@Snow - is this you or hubby posting?
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I bought it two hours ago and I find the energy very powerful. my whole body is vibrating similar to after buying a project nft. significantly stronger than smilodon bones for me. canât compare to the panther as I donât own it. Best regards
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Ok i wont post any more testimonies. I love him heâs a blast! Light (coyotee) to night (panter)
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Thanks man We agree
You havenât posted any testimonies yet :)
You claimed this was more potent than Panther, RavenâŠcombined
Looking forward to hearing what made you say that
I am sorry but i feel hurt. This wasnât my own project where i make money. I donât know my emotions hurt. Youâre best choice is trying yourself
I am no longer comfortable as i feel a radiance of judgement and skeptical. Maybe for others it wonât be. I have always loved coyottes and panthers but this feels more easy to hop on in
i look forward to your testimony though if you too are blessed to get it 
. Maybe youâll even agree . Who knaows
Sorry you feel that way but that was not my intention. You simply made a exaggerated claim with no explanationâŠ
I hope this coyote helps you break free of these emotions youâre feeling. Please tell us when it does 
I probably wonât be getting this one without knowing whatâs behind it.
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Itâs good that we know how good a thing is without making any statements, right?
We need a dance-off to determine who wins - Black Panther vs Coyote!
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Oh
No no
This one is a divine light please do not think it is less than the panther o please no!
Fun fact: the ones left blank are done so for a reason.
A very important reason.
and thus this lil fool is gonna write a lil testimony as i have read a few comments that feel unsure.
I will say he did a smart move here- i wont get into it because its irrelevant to the true beauty at hand:
âââââââââââââââââ-âââ
Now all I await for is my darling deer 
I enjoy both the black panther & the coyote
The Coyote (nft) howls.
Its reminding me of the wind, and the elements that not just create us but that also co-create with us. A new start. Magic. Crisp air. Start afresh. Alert. Clear mind. Sharp Rejuvenate. Bliss. A reminder: The universe that is held within this body
I live where coyotes and wolves come out to play; however i feel bashful as
I forgot this elegance they possessed. Thereâs a majestic energy that dances around them
The black panther for me has always felt like looking into the mirror; when i look at her its like playing the audio depths of your soul; a very precious and innocent lullaby that puts me to sleep
Whereas this one, shifting lenses to a new perspective; perhaps I need to work on the traits this mesmerizing creature holds more
This coyote.
He looks to the right in the photo:
He is ready. Sharp, alert, grounded; bliss. A royalty of his own simply for the diligence he carries. Yet he enjoys to trick; he is a magician, he has something up his sleeve- be careful! He is clever yet very endearing. He is the hermit yet the fool. He understands this world is his playground.
He is overlooked by his other colleagues yet look how profound he is when we zoom in on him; truly i feel abashed i did not value the coyote in my short life as much as i should have
And idk
It is not like the bone series idk what yall are talking about.
A totem series perhaps, but each a very different aspect to the other
It will boil down to nothing other than if the querent desires to further his expedition in how far, how deep these totems can take him. If you seek more perspectives, this is for you
If you were shocked by Panther as I was, this, too, is for you
Now all i await for is for the deer. Or at least Iâll hope for her arrival
Thank you 
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HaâŠHe told me in the future not to engage with such pssive aggressive responses like these⊠because i owe you nothing. Hope that works in satisfying your keen interests with my coyote testimonies!
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Sounds like you have some more work to do with it!
Iâd encourage you to save this thread for actual testimonies and experiences.
Thereâs better suited categories for your comments.
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This post is more of quotes and extracts,
Though guided on the path already from the release of the all-seeing Coyote, which just recently fullfilled as an in-wallet companion.
Just as the pre-impressions, Coyote presented oneself as the old wise trickery guide who knows it all already. Balancing up intellect and expansive logical understanding, with a creative play by the stars and constellations; making use without confuse of the in-betweens of all phenomena in nature.
A balance between the smart and the wise. the logic and the creative, by a guiding play from an all-encompassing seat. Trickery fluent in the approach to any ocassion, finding new ways to thrive in a liquified essence.
COYOTE
Native American Trickster God
Summary
Also known as Akba-Atatdia, Jamul (Achomawi), Old-Man-Coyote
The wily sneaky cheaty pesky Trickster God of the Wild West
Heâs the ubiquitous trickster and cultural hero of Native American mythology, the thorn in Ravenâs side, the first American Idiot, the original Marx Brother and spiritual leader of all Roadrunner-chasing Looney Tunes.
The Top Trickster of many tribes, particularly the Navajo (who call him Maâii), he is responsible for many things, including the Milky Way (see Black God) and the diversity of mankind (see Earthmaker). There are more stories about him than stars in the sky.
