I love the story about Coyote and Bear and Kingfisher (The Bungling Host) for a number of reasons, the humor and the reappearance of the huckleberries (remember Coyote's huckleberry sisters?) to name a couple. But what I find particularly elegant (or sneaky) is the emphasis on the right way to do things, and the idea that the "way" or practice assigned to each being only works for him. It's a lovely illustration of the natural order don't you think? What's so elegant, or sneaky, is the way that we're led to see Coyote's failure and then boom---you realize that actually, Coyote did do things his way. The trickster imitates. He copies. And although Coyote didn't succeed at making meat and huckleberries like Bear and he kills himself trying to fish like Kingfisher, in the end he gets fed. He gets food. And that was what he was after. All three of these characters has a way and each one follows it to the letter, even Coyote.
I imagine that the people who originally told this story understood Coyote's way and saw it as an integral part of the story from the beginning. I didn't at first, and the people that I've told it to didn't either. Coyote is a paradox, a mixture of qualities that we call both good and bad, and his exploits elicit a range of reactions. Since Coyote is Coyote, our reactions reflect back on us. Our judgments about Coyote, that he needs to learn a lesson, for example, stop boasting, find himself, develop some depth, all point at the contradictions in our nature and what we might be struggling with ourselves. If you think that Coyote has a problem, well, consider what's kicking around in your own consciousness.
Yep, story therapy is a lot cheaper and a lot more fun then other types I've tried.
One common reaction I've observed is disdain for Coyote's copying. It's a disdain shared by other characters in Coyote stories and not something Coyote himself reveres. He wants to be a warrior. But he's the trickster, too bad. Apparently this role is needed in a dynamic cosmos. If you think about it, we all learn by observing and drink, in all of our endeavors, from the pool of collective know-how and experience. There are many demands and desires for originality and authenticity but both are in shorter supply then some of us like to think. The tension between what is original and what is acquired, between our innate nature and the will power we exert to become "who we are," may be a place where Coyote slips into our psyche and our lives.
