Coyote is a mythological character common to many cultures of the Indigenous peoples of North America, based on the coyote (Canis latrans) animal. This character is usually male and is generally anthropomorphic, although he may have some coyote-like physical features such as fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, a tail and blunt claws. The myths and legends which include Coyote vary widely from culture to culture. The role Coyote takes in traditional stories shares some traits with the Raven figure in other cultures. Coyote is the tutelary spirit of “Coyoteway”, one of the Navajo curing ceremonies. The ceremony is intended to restore the patient’s harmonious relationship with Coyote and the world, and to bring about a return to good health.
Alias Coyote
Real Names/Alt Names Mąʼii, Áłtsé hashké, Sk’elep, Huehuecoyotlh
Appearance List Partial list of articles and books includes “Achomawi and Atsugewi Tales”, The Journal of American Folklore 21 (April 1908), Roland B. Dixon; Indian Days of the Long Ago (1914) by Edward Curtis; “The Mythology of the Dieguenos”, The Journal of American Folklore 14, Constance Goddard Du Bois; Myths and legends of California and the Old Southwest, Judson, Katharine Berry; Handbook of the Indians of California. Bureau of American Ethnology (1925), A. L. Kroeber; Tribes of California (1877), Stephen Powers; “A Composite Myth of the Pomo Indians”, The Journal of American Folklore 19 (January 1906), S. A. Barrett.
Description Coyote is a mythological character common to many cultures of the Indigenous peoples of North America, based on the coyote (Canis latrans) animal. This character is usually male and is generally anthropomorphic, although he may have some coyote-like physical features such as fur, pointed ears, yellow eyes, a tail and blunt claws. The myths and legends which include Coyote vary widely from culture to culture. The role Coyote takes in traditional stories shares some traits with the Raven figure in other cultures. Coyote is the tutelary spirit of “Coyoteway”, one of the Navajo curing ceremonies. The ceremony is intended to restore the patient’s harmonious relationship with Coyote and the world, and to bring about a return to good health.
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