Dan Flores

All the evidence indicates that America's Native people lived immersed in art, stories, and observations designed around the grand theme of understanding themselves in a sometimes impenetrable world. The oldest named characters in North American history, in fact, are the deities who created the continent and its life and set in motion human life with all of its victories and tragedies.

Stories of these deities make up the continent's oldest literature. With few exceptions, ancient American gods were animals, although the stories describe some as anthropomorphic animals. In Western America, for example, the deity who acquired the universal epithet coyote stood upright on its legs and brandished human hands, but had the fur, sharp nose, erect ears, and the tail of a coyote.

Stories of these deities make up the continent's oldest literature. With few exceptions, ancient American gods were animals, although the stories describe some as anthropomorphic animals. In Western America, for example, the deity who acquired the universal epithet coyote stood upright on its legs and brandished human hands, but had the fur, sharp nose, erect ears, and the tail of a coyote.

Stories of these deities make up the continent's oldest literature. With few exceptions, ancient American gods were animals, although the stories describe some as anthropomorphic animals. In Western America, for example, the deity who acquired the universal epithet coyote stood upright on its legs and brandished human hands, but had the fur, sharp nose, erect ears, and the tail of a coyote.

The deities who made it into modern English as coyote, raven, spider-man, skeleton-man, master rabbit, all shared a basic human nature with their followers. Our vices, our lusts, and our jealousies, our selfishness, and our narcissism resided in America's ancient gods, there to witness, and there for good reason.

The deities who made it into modern English as coyote, raven, spider-man, skeleton-man, master rabbit, all shared a basic human nature with their followers. Our vices, our lusts, and our jealousies, our selfishness, and our narcissism resided in America's ancient gods, there to witness, and there for good reason.

The deities who made it into modern English as coyote, raven, spider-man, skeleton-man, master rabbit, all shared a basic human nature with their followers. Our vices, our lusts, and our jealousies, our selfishness, and our narcissism resided in America's ancient gods, there to witness, and there for good reason.

More about this in a later episode, but the deities not only explained to listeners why North America was the kind of world it was, they taught lessons, often uncomfortable or funny ones, about human behavior and motives. They were gods, creators, also thieves, liars, and lechers, classic professors of human nature.

More about this in a later episode, but the deities not only explained to listeners why North America was the kind of world it was, they taught lessons, often uncomfortable or funny ones, about human behavior and motives. They were gods, creators, also thieves, liars, and lechers, classic professors of human nature.

More about this in a later episode, but the deities not only explained to listeners why North America was the kind of world it was, they taught lessons, often uncomfortable or funny ones, about human behavior and motives. They were gods, creators, also thieves, liars, and lechers, classic professors of human nature.

Coyote, who emerges from the stories as a kind of whirlwind biophysical force with an enormous appetite for pleasure and sensuality, was one of the most widely known gods out of ancient America, an avatar for humans in the world. And we'll devote much of an episode to him and his stories. Like Raven, he is the on-the-scene conductor of a master plan set in motion by an aloof first cause.

Coyote, who emerges from the stories as a kind of whirlwind biophysical force with an enormous appetite for pleasure and sensuality, was one of the most widely known gods out of ancient America, an avatar for humans in the world. And we'll devote much of an episode to him and his stories. Like Raven, he is the on-the-scene conductor of a master plan set in motion by an aloof first cause.

Coyote, who emerges from the stories as a kind of whirlwind biophysical force with an enormous appetite for pleasure and sensuality, was one of the most widely known gods out of ancient America, an avatar for humans in the world. And we'll devote much of an episode to him and his stories. Like Raven, he is the on-the-scene conductor of a master plan set in motion by an aloof first cause.

This more knowable, approachable God was common in Native America. And if there are mysteries in the world you've wondered about, let Raven's adventures explain them. Raven was yet another merged animal-human deity who told the Tlingits, "'I was born before this world was known.'" Uttering his monosyllabic gah, Raven proceeds to shape each animal in a slightly different way and to name them all.

This more knowable, approachable God was common in Native America. And if there are mysteries in the world you've wondered about, let Raven's adventures explain them. Raven was yet another merged animal-human deity who told the Tlingits, "'I was born before this world was known.'" Uttering his monosyllabic gah, Raven proceeds to shape each animal in a slightly different way and to name them all.

This more knowable, approachable God was common in Native America. And if there are mysteries in the world you've wondered about, let Raven's adventures explain them. Raven was yet another merged animal-human deity who told the Tlingits, "'I was born before this world was known.'" Uttering his monosyllabic gah, Raven proceeds to shape each animal in a slightly different way and to name them all.

Whale, seal, eagle, bear, caribou, beaver, salmon, sea otter, land otter, wolf. The birds he paints in bright colors because he wants them to be pretty. There is one worrisome thread that runs through Raven and coyote stories, though. In early times, the Inuit explained, Raven becomes concerned that humans are becoming too numerous.

Whale, seal, eagle, bear, caribou, beaver, salmon, sea otter, land otter, wolf. The birds he paints in bright colors because he wants them to be pretty. There is one worrisome thread that runs through Raven and coyote stories, though. In early times, the Inuit explained, Raven becomes concerned that humans are becoming too numerous.

Whale, seal, eagle, bear, caribou, beaver, salmon, sea otter, land otter, wolf. The birds he paints in bright colors because he wants them to be pretty. There is one worrisome thread that runs through Raven and coyote stories, though. In early times, the Inuit explained, Raven becomes concerned that humans are becoming too numerous.

Human villages are growing too large and subsequently their residents are killing too many animals. The Inuit first man agrees and tells Raven, if the people do not stop killing so many animals, they will kill everything you've made. In Coyote's case, as both the Llanas of California and the Navajos of the Southwest told the story, humans have to die.