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Also known as Sedit, Coyote is the divine trickster of the south-western Indians of North America. He is the instigator of many things and customs, in common with many other tricksters whose function is to break through boundaries and conventions so that new things may come into being. He creates people and brings fire, as well as being the bringer of death. His shape is both human and that of a coyote.

A story from the Thompson River Indians of British Columbia tells how Coyote determined to steal fire from the Fire People, supernatural beings who alone had the secret of making fire. With Antelope, Fox and Wolf, he gatecrashed a party they were having and made himself a headdress from yellow pine shavings. The Fire People danced first and then Coyote and friends performed an answering dance, but Coyote complained that he could hardly see to dance, so that Fire People built up a bigger and bigger fire. As the blaze grew higher, so Coyote’s friends began to leave, excusing themselves from the party because they were too hot, but actually to get into position to help fulfil Coyote’s plan. Coyote danced alone getting nearer and nearer to the fire until his headdress caught alight. Then he ran out, passing his blazing headdress to Antelope who passed it onto Fox and Wolf. Each of the animals was killed by the Fire People until only Coyote was left. As they drew near to kill him, Coyote threw his headdress into a tree which burst into flames. From that time to this, men have been able to make fire by using wooden fire-sticks. This was Coyote’s gift to humans.

Despite being a trickster, Coyote is a guardian of good behaviour, as he shows in this story which teaches people not to be nosy like the dog.

Coyote was always putting his nose into other people’s business. He once watched the Burrowing Owls dancing, seeing how they carried something on their heads. This was a bowl of foam but the owls never spilled a drop as they whirled limping on their short disjointed legs. Coyote begged to be taught the dance. The Owl chieftain told him that this was a sacred initiatory dance and that the thing on their heads was the heads of their grandmothers and that the limping was caused by the pain of having broken legs. Wanting to punish Coyote for his inquisitiveness, Owl said he would initiate Coyote if he went and fetched his grandmother’s head and smashed his legs with a stone. Hobbling in pain and carrying the head of his grandmother which he had sliced off with some deer teeth, he arrived back at the Owl’s dancing ground. He was unable to do anything except a pathetic dance which caused the bowls of foam on the Owl’s heads to spot their shiny black feathers. On hearing their laughter, Coyote knew that they had made a fool of him.

As the bringer of death, he also had to experience its pain.

A legend of the Pomo Indians of California tells how one day Coyote saw a rattlesnake going down a hole and called people to look, for he wanted people to know death. He got everyone to dance around it until the chief’s daughter was bitten on the ankle by the rattlesnake. She cried out in pain but Coyote got them to dance on. A few hours later the girl died and the chief demanded that Coyote resurrect her. He said, ‘If people live forever there will be too many people and not enough food.’ So the girl was laid on the pyre and cremated. A few days later Coyote awoke to find that his own daughter had died, for the chief had poisoned her in revenge for his own girl’s death. Coyote mourned all night and went to the chief and said, ‘My daughter must live again.’ ‘That’s not fair!’ said the chief. ‘You said it was wise to let people die when my daughter died.’ Coyote accepted that his words must also apply to himself and put his daughter on the pyre to cremate her. He mourned all that night and every night afterwards, which is why the coyote always howls at night.