For example, did you hear the one about the Spying Moon? It seems that someone had pinched the moon, and Coyoteoffered to stand in as replacement. Everyone agreed that he made a fine moon, but from his elevated position Coyote could see everything that was going on.
Being of an irritating disposition, he couldnât resist blowing the whistle on friends and enemies alike. âHey, look what Badger is doing behind his tepee!â Pretty soon everyone was sick of his snooping and voted him out of the sky.
But nothing can keep Coyote down for long. Being a boastful old show-off, he loves to impress the girls by juggling his eyeballs. One day he threw one so high it got stuck in the sky and became the star Arcturus. So even now heâs keeping an eye on us all.
COYOTE AS EYE JUGGLER
Summary
Coyote went on. He saw that someone was walking around in an open place. When he got nearer he saw that it was Jack-rabbit. Jack-rabbit was throwing up his eyes, one after the other, juggling them. He was out where there were no trees and had his eyes out of their sockets.
Coyote wanted to know how this was done. He came to the rabbit. He had the rabbit teach him how. He learned how all right. He started to play that way. But Jack-rabbit told him, âYou are foolish, so I will tell you that you must be careful not to do this under trees or you will lose your eyes. You must do it only where there are no trees.â
Coyote went around having a good time, and before he knew it he was under a tree. Almost at once his eyes were caught in the tree. His eye sockets were red and ugly and his eyes were gone. He stood there. He didnât know what to do.
So he began to shout. He said, âI have found a fat buffalo lying dead here under this tree.â
Someone heard him call. It was Jack-rabbit who heard him and came back to help him.
Jack-rabbit got two yellow berries and put them in Coyoteâs eye sockets. âUse these in place of your eyes,â he told him.
Coyote as Eye-Juggler (version 2)
Coyote was trotting along. He saw that someone was walking around in an open place, throwing something up. He saw the person looking up and then down. He went over and found that it was Rabbit.
âWhat are you doing ?â he asked.
Rabbit had his eyes out. He was tossing them up, one after the other, and keeping them going in he air. Then he would let them fall back in the sockets again.
Coyote thought that was great fun. âI want to learn that,â he said. Rabbit said, âNo, you donât take care of what you are given.â
Coyote offered him much tobacco.
âNo,â said Rabbit, âif you are not careful youâll go in the woods doing this and the eyes will catch in the trees. And youâll probably go under a grape vine and get them caught too.â
âNo, there are no grape vines here.â He begged and begged. So Rabbit showed him at last.
Coyote was greatly pleased. He went around doing as he had been taught. At first he only did it in the open. But then he went in the woods and before he knew it his eyes were caught in a grape vine which was growing from a tree.
Coyote went around without eyes. He was lost. He called and called for help. Rabbit had not gone far away. He wanted to see what Coyote would do. He heard Coyote shouting, âWhere are you? Iâm lost. Iâve got sore eyes and canât see. Why donât you come and help me?â
Rabbit waited. He knew what had happened now. He was going to wait a minute and teach Coyote a lesson before helping him. Finally Rabbit came along. He came to Coyoteâs aid. He brought Coyoteâs eyes down and put them back. He said, âItâs better to take this power back, for you donât know how to handle it.â So he took it back and told Coyote to let it alone. But Rabbit kept the gifts Coyote had given him.
Thatâs the way it is today. Some young fellows want to have power.
They go to an old man and give him gifts and get instructions in it. Then they use it in the wrong way. They donât obey the rules. The old man gets worried. He says, âThat fellow isnât using my power in the right way. I got that for a good purpose, to keep away ghosts or a bad disease, and now he is not obeying the rules. I had that power to watch over my children and he is spoiling it.â He doesnât like it. And he may ask the young man to return the power . Usually the young fellow gets in trouble with it, and then he gives it back himself. *** Oplerâs note Power, acquired through a personal supernatural experience, may, with the permission of the giver be taught to another. The songs, prayers, and rules are taught to a younger man, for instance, and then the novitiate may use them to establish a rapport with the power which is just as helpful and potent as that his instructor enjoys. If the younger man angers the power by disobedience or error, however, the ire of the power may be visited upon the one who first wielded it. Since the efficacy of a ceremony depends on perfect understanding between shaman and power (so that power will extend itself to the utmost at the shamanâs call). A shaman ordinarily will run no risk of outside interference, and will not teach his ceremony to another until he is advanced in age and feels that his death is near.
THE EYE IN THE SKY
Summary
Spring is a sometimes season in Montanaâsometimes we get it, sometimes we donât. Such are the vagaries of a mountain climate, where the weather pays scant attention to the astronomical milestones of solstice or equinox.
Nonetheless, when late March rolls around, the springtime roundup of constellations occurs right on schedule: the Big Dipper arcs just north of overhead, Leo the lion prowls across the sky, Virgoâs appearance announces the annual advent of agriculture. And as we look at the spring sky, we find that something is looking back.
