117:. This story explains the reason some stars are dimmer than others, because Black God did not light the ones Coyote blew into the sky on fire. In another version of the story, Black God made the Milky Way on purpose. The Navajo believe it provides a pathway for the spirits traveling between heaven and earth, each little star being one footprint.
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Coyote is the tutelary spirit of
Coyoteway, a healing ceremony. Coyoteway aims to restore harmony with an offended Holy person or persons, in this case Coyote People (including foxes and wolves). In Coyoteway, Coyote is a being who lies behind all Coyote People and, when offended, responds by causing
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Coyote is a key figure in Navajo mythology, and of all the figures in Navajo mythology, Coyote (Mąʼii) is the most contradictory. He is a shadowy figure that can be funny or fearsome. Coyote is greedy, vain, foolish, cunning and also occasionally displays a degree of power. "In common with
Tricksters
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Once a giant was terrorizing the land, and eating people, especially small children. Coyote convinced the giant that if he allowed Coyote to break his leg and then heal it by spitting on it, he would be able to run as fast as Coyote. However, this was one of Coyote's tricks, and the giant thereafter
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After
Changing Bear became evil, Coyote taught Changing Bear the way to use water to divine the location of her brothers. Changing Bear used this ability to find her brothers. In human form, she tells her brothers that she wants to comb their hair and remove their lice like she used to do before she
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and First Woman pass through the Second World which was blue, to the Third where animals, and birds were formed. The Coyote steals Water
Buffalo's children, at the instigation of First Woman. Water Buffalo then causes a great flood which forces First Man and First Woman to move on the
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Twin brothers are told by their parents to not hunt far away from home and not to go east, but they do this anyway. The twins return and they tell their parents that they saw Coyote. Their parents warn them to stay away from Coyote and they say Coyote was spying for the
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are believed to be able to adopt the form of a coyote. A Navajo saying holds that if Coyote crosses your path, turn back and do not continue your journey. The coyote is an omen of an unfortunate event or thing in your path or in the near future.
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Lynch, P.A. "Black God." Native
American Mythology, Mythology A to Z. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2004. American Indian History Online. Facts On File, Inc. Retrieved September 14, 2012, from
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was busy making the constellations by carefully ordering the stars in the sky when Coyote became impatient and tossed the remaining stars from a blanket into the sky, forming the
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Coyote argues against the simplicity of the day and night scheme where animals are awake and animals sleep. This leads to the creation of the movement of the stars, the
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illness. As in all Navajo
Holyway healing rituals, the singer acts as a mediator between Coyote, the totemic sponsor of the Coyote clan, and the patient.
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The origin myths present Coyote as an ancient being existing from the beginning and exhibits the general characteristics of the
Culture Hero-Trickster.
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Schulz, T. (2005). Mask of the Black God:The
Pleiades in Navajo Cosmology. National center for case study teaching in science. Originally published
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The stories are meant to both entertain and instruct. The point of "The Coyote and the
Lizards" is to listen to your elders.
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34:) is an irresponsible and trouble-making character who is nevertheless one of the most important and revered characters in
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The general view of Coyote in folk belief is generally negative and related to witchcraft. Witches called
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411:"Bulows, Ernest. "Navajo Taboos for Nature, Domestic and Wild Animals", Traditional Navajo Taboos"
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was evil, so they turn their backs to her. She then transforms into a she-bear and kills them.
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169:) as his wife and he uses his magic to make her evil like him. Coyote tricks her into having
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is the Navajo god of rain, Coyote also has powers over rain. Coyote’s ceremonial name is
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371:, Navajo Curriculum Center Press, School Board, Inc. Rough Rock Arizona, 1974
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found it much more difficult to outrun anything, even small children.
133:. Coyote was also involved in the stories about the naming of the months.
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Diné bahaneʼ: The Navajo creation story. University of New Mexico Press.
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generally, he serves to test the bounds of possibilities and order."
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which means "first scolder". In Navajo tradition, Coyote appears in
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in animal form and she looks like a sagacious woman in human form.
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436:""The Coyote", Navajo Traditions, Western New Mexico University"
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Cooper, Guy H., "Coyote in Navajo
Religion and Cosmology",
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496:Gods of the indigenous peoples of North America
384:Coyoteway, a Navajo Holyway Healing Ceremonial
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382:"Luckert, Karl W. and Cooke, Johnny C.
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320:The Canadian Journal of Native Studies
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369:Coyote Stories of the Navajo People
359:Retrieved September 14, 2012, from
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386:, Tucson & Flagstaff, 1979"
506:Heroes in mythology and legend
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99:Fourth (and present) World
16:Figure in Navajo mythology
121:Creation of lunar phases
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163:Asdzání shash nádleehé
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292:Zolbrod, P.G. (1984)
491:Mythological canines
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217:Coyote and the Giant
72:Coyote looks like a
501:Coyotes in religion
188:Twin brothers story
145:Changing Bear story
355:2010-12-08 at the
254:Coyote (mythology)
226:Coyoteway ceremony
171:sexual intercourse
302:978-0-8263-1043-9
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43:Tó Neinilii
460:Categories
446:2015-07-02
421:2015-07-02
396:2015-07-02
260:References
173:with him.
115:Milky Way
111:Black God
94:First Man
88:Emergence
64:Mythology
353:Archived
248:See also
235:Folklore
207:Déélgééd
109:One day
296:: USA.
137:Stories
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199:Navajo
155:Navajo
131:months
74:coyote
24:Navajo
20:Coyote
182:moral
30:mąʼii
350:link
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298:ISBN
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