Friday, November 25, 2011

Coyote Transforms

Coyote changes to hunter
Inspired by the Wasco myth Coyote and Multnomah Falls, as well as other stories about coyote the shapeshifter from various Pacific Northwest tribes. In this story, coyote turns into a young man to propose marriage to a young woman.

The myth was set in "that long ago time before this time, when all the people and all the animals spoke the same language." The clothing references used for the illustration were from the 19th century. No claims are being made to cultural authenticity or period accuracy here ;-) The lives of Plateau people were already changed by indirect European influence long before anyone first set eyes on a person of European descent.1 For example, horses broadened the trade network of tribes and spread fashion influences from the Plains to the Plateau.2

That said, The Museum at Warm Springs on the Warm Springs Reservation, where the Wasco tribe now lives, is an excellent resource.

The Wasco tribe lived near the Dalles, along the banks of the Great River (which a Euro American ship captain later named the Columbia River). In 1855, together with the Wishram tribe, the Wascoes had to sign treaties giving up most of their land.3 The Wascoes now live with the Paiutes and the Warms Springs on the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon. Together they are known as the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. In 1993, they opened the 7.6-million-dollar Museum at Warm Springs after more than 20 years of planning.

Notes:
  1. Robert Boyd, People of the Dalles, p12
  2. Kelly L. Barth, Native Americans of the Northwest Plateau, pp 34-35
  3. Wasco-Wishram. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 9 Jan 2019. Web. 30 Nov 2019.

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