That something, according to the Spokane Indians, is Arcturus, the bright and slightly orangish star that travels high southward across the spring heavens; follow the arc of the Big Dipperâs handle downward and you run right into it. The Spokane say that this bright star came to be when one day, Coyote was going along, and chanced upon a bevy of lovely girls. Coyote wanted to do something to catch their attention. Using what he had available to him, he decided to pluck out his eyeballs and juggle them.
So Coyote plucked and tossed his peepers into the air. And the girls giggled. Encouraged, he tossed them higher. And the girls giggled some more. Coyote kept on tossing his eyeballs, and the girls kept gigglingâuntil Coyote tossed them so high that one of his eyeballs got caught on the sky. The girls stopped giggling, and ran away. Coyote sadly returned his remaining eyeball to his head and continued on, perhaps reminding the rest of us that there are pitfalls to trying to impress others too much. And in the sky Coyoteâs eyeball remains todayâas the slightly bloodshot Arcturus, looking back at us.
BLACK GOD
Summary
Navajo Star God
Navajo Space God of night sky nothingness
In the beginning he was mostly a shapeless mass of black space. But despite the lack of body, he did own a belt. (He must have worn it somewhere. A waist of space?)
Anyway, from this belt dangled a pouch containing shiny twinkling crystals. In an effort to define himself, he took to sticking them all over his body â join-the-dots fashion.
And there he is to this day, his outline picked out in all the most important stars. If you know where to look.
The dog star Sirius was an afterthought, put there by the meddling Coyote in a fit of cosmological hindrance. The Black God wouldnât let him touch the pouch but Coyote snatched it anyway. He tasted the crystals inside, didnât like the flavor and spat them into the face of the Black God, who snatched the pouch back.
But there was nothing left but dust, which he shook out, forming the Milky Way.
EARTHMAKER
Summary
Pima/Akimel Oâodham Population God
Also known as Cherwit Make, Djivut Maka, Earth Doctor, Earth Maker, Great Magician, Human Maker, Tcuwut Makai
The Great Magician of the Pima Tribe
He was the Human Maker. And his chosen material was clay. But due to distractions and interruptions by Godly colleague Coyote, the baking ended up a bit botched in places, which is why so many folk are too soft, too white, too burnt or only half-baked.
Known as the greatest survivor on the american lands, much in greets to its trickery and shifting traits.
Extracted; âCOYOTE AS SHAPESHIFTER, TRICKSTER AND SURVIVORâ
Summary
âThe coyote was wetĂ©ĆĄ, the one who commanded,â said one of anthropologist John P. Harringtonâs informants about Chocheño legends. The stories of the Rumsen Ohlone, Miwok, Yokuts, and other nearby native Californians feature Coyote in paradoxical detail: creator, liar, hero, thief, seducer, and buffoon. He made the worldâthat would explain a lotâeither single-handedly or assisting Eagle or Falcon. Like Prometheus, Coyote stole fire for his people; unlike Prometheus, he wasnât punished for it. He gave them the bow and arrow, the net carry-bag, his recipe for acorn mush, and, inadvertently, death.
Some basic information on the biological coyote: Coyotes are small wolves, about four feet long from nose to tail, 20 to 50 pounds; males are larger than females. Coat color includes many variations on brindled reddish-gray, but a black tail-tip is standard. Captives have lived up to 18 years; life expectancy is shorter in the wild. Theyâre social, curious, adaptable, at home in deserts, mountains, farmland, and cities. Their range, from Alaska to Panama, includes every American state except Hawaii.
The species evolved in North America and has inhabited California for millennia, as attested by fossils dating back almost two million years in the Irvington gravels near Fremont, along with 11,000- to 32,000-year-old bones in the La Brea Tar Pits, where their remains are outnumbered eight to one by those of the larger, more powerful, smaller-brained dire wolf. Coyotes may have spread all over the continent in prehistoric times. By European settlement they had vacated the eastern regions, but theyâve made a recent comeback, filling the empty niches of gray wolves in the North and red wolves in the South. Some eastern animals, bigger, more social, and more aggressive than western coyotes, appear to be coyote/wolf hybrids.
I include the full extraction (for the ones interested to come back and further read/revisit) from the write up;
COYOTE IN NAVAJO RELIGION AND COSMOLOGY
by GUY H. COOPER,
Abstract/Resume
Summary
ABSTRACT/RESUME
Coyote is a key figure in Navajo mythology, representing both good and evil, humans and gods, and of course animals. He is unpredictable and am- bivalent, a characteristic of all these beings. At the same time, however, by testing and pushing the limits of behaviour, he demonstrates and reinforces concepts of harmony and order for the Navajo.
