Coyote- Navajo GodDeity · Beast"The Trickster"

The Emergence

Coyote was there from the beginning. In the Diné Bahaneʼ, the people traveled upward through a series of worlds, each one abandoned when conflict or transgression made it uninhabitable. Coyote traveled with them. First Man brought wisdom. First Woman brought purpose. Coyote brought trouble.

He could not be left behind, and his presence guaranteed that some careful arrangement would be disrupted. By the time the beings reached the Yellow World, he had made himself indispensable through sheer persistence.

The Stolen Babies

During the ascent from the Yellow World to the Glittering World, a flood pursued the fleeing beings up through the reed that connected the worlds. It climbed after them with a fury no one could explain. Only when they searched Coyote did they find the truth: he had stolen the Water Monster's (Tééhooltsoodi) babies and hidden them under his coat.

The waters rose. The reed swayed. Only when the babies were returned did the flood recede enough for the people to emerge into the present world.

Scattering the Stars

After the emergence, Black God was placing the stars in the sky, setting each constellation in its proper order. The patterns would guide travelers and mark the seasons. He worked slowly.

Coyote grew impatient. He grabbed the blanket on which the remaining stars lay and flung it across the heavens. This is why most stars appear without pattern while a few constellations show deliberate design: Black God finished those before Coyote intervened. One star Coyote placed himself: the Coyote Star (Maʼii Bizòʼ), identified with Canopus, a lone bright point on the southern horizon in winter.

Bringing Death

When the question arose whether the dead should return to life, a test was proposed. A hide scraper would be thrown into water. If it floated, the dead would come back. If it sank, death would be permanent. Coyote substituted a stone. It sank.

When his own child later died, he mourned and wished to reverse what he had done. The others reminded him that the rule he created could not be undone. The one who made death permanent was the first to grieve for it.

The Misadventures

Between the great myths, countless stories tell of Coyote in the Glittering World. He persuaded Prairie Dogs to close their eyes and dance, then clubbed them for a meal. He fell asleep while they roasted, and Skunk stole every one. He imitated Woodpecker by slamming his nose into a tree and got stuck.

These stories are told only in winter, between the first and last frost. Breaking the rule invites Coyote's chaotic energy at the wrong time. The word maʼii may be avoided in certain contexts to keep from attracting the trickster's attention.

Coyote and the Skin-Walkers

Coyote's animal form is the one taken by skin-walkers (yéé naaldlooshii), practitioners who don animal hides to travel at night for malicious purposes. His nighttime howl near a dwelling warns of witchcraft. A coyote crossing one's path is a bad omen that requires turning back or reciting a protective prayer.

When a coyote appears at the edge of camp and watches with bright eyes before trotting away, that is Maʼii himself. Still watching. Still waiting.