Coyote and Buffalo

 

Big Ideas:

(time 9:55) Educators are encouraged to focus on four dominant themes throughout their planning and study of the story Coyote and Buffalo. The themes integral to the story are 1) self-regulation; 2) consequences; 3) respect; and 4) responsibility. The following are suggestions and information that will assist educators in meeting their learning objectives for their students.

Backgrounder:

Teachers are encouraged to read the summaries and reflections found in the book Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way that reference and relate to this story. Several important topics and concepts are mentioned, such as:

• Connection with the spirit world;

• Ancestors – continue to be a part of our lives;

• Desecration of burials and burial sites, the Vallican example;

• Respect for the dead/ancestral remains;

• Sinixt cultural practices and protocols around death and the grieving process;

• Living symbols of loss and deep inner pain;

• Decolonization;

• A bad example – the best example of what not to do;

• Lightening the load – taking it to the water for stress relief;

• Relevant artwork.

Language:
Sinixt: ntx witkw (nh-nayt-kwa) – Columbia River

q^wspίc̓aʔ (kwas-peet-za) – buffalo, hairy

whuplak’n (whup-lock-en) – law of the land

smum iem (smum-eem) – live life of service

snḱlip (sin klip) – coyote;

English: An introduction to some of the following words and phrases may be needed for younger students prior to, or after, listening to the story:

Tumultuous relationship, get the better of, got the last word, carries on, nemesis, disrespectful, wrestle, kinnikinnick, forms a partnership, enter into a pact, pitch tree, reconfigured, herd, marrow fat in the bones, carrion birds.

The Story:

Coyote and Buffalo is a story that relates why there are no buffalo along the Columbia River. Coyote’s choices and actions are at fault. The story ventures far beyond those parameters, however, and touches on several important issues: revenge, focus, disrespect, self-regulation, responsibility, and temptation to name a few. Some suggestions to help guide students through the story are listed as follows:

• Mapping assignment: locate places mentioned in the story for reference, particularly in relation to the traditional territory of the Sinixt Peoples, i.e. the Rocky Mountains, the prairies, the Columbia River.

• What were Coyote’s motivations for crossing the Rockies on two different occasions? Compare/contrast them.

• What clues are given in the story to infer that Coyote and Big Bull Buffalo had a difficult relationship and are enemies. – tumultuous, fearful, hateful, revenge, Big Buffalo always got the better of Coyote.

• When Coyote sees the skull of the buffalo, what is his reaction? What does Coyote mean when he insists 1) he had the last word and 2) Big Bull Buffalo got what he deserved?

• Coyote hears thunder and rumbling coming closer and then Big Bull Buffalo appears. The reason for these thundering sounds is not explained in the story. Using inference and common sense, what may have caused the sounds Coyote heard? Note that Big Bull Buffalo appears immediately after Coyote hears the sounds.

• Big Bull Buffalo comes back to life to avenge Coyote’s disrespectful treatment of the buffalo skull. Describe Big Bull Buffalo’s reaction to Coyote’s disrespect.

• Buffalo are herd animals. Big Bull Buffalo admits he has lost his herd to a younger buffalo which means he is no longer a leader. Explain the ‘quid pro quo’, or trick, Coyote attempts to orchestrate with Big Bull Buffalo to help Buffalo reinstate his leadership position.

• Why was Coyote gifted a Buffalo Cow to take back to his territory? What was the one condition or stipulation to which he had to adhere, but failed?

• At several points in the story Coyote is easily distracted and loses his focus. Describe some of the incidents and what was lost. (1) skull – lost time, journey; 2) old lady – lost marrow; 3) carrion birds – lost meat; 4) Buffalo Cow – lost possibility of buffalo along Columbia River forever.

• Why do you think Buffalo Cow refused to go with Coyote? Discussion could include references to how difficult it can be to say ‘no’. (See section below re: decision-making.)

• How can Coyote be considered a great teacher? He has a bad reputation, makes many mistakes, and can be extremely offensive. Coyote is a fine example of how not to be. The best example is sometimes a bad example.

• Coyote returned to his homeland empty-handed. As a result, his homeland has no buffalo. Who got the last word in the end?

Seasonal Round Harvesting

The Sinixt were hunter-gatherers whose survival relied heavily on a seasonal round gathering of foods to maintain their staple diet. (See the story How Coyote Made the Black Moss Food for more information on the seasonal rounds method as well as some of the particular foods involved.) Meat was an essential part of the traditional Sinixt diet just as hunting was an essential part of the traditional Sinixt way of life. If the Sinixt wanted or needed meat such as deer, caribou, or elk, then they would exercise good stewardship and go to an area where that particular animal was not only plentiful but also where harvesting would not negatively impact the sustainability of the herd. In more traditional times there were no vitamins, supplements, or specialty food items to enrich or sustain a meatless diet. Eating meat was the way of the land and meat was considered a sacred thing.

• Want, need, or greed: Coyote takes on a major necessity of Sinixt existence…that of being a hunter-gatherer. Since there are no buffalo to be found along the Columbia River, Coyote must travel some distance to satisfy his yearning for buffalo meat. How is his situation different from that of a Sinixt hunter-gatherer? Is his situation a matter of life or death? Is he operating from a place of want, need, or greed?

• Stewardship: Stewardship is closely aligned with hunting protocols and whuplak’n, the first cultural law for the Sinixt (the Law of the Land). For the sake of the land, the people, the animals, food resources, and survival of future generations, stewardship and strict adherence to hunting protocols were an absolute must. Was Coyote obeying the Sinixt cultural laws? Did Coyote seem to have any concerns regarding the sustainability of the buffalo herd?