Coyote est un personnage important dans la mythologie Navajo, reprĂ©sen- tant Ă la fois le bien et le mal, les hommes et les dieux, et bien entendu les animaux. On ne sait jamais ce quâil va faire et il est ambivalent comme tous ces ĂȘtres. En mĂȘme temps, toutefois, il dĂ©montre et accentue les concepts de lâharmonie et de lâordre chez les Navajo Ă travers des Ă©preuves qui dĂ©limitent la conduite.
The Canadian Journal of Native Studies VII, 2 (1987):181-193.Coyote figures prominently in the religion and mythology of a number of Native American tribes, mainly as a Trickster figure, about whom there are extensive mythological tales. The broad area in which Coyote, as op- posed to other Trickster figures, is found in parts of the Plains, the Great Basin and California as well as the Southwest. This area may correspond to the original range of coyotes, who were originally Plains animals, but Trick- ster tales across the continent have much in common, whether attached to Coyote or to Raven, Blue Jay, Hare or Spider as they are in other areas. It is not my intention here to discuss in any detail the characteristics of the Trickster figure particularly, however, as there is an extensive literature on the Trickster and Culture Hero figures in North America (Ricketts, 1966; Hultkrantz, 1984).IintendrathertolookatthepositionofCoyoteinNavajo religion and cosmology, as this sheds an interesting light on both the his- torical development of Navajo religion and on the character and role of Coyote vis-a-vis our understanding of Navajo cosmology.
There are four areas, almost separate, in Navajo religion where Coyote has a prominent position and I would like first to delineate these one by one.
Coyote in the Creation Myths
Summary
The Navajo Creation Myths (there are a number of recorded versions) are Emergence myths, positing the upward movement of various beings through a number of different worlds, most commonly four, from origins in a world of mist. First Man and First Woman are the first beings mentioned who provide light and beginning to this process, but Coyote also seems to have existed from the beginning. All are believed to have originated from the primordial medicine bundle, from which all creation ultimately originates. As such, First Man-First Woman-Coyote constitute the prime movers on the mythological stage until the bringing into being of the present world by a new class of beings, the Holy People, deities who supercede First Man and First Woman. First Man and First Woman, who provide the power and im- petus for the whole Creation process, through the possession and use of the medicine bundle, are, with the emergence to prominence of the Holy People, relegated to a position more associated with evil and witchcraft and henceforth play little part in the religious, as opposed to mythological, life of the Navajo. This appears to relate to a definite break between earlier, pre- emergence events and the present world (Gill, 1983:502-505), and a break between First Manâs group, seen as tainted with evil, and the Holy People representing the new harmonious world. Coyote, however, although attract- ing some negative implications, continues to play an active, indeed major, role in Creation events.
In the Creation Myth generally known to Navajos, Coyoteâs roles are few: he causes the flood, originates death and interferes with the placing of stars, as well as generally poking his nose into everyoneâs business. Even here, however, he is accorded a knowledge above that of the other beings. When there is uncertainty over the desirability of death, for example, the myth states âNo one knew what to do; so they asked Coyoteâ (Yazzie, 1971).
In the Creation myths relating to Blessingway, the core Navajo ceremonial and one concerned chiefly with the creation of the present world, which are more extensive, Coyote makes many appearances and his character and role is more elaborate (Wyman, 1970). He is a character who wanders off by himself, turning up and proferring advice and instruction. For the most part he appears as an essential being to the process of creating and ordering the world. He gives names to Talking God and Calling God, two major Navajo deities, suggests the 12 hogan songs, insists on the Moun- tains being given life, is enlisted by Changing Woman, the most beloved of Navajo deities, to steal dream (conceived as a part of sleep) from people to give to the Holy people, so that people would receive forewarning and a sign that a Blessingway ceremonial was needed. He sanctifies Sun, Moon, corn and plants and in his capacity as a wise philosopher is responsible for the ordering of what are now regarded by Navajos as proper and necessary life patterns, even to the extent of insisting on patterns of life, such as crop grow- ing, which will ensure the peopleâs survival. He is himself designated a Holy Person, with his own offerings and is responsible for providing warnings and signs to travellers. From pieces of his fur are made all coyotes, different colours for the 4 different directions, and Coyote himself is placed at Earth Center Water.
Coyote is, however, repeatedly associated with First Manâs group, who, as a whole, have negative connotations because of their association with evil and witchcraft. Blessingwayâs concern is with the state of hozho or beauty and the exclusion of evil and Coyote himself is usually referred to as âdisrespecterâ or âFirst Scolderâ (due no doubt to his practice of adopting a patronizing, egotistical and critical stance towards the other beings). He is one of the spies of Big Yeâi, a monster who threatens the Hero Twins and is elsewhere associated with meanness and uncontrollable sexual passion.
