Native American Literature King s A Coyote s Coyote

Every culture has its traditions and folktales. Commonly, Native stories tend to make use of trickster figures to promote some sort of moral across. Coyote is one of the most frequent trickster figure amongst this narrative. This wild animal can at times be helpful, but more often than not his foolish and rash personality can meddle with the surrounding environment. Much like Zeus transformed into a swan in Leda and the Swan, Coyote could also change forms. Sometimes he’s an animal, other times he’s a person, or even at times he’s half human-half animal. Since trickster figures can change their physical shape, their personality is no different. It can vary, from the wise and brave fool such as the Coyote from Louisa McDermott’s Coyote Kills the Giant, to the plain unwise and meddlesome such as Coyote from Thomas King’s A Coyote Columbus Story. If one wants to examine Native American literature King’s and McDermott’s Coyote stories can be used to endorse an in depth investigation. Humour, irony, and proper oral techniques in both, Coyote Kills the Giant and A Coyote Columbus Story, demonstrate that Coyote stories can not only be fun and foolish, but also educational and powerful. Humor, being a vital component in the culture of Native Americans, can be found in oral literature such as tribal stories, folklores and legends. These stories are handed down through centuries to be remembered and shared with others. Humor can appear in different forms from the mocking self-criticalShow MoreRelatedTotem And The Coyote Columbus Story By Thomas King1288 Words   |  6 Pages The two stories ‘Totem’ and ‘The Coyote Columbus Story’ written by Thomas King are about the Aboriginal people of North America. Thomas King revisits the history of the Native American people in his stories and tells them in a symbolic and metaphorical manner, with his simple touch of humour. 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