Book Review: American Indian Trickster Tales
A wily collection of early America’s best anti-heroes
Tricksters are found in folklore in every culture. They are often mischief makers, who take advantage of pompous superiors. Sometimes, especially in Native American lore, they are presented as culture heroes who bring down a valuable object or lesson for the betterment of humanity.
Erdoes and Ortiz capture the facets and aspects of the Trickster in this wonderful fascinating book. In these stories they are both hero and troublemaker.
Coyote’s Capers
Over 55 tribes and 100 stories are represented in this book, but the quintessential star is Coyote, who is featured in over half of these tales. According to the introduction Coyote features in stories from “the Arctic to Mexico” but is predominantly in the tales of the American Southwest.
Coyote’s tales range from the body humor of “The Trouble with Rose Hips” in which a plant gives some unpleasant aftereffects to our hapless hero to “Coyote’s Amorous Adventures” in which Coyote tries to break every taboo imaginable from sleeping with other men’s wives to his own daughters.
Coyote is also given a very sardonic sense of humor. In the stories “Coyote Taunts the Grizzly Bear” and “How to Select a Meal” Coyote takes advantage of his rivals with differing results. These show the Trickster’s penchant for getting into and out of trouble.
Besides being portrayed as a fool, Erdoes and Ortiz show the Trickster as a creator and cultural hero. In the story “Coyote Steals the Sun” Coyote steals the sun and moon to improve the lives of a very skeptical tribe. In other stories Coyote teaches the people about death, procreation, and creates canyons, gorges, and forests for people to live and grow food.
Raven, Hare, Iktomi, and the Rest
Coyote is not the only trickster represented in this book. The reader is provided with a memorable cast of fun characters from different tribes. Rabbit, the inspiration for such characters as Bugs Bunny and B’rer Rabbit is explored in such stories as “Rabbit Escapes from the Box” and “Tar Baby” where he uses his wiles to escape from his lesser intelligent pursuers.
Iktomi, the Spider Man’s romantic adventures are explored as he seduces pretty young ladies often to no avail. Another memorable Trickster, Raven is given quite a few creation stories notably “Raven Lights the World” which explains how Raven gave sun to the Haida people and why ravens have black feathers.
There are also stories featuring other figures like Glooskap, Veeho (whose name means “White Man”), Skeleton Man, and Weskaychak AKA Whiskey Jack. All these stories show the best of the tricksters as both unlikely heroes and ultimate mischief makers.
About the Editors
Alfonso Ortiz was Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico, author of the book The Tewa World, and editors of the volumes Handbook of the North American Indian. He died in 1997
Richard Erdoes was born in Germany, and educated in Vienna, Austria. He is an illustrator, photographer, and author of more than 20 books on the American West including Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions and Lakota Woman. His photographs appeared in various magazines like National Geographic and Life. He now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Cover of American Indian Trickster Tales
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