The picture derived of Coyote from the Creation Myth therefore is of a rude, interfering and restless individual, who is nonetheless vital to the process of ordered creation, a being who is one of the original beings produced from the medicine bundle (representing original knowledge on which the world rests and functions1 with great astuteness and one who, through his manifestations in animal form, gives omens and signs to Navajos. Although the general tenor of the Creation Myth is to assumeCoyoteâs more tricksterish characteristics, the impression in the Myths is much more of the Culture Hero than the Trickster.
Coyote in Trickster Tales
Summary
The Trickster characteristics of Coyote are to be found in an extensive body of Trickster tales, which are probably a separation of his Trickster characteristics from the Creation myths and an extensive elaboration of them. These tales are similar to other Trickster tale cycles found elsewhere in North America and do not carry the same sacred quality as the Creation Myths (Hultkrantz,1979), in the sense that the situations in which they may be related are much less ritually bound than for ceremonial and Creation myths. These Trickster tales relate to foolish, mischievous and occasional- ly disastrous activities of trotting Coyote. They describe encounters with other animals and beings, attempts to trick them, to become like them or to outwit them, attempts which inevitably rebound. Coyoteâs characteristics here are thus of the typical Trickster figure: greedy, vain, foolish, cunning and, occasionally, displaying a high degree of power. Such Trickster at- tributes have been well described in the literature (Radin,1956). A recent work by Luckert (1984) attempts to encapsulate the range of activities of Coyote across a spectrum of status levels, from corpse to god. To a certain extent, of course, it is the events described in the tales which are of impor- tance, tales which have been elaborated by raconteurs over time, and Coyote could be seen as being a mere vehicle for the description of a range of topics. And yet, despite an extraordinary elasticity in character, Coyote remains the central character of these tales, the same Coyote as in the ceremonial and Creation myths.
The tales are amusing and entertaining and are, among the Navajo, the most frequently told tales to children, but this does not mean that Coyote has become merely a figure of amusement and ridicule. As Toelken (1969) discovered through interviews with a Navajo Coyote storyteller, the percep- tion of the Navajo was that the stories are not funny per se. He stated: âMany things about the story are funny, but the story is not funnyâ (Ibid:221). The purpose of the stories is to convey both a moral message in an entertaining (and therefore memorable) way, particularly to children, and also, as far as adults are concerned, to demonstrate possibilities and limitations in the world. Toelkenâs informant stated that âIf he did not do all those things, then thosethings would not be possible in the worldâ (Ibid). Thus Coyote, through various actions and responses both extends the area of activities that have been and may be attempted and correspondingly demonstrates the limita- tions and/or consequences of such actions.
The range of the stories, in terms of actions, incidents and emotions is very wide covering a spectrum from hunting, killing and death to transformation and healing. As Toelkenâs informant noted, the tales, although often seemingly etiological, were not taken as such by Navajos, indeed were not taken as making statements necessarily about Coyote, but were to do with introducing a method whereby a whole range of topics could be considered; for instance, there is a story concerning Coyote losing his eyes in a gam- bling game, to be replaced by eyes of pine pitch, which, although allowing him to see, start to melt when he approaches fire. This, superficially, shows why coyotes are afraid of fire and have yellow eyes. But the more important aspect of this tale to Navajos is that it allows such topics as eye disease and injury and blindness to be considered.
These tales are serious, as Toelkenâs informant emphasized. Coyote is still regarded seriously, even in the most foolish tales and although the tales may be distinct from other myths recited on ritual occasions, they are to do with the same sacred being. Coyote is a unique being, one who, in Toelkenâs words âexperiences everything: he is, in brief, the exponent of all pos- sibilitiesâ (Ibid:231). In common with Tricksters generally, he serves to test the bounds of possibilities and order. Navajo religion and cosmology rests on a conception of order, necessary for survival and health. Coyote challen- ges and thereby authenticates and legitimizes the order established in the Navajo universe. Thus, in the Trickster tales, Coyote fulfils a vital function and retains an important and serious position within the Navajo universe, even though the tales have a different status and position to ceremonial and origin myths.
Coyote in Coyoteway Ceremonial
Summary
The third area where Coyote is prominent is as the tutelary spirit of a Navajo curing ceremonial called Coyoteway. This ceremonial was long con- sidered to be extinct, even in the time of Berard Halle at the beginning of the century. However, Karl Luckert came across a still extant form of this ceremonial in the 1970âs and recorded a detailed performance of it (Luck- ert, 1979).
