Article
In his Navajo detective novels, Tony Hillerman refers to both the regular dog-like wild animal found throughout the contiguous American continents and to Coyote, the trickster figure in Navajo cosmologies, for which the animal and its anthropomorphized character is the inspiration.
In Navajo mythology, Coyote (or First Coyote) is a trickster or troublemaker. He is often referred to as First Angry or First Scolder and is said to have brought witchcraft into the world. He appears in many stories both as a trickster who cannot be trusted and as a sexual being who tricks others in order to get his way. He is a main character of the Navajo creation story.
"Young Coyote, Valles Caldera, NM, August 2, 2014" by Larry Lamsa is licensed under CC BY.
Manuscripts
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 63
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 66
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 75
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 80
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 81
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 82
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 89
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 106
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 107
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 161
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 162
A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (02-04) p. 64
A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (02-04) p. 89
A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (02-04) p. 101
A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (02-04) p. 102
A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 46
A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 56
A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 57
A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 64
A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 93
A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 173
A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 177
A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 228
References
Wyman, Leland
1983 Navajo Ceremonial System. In Handbook of North American Indian, Vol. 10., A. Ortiz,
ed. Pp. 536-537. Washington: Smithsonian Institution.