by Alan Nafzger & Lilly Tabbytite (Comanche)
Coyotes have been roaming the earth since the beginning of time. He did a lot of wonderful things as he went along. He exterminated the monsters and evil spirits who preyed on the people. Old Man Above desired that the earth be inhabited throughout, rather than just in one or two areas.
He gave everyone different names and taught them various languages. This is why Indians now live all over the country and speak in various dialects.
He taught the people how to eat, hunt buffalo, and catch eagles. He taught them how to eat roots, how to build a good lodge, and what to wear. He showed them how to dance. He made mistakes from time to time, and despite his wisdom and power, he did many foolish things. But that was his manner.
Coyote enjoyed playing tricks. He was constantly thinking about himself and telling everyone that he was a great warrior, but he was not. He would occasionally go too far with a trick and kill someone. Other times, he would be the victim of a trick played on him by someone else. He was killed in this manner so many times that Fox and the birds grew tired of resurrecting him. Another way he got in trouble was by attempting to replicate what someone else had done. This is how he earned the moniker "Imitator."
Coyote was also unattractive. The girls despised him. But he was astute. He could disguise himself and fool the woman. Coyote could have the girls whenever he wanted.
Coyote had done everything he could think of at the time and was traveling from one location to another, looking for other things that needed to be done. "Coyote has now done almost everything he is capable of doing," the old man thought to himself as he passed by. His work is nearly completed. "It's time to bring him back to where he started."
So the Great Spirit descended in the form of an old man. He ran into Coyote. "My name is Coyote," said Coyote. "What is your name?"
"I am the Earth's Chief," Old Man declared. It was I who dispatched you to restore order to the world. "
"No, you never sent me," Coyote replied. I'm not familiar with you. "Take that lake over there and move it to the side of that mountain, Chief."
"No. "Allow me to see you do it, Coyote."
It was done by Coyote.
"Now, return it."
Coyote tried, but he couldn't pull it off. This struck him as odd. He tried again, but he couldn't pull it off.
The Chief repositioned the lake.
"Now I know you're the Chief," Coyote said.
"Your work is finished, Coyote," the Old Man said. You've traveled a long way and done a lot of good. You will now proceed to where I have prepared a home for you. "
Then Coyote vanished. Nobody knows where he is these days.
The Old Man was also getting ready to leave. "I will send messages to the earth by the spirits of the people who reach me but whose time to die has not yet come," he told the Indians. They will deliver messages to you on occasion. When their spirits return to their bodies, they will awaken and tell you about their adventures. Earth-woman and I won't be seen again until Coyote and I are quite old. Then we'll return to Earth because something has to change by then. Coyote will arrive first, and when you see him, you'll know I'm on the way. All the spirits of the dead will accompany me when I arrive. The Other Side Camp will no longer exist. Everyone will live together. The Earth-mother will revert to her original form and live as a mother among her children. Then everything will be alright. "
They are now waiting for Coyote.