Coyoteway is a ceremonial falling into the Holyway group of Navajo ceremonials; those aiming to restore harmony with an offended Holy per- son or persons, in this case Coyote People. It follows in structure the basic pattern of Holyway ceremonials, having two, five and nine night sequences. It also, like a few other ceremonials, has masked impersonators, in this case those of Talking god, a Female Holy Person and a Coyote impersonator. The ceremonial has, of course, to do with illnesses resulting from attacks by offended Coyote People. In common with the Creation myth, the cosmologi- cal conceptions of Coyote in Coyoteway are of different coloured Coyotes situated in the different directions. It should be pointed out that the Navajo-word for Coyote - M a â i i - is a generic term covering not only foxes, but also wolves; all are considered Coyote People. The symptoms associated with Coyote illness have been variously described as twisted mouth, cross- eyed vision, loss of memory, fainting, mania, prostitution and rabies. A central core of mania, nervous malfunctions and rabies seems to be at- tached to Coyote illness symptoms. Coyote, or Coyote People, therefore act in Coyoteway in much the same way as other Holy People do in relation to other ceremonials - an attack by an offended Holy one, through some form of contact with its bodily earthly form, most obviously by killing a coyote. The singer whom Luckert consulted stated that Coyote-induced ill- ness increased dramatically prior to 1948 due to a bounty offered on coyote skins and the subsequent extensive killing of coyotes. Since that time, coyote illness has declined, and today, a Navajo would prefer a whiteman to kill coyotes. Coyote People, then, function much like other Holy People
in Navajo ceremonialism.
However, Luckert also notes that another Coyoteway apprentice
believed that an illness could be traced to the great Coyote in the east, who sent illnesses through the Sun and Moon, thence via predatory animals to humans. This is clearly a much more powerful Coyote god, responsible for all illness and utilizing Sun, Moon and all predatory animals to inflict illness on humans. It is impossible to say, however, whether this view refers to a time when Coyote was more powerful, whether it is the often natural tenden- cy of practitioners of particular ceremonies to elevate the position of their tutelary spirit (as occurs frequently in shamanic rituals) or whether, because this informant was highly christianized, he tended to grant Coyote more power than tradition would warrant. It is however the case that this view cor- responds with the etiology of another ceremonial called Excessway, which also posits a great Coyote sending illness via Sun and Moon, but thence to humans via game animals who have eaten poisonous or hallucinogenic plants. This ceremonial posits a more negative view of Coyote and indeed is associated with witchcraft. The Coyote we find in Coyoteway, therefore, is a being who lies behind all Coyote People and, when offended, responds by sending illness, neccessitating a performance of Coyoteway. Although Luckert found knowledge of this ceremonial still extant, it seems likely that this ceremonial will soon die out and this particular aspect of Coyote activity will then indeed become extinct.
Coyote in Folk Belief
Summary
I refer here to folk belief as a general category to indicate the views non- specialist Navajos have of Coyote other than through their exposure to the myths so far mentioned. I noted earlier that, in the Creation myth, Coyote was given a role as providing signs and omens to travellers. This view prevails today and even more westernized Navajo teachers can cite instan- ces of people who had suffered through ignoring a coyote crossing oneâs path. The view, which probably was held earlier, that Coyote can be helpful in providing signs, indeed may be employed as a useful divinatory device, as seems to have been the case in the last century (Navajo Community Col- lege Press, 1973), seems to have been submerged under a distinctly nega-
tive view of coyote appearances. The general view of Coyote in folk belief is unremittingly negative in fact, particularly in relation to death and witchcraft. Kluckhohnâs classic account of Navajo witchcraft (Tyler, 1975:159-183) is full of references to Coyote as associated with witchcraft. He is prayed to by witches, is seen in association with witches, witches can adopt coyote form (were-animals) and can throw his skin on people, necessitating a hoop ritual to remove this enchantment. Sexual excess, greed, meanness, lack of self-control and other attributes of witches are seen as those of Coyote and thus the two are linked. On this general level, therefore, Coyote has a very negative reputation for Navajos. These, then, are briefly the four areas in Navajo culture where Coyote has a major role. In the general cultural con-
text of the Southwest, most of the Navajo concepts regarding Coyote can be found in the neighbouring Apache and Pueblo cultures. Mythic motifs regarding, for instance, the scattering of stars, the origin of death and the incessant prowling of Coyote are to be found in a number of Pueblo cultures (Ibid). However, Pueblos generally have a fairly low opinion of Coyote, seeing him mainly as a Trickster figure, but also associated, along with Owl and Raven, with evil omen and with witchcraft. Furthermore, the Pueblos do not have a taboo against the killing of coyotes, which are destructive to both livestock and crops.
