Mythology & Folklore

Story: Coyote Tries to Make His Children Spotted Story source:  Jicarilla Apache Texts  edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911). Fawns I really enjoyed all of the Apache coyote stories. It looks like Coyote was very busy and always in some kind of mischief. However, there was one story where the Coyote was tricked into killing his young, and I thought it was pretty sad. Plot Summary: A Coyote encountered a deer in the Arroyo among the willows. Seeing the spotted fawns, the Coyote asked, "How do you make your little ones so spotted?" The deer told him that they are born that way. The Coyote did not believe it and said that he must do something to them to make them that way. The deer then told him that he digs a hole in the top of the hill where the wind blows and pile a lot of cedar wood in from, and set fire to it. The sparks that fly out makes them spotted. The Coyote went home eager to make his children spotted. He did as the deer told him. They cl...

Story: The Emergence Story source: Jicarilla Apache Texts edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911). Taos County, New Mexico This is a creation story from Apache Native American people. I find the concept of emerging to be an intriguing one. Rather than coming out nothing, or having a god create everything, this story of creation begins with people emerging from the underworld. In the beginning, he made a mounting. By "he" the story refers to the White God of the east, assisted by the Talking God of the south, the Yellow God of the west, and the Laughing God of the north. Then, the made the mountain taller and taller. He then made reeds come out of the center of the mountain and up into heaven.  Four girls went up and twisted the reeds going to the sky.  Four ladders were made and placed in position: one black, one blue, one yellow, and one variegated. Then whirlwind went to the world above and looked. When he came back he r...