Coyote lived in the eastern foothills.  Coyote wanted to go visit Sun.  He asked Prairie Flacon to tell him how to get to Sun.  Prairie Falcon showed Coyote the trail.

Coyote started out early in the morning and traveled all day.  He tried and tried to catch up with Sun, but sun disappeared in the west.

Coyote told Prairie Falcon what had happened.  Prairie Falcon told him to take another Trail.  the next day Coyote tried even harder to follow sun, but sun led him back home again.

Coyote went to Prairie Falcon again and told him what had happened.  This time Prairie Falcon told Coyote to go to the edge of the world in the east and wait until Sun came up.

The next morning, Coyote sat down at the edge of the world and waited for Sun to com up.  He put an arrow in his how and pointed it in all directions ready to shoot.  

In a little while Sun came to the place where Coyote was sitting.  Sun told Coyote to move so he could begin his journey but Coyote would not move.  

He asked Sun if he could go with him and Sun said no.  Sun began to make Coyote very warm and Coyote tucked his tail under him all but the tip.  Coyote spat on his paws and rubbed them on his back to try to cool off.  Sun burned Coyote's  back and the tip of his tail, but he would not move.  Sun Finally told him he could go with him if he would move and let him rise and start the new day.

Coyote rode to the top of the sky with Sun and he became very hot.  Sun was so bright it hurt Coyote's eyes and he had to close them.  He would open them a little and squint so he could see how close he was coming to the earth.

When Sun went down to the mountains in the west, Coyote jumped to a tree and climbed down to the ground.  He was glad to be on the ground again, instead of high in the sky with Sun.  

This is why, to this day, Coyote squints his eyes and has black hair on his back and at the tip of his tail.

Told by

Cecile Silva

From Big foot and other stories

Copyright Tulare County Board of Education 1975

Tulare County Department of Education Office of the Superintendent

202 County Civic Center Visalia, California 93277

559-781-4271