Apache cultures tend to have a higher assessment of Coyote as an im- portant, more positive Trickster and Culture Hero. Social institutions of the Jicarilla and Western Apache can be traced to Coyote (Tiller,1983; Basso, 1983). Among the Mescalero, Coyote is perceived as lending useful super- natural power for war, hunting and running, although he is also seen as a potentially evil animal of the night and can bring illness to the unwary (Opier, 1969:78). An important factor here is the different economic lifeways of tradi-
tional Apache and Pueblo cultures. Apache cultures are traditionally based around hunting, warfare and the individual pursuit of supernatural power, whereas the Pueblos are concerned chiefly with agriculture, their societies are sedentary and religious activity is organized on more priestly lines. Coyote would therefore tend to have a more positive value to the Apache than to the Pueblos. In this light, it is important, therefore, that the historical context of Navajo culture is included in any assessment of Coyote. The picture derived from the Origin myths and the Trickster tales is of an ancient deity, existing from the beginning and, as such, exhibits the general characteristics of the Cul- ture Hero-Trickster, although, as there is no single creator figure in Navajo cosmology, Coyote interacts with a number of creator figures. Since the Navajo are known to have migrated from their main cultural grouping in the subarctic, their religion has obviously undergone change (Cooper, 1984). Among the Athapascans of the North, Raven is the Trickster-Culture Hero and this fact emerges obliquely in Navajo culture, as Raven (or Crow, the
Navajo do not distinguish the two) is linked with Coyote in Myth and there is an obsolescent ceremonial - Ravenway - which Navajos believe is linked to Coyoteway. Raven and Coyotes are also observed in association in nature. Raven emerges, in the form of Crow and Black God, as Master of Animals in hunting myth, a position denied to Coyote who of course is a predator. Raven has been superceded by Coyote at some stage in Navajo history. Coyote in myths attains the position of Holy Person, with his own offerings and this is consolidated in Coyoteway, the ceremonial to restore harmonious relationships between humans and Coyote. As a predator he is associated with hunting. Hunting is, after all, a form of trickery requiring cun-
ning, and there is no better survivor in nature than coyote. In fact, the paradigm provided by coyote as an animal is ideally suited to the status as Trickster figure. It is not only the Navajo, or indeed other Native Americans, who have developed an extensive lore regarding coyotes, from observa- tions of coyote behaviour in the wild (Dobie, 1961); Mexican and Anglo cul- tures are rich in tales regarding the antics of this remarkably adaptable and enterprising animal. Hunting strategy is also adaptable to warfare strategy and it is not surprising that the two are linked in Navajo culture. The Navajo wordforCoyote, Maâii, aswellasbeingagenerictermforwolvesandfoxes and, by extension, all predatory animals, is also an old Apachean word for animal. Since Coyote is the only prominent animal Deity in the myths - all others are anthropomorphic beings - it seems possible that, at one time, Coyote stood as the representative of all animals. Such a view would lend weight to the view previously expressed by the Coyoteway apprentice of
Coyote as the prime instigator of all illness. Illness in Navajo culture came originally from animals, mainly through lack of observance of correct hunt- ing ritual and it is significant that one of the masked figures appearing at Coyoteway ceremonial is that of Talking God, guardian of animals.
Historically, therefore, we have Coyote appearing on both mythic and religious levels. In myth he is the archetypal Culture Hero-Trickster figure, whilst on the level of everyday religion, he is the tutelary deity of Coyoteway and lends power in hunting and warfare.
I have elsewhere discussed the historical changes affecting the develop-
ment of Navajo religion (Cooper, 1984) and I need here only outline the main feature, which was a move from shamanism, hunting and warfare to an agricultural/pastoralist economy and a religious system based on knowledge rather than personal experiences. The reformulation of Navajo religion - in particular the adoption of Emergence mythology and cosmol- ogy, the structuring of the Chantway system - occured under Pueblo in- fluence following the Pueblo Revolt in the late 17th Century. Warfare adopted many of the techniques associated with hunting, which declined in impor- tance with the adoption of the agriculturalist and pastoralist economy. Both hunting and warfare became associated with witchcraft, particularly follow- ing the trauma of incarceration in Fort Summer between 1864-1868, caused by the suppression of widespread Navajo raiding, and Emergence cosmol-
ogy and mythology is dominated by anthropomorphic deities who super- cede the animal gods so important in hunting and shamanism. It is not therefore surprising that Coyote, whose power is associated with hunting and warfare, thus became also associated with witchcraft. The transforma- tion abilities of Coyote, both to change his appearance and to throw his skin onto others, are closely identified with the werewolf syndrome, which forms an important part of Navajo witchcraft beliefs. Werewolves are believed to paint their faces in a similar way to Coyote, or First Scolder. Prayers to Coyote are believed to make you rich. Such a view could stem from the period when prayers to Coyote lent aid in hunting, warfare and its correlates, gambling and love. Nowadays however, one who is very wealthy is likely to be regarded as deriving their success from witchcraft practices. Coyote was associated already with witchcraft through his connection with First Man and First Woman, from whom, according to Navajo belief, witchcraft originated. This also provides Coyoteâs association with death, since the dead return tothe underworld, from whence came First Manâs group. Coyote
originated death, feeds on carrion and often dies in myth and, as a sign of ill omen, can signify to the Navajo the imminence of evil or death. Further- more, the transition from hunting to agriculture meant that coyotes, hither- to fellow predators of the hunt, now become a threat to the economythrough attacks on lambs.
