What is a “Trickster”?
When you first hear the word “trickster,” what do you think of? Perhaps you think of a cunning fox who uses their wits to confuse the protagonists or a small faery who indulges in pranking characters for their entertainment.
A trickster, defined by Lewis Hyde, author of the book Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art, is a “boundary-crosser” that defies physical and societal boundaries, breaking or creating a line of “right and wrong, sacred and profane, clean and dirty, male and female, young and old, living and dead.”
In this blog post, I will introduce a trickster found in folklore: the Coyote.
What is the Coyote?
A coyote is a member of the dog family native to North America; in indigenous languages, coyotes are referred to by names such as the snk̓lip or sek’lep in nsyilxcen (Syilx Okanagan Nation, Washington) and secwepemcstin (Secwépemc tribe, British Columbia).
Coyotes are one of the most prominent figures in Native American folklore. Most stories in Native American folklore portray them as a hero/creator responsible for giving/providing something humans or animals have today through humorous, and sometimes, unorthodox methods.
Coyote Takes Water from the Frog People
This is a tale about a time when the Frog people dominated all water; whenever anyone wanted to drink, cook, or wash things, they needed to go to the Frog people to ask for the water. One day, while the Coyote was out hunting, he found a dead deer with a rib bone that looked like a big shell. Taking the rib bone with him, the Coyote visited the Frog people to ask if he could take a big drink of water from their dam. The Frog people took the rib bone from him and allowed the Coyote to drink their water. The Coyote thanked the Frog people and began drinking water; however, he continued to drink for a long time, and the Frog people gradually started to suspect that the Coyote was trying to trick them. In reality, the Coyote wasn’t drinking water but was digging a deep hole underneath the dam. Once he finished digging, the Coyote thanked the Frog people; simultaneously, the dam collapsed, the water flowing into the valley creating the rivers and lakes in present-day America. Because of the Coyote, people can access water whenever they like, without water being under one group.
The Coyote and the Columbia River
Multiple stories involving Coyote explain the creation of the Columbia River; this blog will feature the story originating from the Sahaptin/Salishan Tribes, located in Northern Oregon. One day, Coyote was walking underneath the hot sun; he felt very hot, so he wished for a cloud. Although a cloud appeared and made some shade, Coyote was unsatisfied and wished for more clouds, making the sky stormy. Still hot, Coyote wished for rain and then asked for more when it only drizzled. In the downpouring rain, Coyote wished for a creek to dip his feet in; noticing that it was shallow, Coyote wished for a deeper creek which became a huge, swirling river. Swept away by the large river, Coyote was swept over and nearly drowned. When he woke up on a distant bank, buzzards (a type of native bird) were trying to decide if he was dead; telling them that he was alive, they flew away. This river that Coyote created is said to be the beginning of the Columbia River.
How Coyote Stole Fire
Similar to how the Frog people dominated water, in this story, three entities known as the Fire Beings dominated fire all to themselves. For humans, winter without warmth made conditions very harsh, and many died of the cold; one day, Coyote walked by a human village and felt sorry for the people who were sad about their loved ones dying from the cold. Knowing that the Fire Beings hoarded fire in the far mountains, Coyote decided to steal fire from them to share with the humans. After observing the Fire Beings’ routine, Coyote, with his friends Squirrel, Chipmunk, Frog, and Wood, went to the mountains to initiate their plan. When they arrived, Coyote first stole a burning coal as the Fire Beings changed guard. Chasing after him, a Fire Being touched the tip of his tail, turning it white. Coyote then passed the coal to Squirrel, whose back became the shape of an arch from the hot coal. Squirrel, realizing that the Fire Beings were hot on Squirrel’s tail, threw the coal to Chipmunk. Seeing the Chipmunk frozen in fear, a Fire Being clawed Chipmunk’s back giving him white stripes. Chipmunk passed the coal to Frog, who lost his tail while escaping. Lastly, Frog flung the coal to Wood, who kept it safe despite the Fire Beings’ attempts to retrieve it. After the Fire Beings retreated, Coyote took Wood to the human village and demonstrated how to create fire. From that moment onward, humans now spend the winter without being cold.
Conclusion
As seen in these stories, tricksters are certainly boundary crossers that use their wit or power to connect the sacred with the mortals in stories such as Coyote Takes Water from the Frog People, or How Coyote Stole Fire. Their stories highlight the use of wit in the world, challenging regular societal norms, exposing vulnerabilities, and even sometimes bring about change.
