In the short story "Coyote and the Buffalo" themes of trust as well as forgiveness are presented. The Coyote laughed at the death of Buffalo Bull. "He picked up the skull and threw it into the air; he kicked it and spat on it; he threw dust in the eye sockets." (Pg 48 lines 11&12) Shortly after the Buffalo came back alive and threatened the life of the Coyote. After some negotiation, the Buffalo forgave what the Coyote had done and even paid him for helping the Buffalo regain his old herd. The Buffalo presented the Coyote with a young cow that would provide him with food if he ever need it. Coyote was not allowed to kill the animal, only to eat its fat. After a while the Coyote was tired of eating fat so he killed the cow assuming Buffalo Bull wouldn't find out. When he when to Buffalo's herd, to plead for another cow, he found that his original young cow was there and was alive. Coyote begged Buffalo to give him another cow and another chance, but Buffalo refused. The coyote had to return his home buffalo-less and hungry. The story concludes by saying Coyote's foolishness was the ultimate reason why there are no buffalo in the area that Coyote had lived. "Coyote had to return to his own country without a Buffalo. That is why there never have been any buffalo along the Swah-Netk'-qhu." (Pg 52 lines 92-94)
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HOW ELEMENTS OF NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE ARE SHOWN IN THE TEXT
In the story, a common element of Native American Literature that was expressed is the appearance and importance of spirits. Buffalo Bull comes back from the dead, after his past spirit was mocked and his death was laughed at. "Turning around, he saw Buffalo Bull pounding along after him, chasing him. His old enemy had come to life." (Pg 50 lines 16&17) Another element that appeared was the presence of a foolish character. Coyote represented this character when he lost Buffalo's trust by killing the young cow. The final commonly seen element that was represented in "Coyote and the Buffalo" was the significance of animals. The whole story, in a way, represents this element. This story was originally made by natives of the Salish tribe, animals were so important to them that they made them the main characters of this legend.