Coyoteway gives Coyote a much more positive role on a religious level, although the link between Coyoteway and Excessway, which is associated with witchcraft, tends to mitigate the positive role. With the passing away of Coyoteway, however, the last vestige of a positive religious link with Coyote seems destined to disappear. Whilst the mythic aspects of Coyote therefore provide both positive and negative roles for Coyote, on the religious everyday level Coyote will be seen in overwhelmingly negative terms.
The characteristics of Coyote, therefore, span the range from Culture Hero to Trickster to Evil Coyote, covering the entire range of roles found in Trickster figures across North America, although it is unusual to find all
aspects present so strongly in one culture.
Navajo cosmological thinking tends to emphasize the state of hozho,
or harmony, established in Emergence mythology and the separation of this from evil. The existence of evil is acknowledged by Navajos, indeed the widespread prevalenceofwitchcraftandwitchcraftfearareonlytooobvious on the Reservation, and this evil exists as a counterpart to the harmony sus- taining rituals and observances of religious belief. The emphasis is on the harmonious, not only because this is seen as the natural and desired state, but also because mentioning or thinking of evil is thought to increase the likelihood of evil occuring. This emphasis on the good has seemingly misled some scholars, notably Gary Witherspoon (1977), into presenting the Navajo world as overwhelmingly harmonious and beautiful. This ignores the healthier Navajo view that evil exists and the world is composed of a balance of good and evil. Coyote appears as a figure roaming the Navajo world, poking his nose in and testing and experimenting. He does this, not mere- ly because he thinks he knows better, although being egotistical is part of his nature, but because his role isto test the boundaries and the categoriza- tion of the world. As such he fulfils a vital role, but one which does not guaran- tee him a positive rating. It is part of Navajo religious thinking that the acquisition of knowledge is gained in myths by disobeying or questioning order; heroes of the ceremonial myths only discover the knowledge of the particular chants through disobeying or ignoring rules, becoming ill and receiving ceremonial knowledge from the Holy People. This is the genesis of the ceremonials. Coyote fits into this general view, but of course is dif- ferent to the hero figures of the myth, since Coyote is a god, not a human and can be seen as continually refusing to obey rules binding everyone else. This makes him a figure about whom Navajos must feel somewhat uneasy.
Coyote is a figure who not only tests boundaries, but transcends boun- daries. In myth he operates in the worlds of humans, animals and gods, in nature he operates in both human and animal worlds, taking food from both nature and human settlements. He is associated with First Man and yet lends sound advice to the Holy People, he is responsible in no small way for the current state of the world and has had a pervasive influence, through his deeds in myth, on the way the Navajos have led their lives. He has ensured the survival of the Navajo and made the world a balanced whole and yet he is also unreliable, pompous, greedy, disruptive and dangerous. Reichard noted (1963:423) that in the assembly of gods, whilst the good sits on the south side and the evil on the north, Coyote sits near the door so that he can ally himself with either side, as it suits his whim. Much of the world is regarded as under Coyoteâs control and he is a major deity and yet he is often worse than a human. His human characteristics are obvious, although this is something of course common to many Trickster figures. His charac- teristics of greed, meanness, lack of control, lying, egocentricity and so forth are characteristics of humans, who display all the ambivalences of the character of Coyote. This is recognized by the Navajo. McAllester and Wheelwright (1956), in a study of the Big Star Chant myth note that âThe Star People announce that there must always be three kinds of people, Snake Men, Coyote Men and Star MenâŠThe Snake is the awakening, the Coyote is manâs animality and the Star is manâs spiritualityâ. Thus, not only does Coyote display human characteristics, but humans display Coyote characterisitics.
Coyote is an essential being in the world, who represents a vital force of restlessness and energy, which moves between the categories of human- gods-animals, good and evil, testing the forms and realities of the world. It is not surprising, then, that he displays contradictions and ambivalence; no cosmology is capable of being a healthy, living, breathing whole if it does not accord a place for the unpredictable and the restless spirit.
Coyote is an essential part of the order and harmony so important in the Navajo world. As a Creator and as tutelary of Coyote way, he aids in estab- lishing that order, as Trickster, he tests and authenticates that order, as well as providing a means of conceptualizing order and disorder, and, as a figure associated with evil and witchcraft, he violates that order.
Coyote is thus a vital part, not only of the Navajo universe as it is, but also of the historical development of that universe. By way of finishing, it may be noted that if the animal coyote is the model, then the Navajo have, in some ways, chosen wisely, since no other animal displays quite the same adaptability and capacity for survival in the face of great odds.
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Damn
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Last purchase for tonight, promise. I love all the animals we were tended to care for. Plus to many cats in my list. There want a friend,Need that coyote charm playfulness.
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