Cultural Reference

When rabbit and coyote are mentioned together, Tony Hillerman is most likely referring to a Navajo reference in which Coyote chases Rabbit, yet Rabbit gets the best of him.

In Navajo mythology, 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.

In this particular tale, Coyote finds Rabbit and begins to chase him, but Rabbit hides in a hole in the ground. Coyote threatens to smoke Rabbit out using weeds. Rabbit replies, saying that he will eat the weeds before Coyote lights them on fire. Coyote says he will use pinyon pine, which is know for being a pitchy wood that burns hot and produces a lot of smoke. Using pinyon pine instead of weeds to smoke out Rabbit will kill him, showing the darker side of Coyote's trickster nature. But as Coyote puts his plan in motion, drawing closer to his smoldering pile of pinyon to blow on it and make it bigger, Rabbit kicks him in the face, escaping with laughter. Coyote lives to tell the tale, but his singed coat reminds us of how Rabbit got away.

A vernacular expression that indicates a sudden, rapid, and radical change.

A badge of honor awarded by the U.S. military to soldiers who were wounded or killed while serving their military duty. The medal was the first U.S. army decoration, established in 1782 by George Washington. The current design depicts Washington's profile at the center of a purple heart with bronze borders.

A clothing garment, usually a winter sweater, that is put on by being pulled over the head rather than buttoned or zipped up.

The term Pueblo refers to a diverse range of Native Americans living in pueblos in New Mexico and Arizona. These groups share similar world views and historically have participated in intensive agriculture, growing corn, beans, chile, and squash, yet each group is distinct and autonomous from the others. Generally, the Pueblos are divided into two groups: Western Pueblos, who live in canyon and mesa country along the Colorada Plateau, and the Eastern Pueblos, who live along the Rio Grande, a river running north-south through almost the entire length of New Mexico. There are four distinct linguistic stocks in the Pueblo community, including Tanoan, Keresan, Uto-Aztecan, and Zuni, which is a language isolate. These differences suggest that these groups have different origins.

Traces or evidence in the form of fingerprints left behind at a crime scene.

Referring to the very beginning of earth or the first age of an event.

Prayer plumes are feathers that are attached to prayer sticks for a variety of rituals, ceremonies, and devotions specific to a number of pueblo and Southwestern tribes, including the Zuni and Hopi. These feathers are usually fastened with cotton string to a short stick, ranging between 6- and 12-inches in length, that is also painted with very specific patterns and colors depending upon the ritual or prayer being performed. The prayer sticks, decorated with their prayer plumes, can be placed to mark a sacred site, or are left as offerings and signs of appeasement. Sometimes, the term "prayer plume" is used interchangeably with the term "prayer stick" and its Hopi translation, "paho."

Jars, bowls, and other containers shaped out of ceramic material, such as earthenware (or clay), stoneware, and porcelain, which are subsequently fired, or super-heated. Subjecting pottery to heat initiates chemical changes in its ceramic material, including the removal of all water from the clay, which facilitates the hardening and strengthening of the earthenware form.

Historically, the Southwest is known for its centuries of pottery production, specifically earthenware forms finished with complex abstract animal figures and geometric symbols.

The Potawatomi tribe is a Native American group that originally resided in southwest Michigan and whose language is in the Algonquin family. The tribe worked under a democratic clan chief system, with each village having its own leader. After the fall harvest, the tribe broke up into smaller winter hunting groups, meeting up again in the summer in larger groups, which included the Anishanaabe and Ottawa tribes, near lakes and rivers.

In the mid 1600s, the Potawatomi were driven out of their traditional lands by other Native American groups, relocating to upper Michigan near what is now Canada to occupy a single village. They were allies with the French through the 18th century and fought the British in Pontiac's Rebellion. They also participated in the Revolutionary War on the side of the British, Little Turtle's War, and the Black Hawk War of 1832. They were later moved to a reservation in Kansas but continued to fight for traditional land and recognition on the 20th century.