, greedy and vain--
exhibitng the foibles so typical of human beings. His repeated downfalls and frequent failures are examples of what to avoid or how Not to handle various situations. In general it is his vanity to improve his appearance, or his greed for other folks'
property or food which result in his deserved come-uppance.
Like these animals' ability to regenerate themselves after fatal disasters, these tales are timeless and universal in their appeal. Whether variants of one tale or adopted from outside cultures, COYOTE TALES will entertain and enlighten those wise enough to recognize the moral behind the clowning. The excellent
black and white illustrations reveal authentic anthropological detail about the lifestyle of the Pueblo nation.