Navajo Coyote Tales

Coyote is easily the most popular character in the stories of Indian tribes from Canada to Mexico. This volume contains seventeen coyote tales collected and translated by Father Berard Haile, O.F.M., more than half a century ago. The original Navajo transcriptions are included, along with notes. The tales show Coyote as a warrior, a shaman, a trickster; a lecher, a thief; a sacrificial victim, and always as the indomitable force of life. He is the paradoxical hero and scamp whose adventures inspire laughter or awe, depending upon what shape he takes in a given story. In his introduction to Navajo Coyote Tales, Karl W. Luckert considers Coyote mythology in a theoretical and historical framework.

Coyote encounters Rabbit, Fawn's Stars, Crow, Snake, Skunk Woman, and Horned Toad in these 6 delightful, English-language adaptations of traditional Navajo Coyote stories collected by anthropologist William Morgan and translated by him and linguist Robert W. Young.

Fourteen traditional Navaho legends featuring the cunning Coyote and his continual efforts to trick his fellow animals.

These tales feature Mole, Coyote's wife, Chipmunk, Owl-Woman, Fox, and others

The original Navajo Coyote Tales - beautifully colorized. For the first time since the stories were published in 1949, children and adults can read the tales of Coyote the Trickster again in Navajo and English. This edition has been newly typeset in Navajo and designed to closely resemble the original. It is not a facsimile reprint, as sold by other publishers.Coyote stories were told by Navajo elders when gathering around the fire place at night in winter. It was the traditional way to educate young listeners. Six of these delightful tales were originally collected in Navajo 75 years ago from older story tellers and translated into English. Navajo artist Andrew Tsihnajinnie's illustrations accompany the tales – we have enhanced these outstanding drawings by reproducing the original black–and–white illustrations in color. Enjoy how coyote is always trying to trick someone, but things rarely turn out quite as he plans!

This volume brings together twenty-one traditional tales recently retold by Hopi narrators. Complete with English translations and original Hopi transcriptions on facing pages and a bilingual glossary. Hopi Coyote Tales is important to an understanding of the Hopi language and folklore. To nomadic hunters such as the Navajo, who competed with him on the open range, Coyote was by turns a formidable trickster, a demonic witchperson, and a god. As sedentary planters, the Hopis tended to reduce Coyote to the level of a laughable fool. In these tales Coyote is a friendly bumbler whose mistakes teach listeners what tricks to avoid. Time after time he is hurt or killed for failing to understand a situation correctly. The collection is as amusing as animal fables should be, as simply told, and as instructive. Published as a companion volume to Father Berard Haile's Navajo Coyote Tales, Hopi Coyote Tales is a valuable contribution to cross-cultural studies.

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,” also published by Sunstone press.