Creator, lover, destroyer, magician It is no wonder Coyote tales are so abundant in the folklore of western Native America. Coyote entertains us and teaches us at the same time. He is the traditional Good Guy and Bad Guy rolled into one. He will shock and entertain us, but best of all, we learn from him a great deal about what not to do in life. EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK, Wind Wolf Woman "I thought wolves and coyotes ran together," said Meeko, still not understanding the vast difference between the two. "Well, Grandson, thinking does not always make it so. I said Coyote is Wolf's helper, not his companion. You must stop speaking on a subject that you no nothing about, or old Coyote will surely make you the village idiot. Meeko, the crafty Coyote lives a shameless life and has the nerve to openly demonstrate his deceit in all of his ever clever, cunning ways. It's his nature to fall victim to his own tricks and he never seems to learn from the error of his ways, even though he continues to give himself many painful and funny experiences. They are sly, gullible and indestructible characters. They can get banged up, bruised, burned, smashed, drowned, and almost killed but they still come back none the wiser from their many misfortunes in life. I'm telling you, no one is more bewildered than old Coyote when he falls into his own traps. "Aaah, Grandson, can't you see the humor in this clever one's teachings? He goes through life as a trickster, yet his experiences build him a strong endurance as he continues to suffer from his own follies. You must be very careful when this shortsighted clown touches your life. Coyote thrives on his thieving, cowardice and mischievous ways. He loves to play tricks on others and will only fight when the stakes are in his favor. I've seen this scavenger become so confused by what he was doing that he ended up becoming the prey of his own hunt. Coyotes will fake being hurt, just to lure prey into their hungry pack. I once saw a coyote suck up his stomach to where he looked so skinny that I thought I was looking at a pile of bones covered with a pitiful piece of flesh," chuckled Granbear. "Aaah, yes, as a young boy I loved following a coyote pack. They taught me much with their funny ways keeping me entertained for hours. I admire Coyote's curiosity and his ability to elude anyone. This troublemaker is the master when it comes to a wild imagination but it is coyote who gives life a great sense of humor. It was Coyote who gave me my sense of humor and taught me to never take myself too seriously. That's why he's called the trickster. This animal works very hard to outwit himself as well as others. Why Grandson, he can transform himself into anything. He could be that stone sitting over there by the fire, listening to my story. "Aaah, Grandson, when Coyote enters your life, know he's up to no good and you better get ready for a world of turmoil and pain. You can always recognize his power in a human, chuckled Granbear, as he remembered all the coyote people that had come and gone from his life. "Granbear, are coyotes just dumb? Why would anyone want to make the same mistakes over and over again if it keeps hurting them?" "Meeko, Coyote isn't dumb, he's a brilliant, but twisted critter disguised to trick the world. All humans should know that Coyote thrives on deception but never thinks of himself as a troublemaker. He goes through life blaming others for his problems, but most times it's his own doing that brings suffering, failure and terrible consequences into his life. Sometimes it makes me wonder why he can't see how smart he is and use that power to help others, rather than destroy everything around him. Aaah, yes, Meeko, when you find yourself in a bad situation, know there's an old Coyote hidden in your personality someplace," cautioned Granbear. "Granbear, do you think I have Coyote power?" "Absolutely! Look at your life. Coyote teaches us the duality of life. He's a survivor and can adapt to any situation. Why, sometimes he actually acts superior to others and throws his power around, while other times he will act unassuming and very humble. This way he keeps you off balance and confused and before you know it, you have outwitted yourself. I know Coyote is walking proof that we all have the potential to become good or bad. Personally, I like the cleverness of Coyote power. The old people consider him the Sacred Medicine Dog with many magical powers. Yep, I think it will be a toss-up between Coyote and the cockroach to see who will be the last survivor on Mother Earth. Just remember, when you hear Coyote's voice riding on the winds, get ready for trouble, because that crazy joker is loose and running wild again. Now let me get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow about these two animals," said Granbear as he crawled into his bedroll. Disappointed, Meeko waited until Granbear drifted off to sleep before leaving to meet his friends at the corral for a late night escapade on horseback. Sneaking back to camp near daybreak, Meeko fell on top of his bedroll and was asleep instantly. Granbear awakened earlier than usual and insisted that Meeko join him in the Medicine Wheel. Tired and sleepy, Meeko got up in a somewhat of a crabby mood. "Stop dawdling, Meeko," chided Granbear, over breakfast. "There's a price to pay when you take your time to play rather than get a good nights sleep. So Coyote, it's time we go to he Medicine Wheel. I know you have a great imagination when you're on the back of a horse and today I want you to use that imagination, he said with a twinkle in his eye, matching his all knowing smile. Meeko understood that Granbear wasn't joking and meant business. He quickly pulled his hair back from his face, thrilled that Granbear was pouring himself another cup of coffee so he could grab a quick breakfast. When they finally arrived at the Medicine Wheel, Meeko entered the sacred circle in the proper manner and went directly to sit in the North Door with head bowed. Granbear began to speak as Meeko fought sleep and nodded his head in silence. "Grandson, very soon you will be studying with Winterhawk, and he will expect you to know certain things. I'm going to prepare you for those trips in the wilderness with him. Now listen closely, Coyote uses his mind, not brute force. But if you ever see a hurt or trapped coyote or wolf while you're with Winterhawk, don't go near, because it will tear the flesh from your bones. If you ever see a coyote alone, don't trust that he is. Always look around with great caution because they usually hunt in pairs. Coyotes eat rabbits, ground squirrels, rodents and whatever remains they find at another animal's kill. "Coyote has a good hunting relationship with many of the flying ones and some four legs. Once I saw him working a kill with a badger. Now, Badger is a no nonsense kinda guy. He fears nothing and is extremely confident. I watched these two meet and stand very still for a long time, staring eyeball to eyeball at each other. Suddenly, as if they had reached some kind of agreement, they turned quickly and traveled in opposite directions. Suddenly without a word, they stopped then turned around and cautiously moved back toward each other flushing a bevy of quail from the bushes. A rabbit also ran out and zigzagged across an open field. Well, Grandson that old Badger grabbed that rabbit and one unlucky quail became old Coyote's meal. Meeko, as I told you, Old Coyote will eat anything, unless it eats him first," chuckled Granbear. Meeko's eyes widened in amazement. He understood but still wondered if he had some Coyote blood in him as a result of his life with Renna. As if reading his thoughts, Granbear said, "Aaah, Grandson, sometimes I worry about your life with Renna. You have traveled great distances from home and have learned how to survive in the streets. Aaah, yes, this makes me wonder if you're not related to Coyote." "Oh, Granbear! I've thought the same thing! Do you think my living with Renna has something to do with who I am?" questioned Meeko, genuinely interested in the answer. "Hmmm, if you've accepted some of her negative thinking as your way of life, you could be infected and have some future heartaches. But, Meeko, I do agree that you have gotten Coyote's attention," said Granbear, emphasizing his point by making soft yipping sounds near his grandsons ear. "This is how Coyote tells you he is through talking." Then without a word, Granbear got up and headed for the arbor to visit with Flying Feather, who had just arrived. Come visit us at. "Keeper of Stories". http://www.newkeeperofstories.com/ or Come visit us. "Native Village" [email protected]