Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work

Feature Menu

Introducing the Story

The Nez Perce
Literary Focus: Archetypes
Reading Focus: Understanding Cul
tural Characteristics
Writing Focus: Think as a
Reader/Writer
Tech Focus

The Granger Collection, New York

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work

How can peoples beliefs affect their actions?

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Introducing the Story

Click on the title to start the video.

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Introducing the Story

Passed on from generation to generation, this Nez

Perce myth features Coyote in the role of the
trickster hero.
Coyotes adventures
teach moral lessons and
present alternate
explanations for natural
occurrences.
School for Advanced Research, Catalog Number IAF.P201-18

What does the myth promise for the future?

[End of Section]

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
The Nez Perce

The Nez Perce (nehz puhrs), whose name comes

from the French term for pierced nose, were a
people of the Plateau culture.
X
X X

They live in what is now

Idaho, Oregon, and
Washington.

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
The Nez Perce

Fierce conflicts, fueled by the opening of the

Oregon Trail and the nineteenth-century gold rush,
erupted over ownership of their land.
In 1877, the Nez Perce leader,
Chief Joseph, surrendered to
federal troops with the nowfamous words I will fight no
more forever.
The Granger Collection, New York

[End of Section]

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Literary Focus: Archetypes

An archetype is a pattern that appears in

literature across cultures and is repeated through
the ages.
Archetypes include
characters
plots
images
themes
settings

The Granger Collection, New York

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Literary Focus: Archetypes

Most myths contain archetypes. The more myths

you read, the more youll notice these recurring
patterns, such as
the hero who dies
with honor

ill-fated lovers
the wise old man
the trickster hero
an initiation task
a life-giving tree

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Literary Focus: Archetypes

Over time, archetypes change bit by bit,

reappearing in slightly different forms across
multiple genre, or types of literature.

The Granger Collection, New York

An initiation archetype, the Native American

vision quest might appear today as a Bar Mitzvah.
[End of Section]

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work

Reading Focus: Understanding Cultural Characteristics

Different cultures have different literary traditions.

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work

Reading Focus: Understanding Cultural Characteristics

Since American Indian literature was handed down

orally by storytellers, these literary works may lose
some of their power in written form.
As you read, imagine each
piece being spoken by a
skilled storyteller to an
or, better yet,
eager audience . . .
read each piece
aloud.
From Coyote Finishes His Work from Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter by Barry Holstun Lopez.
Copyright 1977 by Barry Holstun Lopez. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of Andrews McMeel
Publishing.

[End of Section]

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work

Reading Focus: Understanding Cultural Characteristics

Into Action: Record examples of archetypes.

Into Action: Archetype Chart
The Sky Tree

The Earth
Only

Coyote Finishes
His Work

Archetype
Characteristics
Culture

[End of Section]

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work

Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

Find It in Your Reading

Because Coyote Finishes His Work was originally
passed down orally from generation to generation,
its syntax, or sentence structure, has a unique
quality.
From the very beginning, Coyote was traveling around all
over the earth. He did many wonderful things when he went
along. He killed the monsters and the evil spirits that preyed
on the people.
From Coyote Finishes His Work from Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter by Barry Holstun Lopez. Copyright 1977 by
Barry Holstun Lopez. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission of Andrews McMeel Publishing.

As you read, note the aspects of the syntax that

seem to reflect an oral tradition.

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work

Writing Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

TechFocus
As you read this selection, think about how people
today convey their own stories and myths.

Vocabulary

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

endures v.: keeps on; continues.

inhabited adj.: lived in.
revive v.: return to life.
determined v.: decided; concluded.

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

If something endures, it keeps on or continues.

Although Diana is a professional classical
guitarist, her love of rock and roll endures.

Is Diana still a fan of

rock and roll? Explain.

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

Faced with multiple injuries and a losing season,

the players boasted that their team spirit endures.
Which of these
scenes does not
reflect the teams
spirit?

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

The word inhabited means lived in.

The weary travelers, hungry and cold, hoped to
find an inhabited cabin before nightfall.
Do you think their
search will end when
they find this cabin?
Why or why not?

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

Our tour guide insisted that we visit only the

inhabited regions of the island.

Which of these scenes might we visit?

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

The word revive means to return to life.

With speed and expertise, the emergency
technicians will revive the unconscious man.

Is the man dead

or alive? Explain.

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

The city council plans to revive the downtown

shopping district of our city.
Which of these strategies would
not help revive downtown?
a. Offer free parking
b. Repair and widen the
sidewalks
c. Offer tax breaks for stores
opening in outlying malls

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

The word determined means decided or concluded.

After lengthy deliberations, the school board
determined that a school uniform policy would
be adopted.
How might this
decision affect the
teachers and
student body?

Native American Myths:

Coyote Finishes His Work
Vocabulary

Fatima determined that she could become her

schools top-ranked long distance runner.
Which of these activities support her decision?

A. practicing

B. eating
healthy
food

They all do.

C. getting
adequate
sleep

D. lifting
weights

The End