Bears and Coyote – A Nez Perce Legend

Many people live in their permanent camp, including a modest and well-behaved maiden. She resides at the young maidens’ lodge, and she remains unseen by those around the camp. One night, the Modest Maiden leaves the lodge to relieve herself. Nearby, Lynx is present. After she returns inside, Lynx approaches and marks the same spot. Days pass, and the Modest Maiden finds herself with child, though she knows not why. When questioned about the father, she can only say, “I don’t know.” Her child is born—a baby boy—who cries incessantly, seemingly yearning for his father. Coyote, a figure of authority, proposes that all the men gather and hold the baby in turn; the one who calms the child will be its father. The men gather, and Coyote tries to quiet the baby with marrow but fails. As the child is passed along, it continues to cry until it reaches Lynx, who holds it, and the baby falls silent. The men declare, “Lynx is its father!”

Coyote, however, harbors resentment. To prove the child’s paternity, he declares a hunting competition: the first man to return with his catch will claim the woman as his wife. Coyote secretly hunts the night before, hiding his game in a tree. He plans to be the first to present his catch. As dawn breaks, Lynx employs his cunning, creating a dense fog with a whisker. He hunts and returns with his kill during the fog. Coyote, searching for his cache, is thwarted by the fog until Lynx delivers his game, after which the fog lifts. Coyote retrieves his hidden deer but learns Lynx has already won. Angered, Coyote conspires with the flying people, persuading them to oppose Lynx. They attack and kill Lynx, ensuring he cannot resurrect by pulverizing his remains. Coyote approaches the maiden, urging her to leave with him, but she rejects his proposal and transforms back into a bird, mourning as she does so.

Determined, the woman searches for any remnant of Lynx. She finds a small bone piece, wraps it in buckskin, and waits. Over time, the bundle stirs, and Lynx is reborn, though weak and covered in sores. He instructs his wife to prepare a bathing place, and through sweat baths, he regains his strength. Meanwhile, Coyote, curious about the woman’s fate, discovers Lynx has returned. Coyote feigns friendship, blaming Bear for Lynx’s death, and urges Lynx to seek revenge. As the hunters prepare, Coyote sends the young bears on a path where Lynx waits. Lynx uses his powers to slay the bears, sparing only a Marten who spreads the news. Bear, hearing of his sons’ deaths, confronts Coyote, but the trickster has prepared a deceitful escape.

Coyote transforms himself into a decrepit old man, setting a trap for Bear. As Bear pursues him, Coyote, in disguise, lures Bear onto a precarious bridge. Coyote tips the plank, sending Bear into the water below. Triumphant, Coyote taunts Bear, refusing his pleas for mercy, and shoots him dead. Bear’s body floats away, and Coyote, along with Fox, hosts a grand barbecue with the bear meat. Meanwhile, Bear’s wife flees, fearful of Coyote’s wrath, for he has already claimed six lives from her family.

This retelling is a respectful adaptation of a living tradition belonging to the Nez Perce people.

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