• Protocols: The staple diet for the Sinixt People consisted of foods available within their traditional landscape and the ecosystem in which they thrived. If Coyote had followed protocols how would he have proceeded differently? i.e. asked permission to enter the territory, made an offering, initiated a trade, shared some of the kill, used the entire animal, adhered to conditions, etc.

• Honour: The concept of honour appears to be integral to many of the Sinixt stories being shared in this resource unit. (See How Coyote Made the Black Moss Food.) This consistency serves to impress upon the students just how important it is to maintain one’s honour. What is honour as a core value from the perspective of a child? What would it mean to be honoured as a hunter? – Essential qualities would include respect, gratitude, and generosity. (other ideas: good provider, excellent hunting skills, positive role model, experienced strategist, understands and connects with nature, shows reverence, practices stewardship.) Does Coyote operate from a place of honour in this story?

• Cultural Laws: Did Coyote abide by the Sinixt cultural laws, whuplak’n and smum iem, in this story? For review, the Sinixt cultural laws are explained here:

whuplak’n:
This law is the law of the land that states you must take care of the land, respect the land, and assume a responsibility to the land and to every being within it.

smum iem:
This is the law that states you must live a life of service. Take care of your own responsibilities first, and then contribute to the community by helping and taking care of others.

Respect and Responsibility

The story emphasizes the concept of being respectful, referencing respect for the dead and for burial sites specifically. The Sinixt People and their cultural laws have been disrespected in many ways for generations. When a grave of an ancestor has been disturbed, responsibility for repatriation and reburial falls to the Sinixt descendants. This was the mission assigned to Marilyn James by Sinixt Elder Eva Orr in 1990…bring the ancestors home and help them to continue on their journey according to cultural law. In the book it states that over 60 remains have been repatriated and reburied. The Sinixt were the first People in Canada to successfully negotiate the return of ancestral remains.

Also of note in this story is the decision-making responsibility entrusted to Buffalo Cow Woman by Big Bull Buffalo, an important decision that would impact the traditional territory of the Sinixt Peoples.

• For more information re: the first repatriation and reburial see, or revisit, the story Repatriation of Remains.

• Consider the following true account: The Sinixt People were notified that a private person wanted to return some bones for reburial. When the Sinixt met with the person, the remains were handed over. Two comments from the interaction stood out: 1) I’m not sure all of the bones are Native. And 2) I can’t return them all because I used some in my macramé and they’ve been sold. Discuss. (Note: After the first statement that not all the bones may be Native, the Sinixt Elder present said, “That’s okay. We will take care of them, too!”)

• Informed Decision-Making: Big Bull Buffalo, as leader of the herd, trusted Buffalo Cow Woman with the responsibility to decide if she wanted to accompany Coyote. This gesture by Big Bull Buffalo showed that he trusted Buffalo Cow Woman to make the right choice, not just for herself, but for everyone. Look for clues in the story and consider what, in the end, informed her decision to refuse to travel west of the Rockies with Coyote. Some examples follow:

• Coyote had reputation for causing trouble.

• Coyote had a tumultuous relationship with her leader.

• Buffalo Cow Woman had witnessed Coyote’s inability to self-regulate.

• He had demonstrated a serious lack of restraint and was too easily distracted.

• Coyote had refused to honour agreements or pacts that didn’t benefit him.

• Coyote had disrespected Buffalo Cow Woman.

• He was greedy and self-serving.

• Buffalo Cow Woman had confidence in herself to make the right decision knowing that, no matter what, the herd would be behind her decision and support her choice.

• There were no buffalo in Coyote’s territory. Perhaps Buffalo Cow Woman understood or deduced that, if she went with Coyote, the sustainability required for her survival was not already there.

• Older students could research the issues around introducing or re-introducing a species into an ecosystem, i.e. Intentional/accidental introduction, alien species, invasive species, pest control, wolves – Yellowstone National Park, buffalo – Banff National Park, cane toads – Australia, etc.

• Listen to/learn the song – R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Suggested Research Topics

Buffalo:

• Where did the buffalo range?

• Why and how were the buffalo so important to Indigenous People?

• What hunting methods were used?

• The buffalo are herd animals. What does that mean?

• Do buffalo have horns or antlers? What is the difference?

• Related topics: 1) the impact buffalo had on the industrial revolution; 2) the downfall of the buffalo; 3) how the buffalo affected the health of the prairies; 4) the plight of the buffalo today; 5) Herd animals, herding animals, and herd immunity.

• Trivia: Oreo cookies caused a buffalo stampede. Research the story.

Anathema and Nemesis:

In the story Big Bull Buffalo is referred to as Coyote’s nemesis.

• What is the origin of the term nemesis?

• Why is Big Bull Buffalo referred to as Coyote’s nemesis?

• Determine if, according to definition, Big Bull Buffalo is also an anathema.

Quid Pro Quo

Arrangements or agreements considered quid pro quo are transactional. Older students could research this term and debate its pros and cons, particularly in relation to its use by gangs and mobs to secure membership and assert control. This research could lead to an investigation of self-esteem, value from within, being assertive, leadership qualities, need for outside affirmation, etc.

Curricular Competency: (developed by the teacher creating the lesson plan in collaboration with the student(s) receiving the knowledge)

Communication:

Creative Thinking:

Critical Thinking:

Positive Personal & Cultural Identity:

Personal Awareness & Responsibility:

Social Responsibility: