How Raven And Coyote Stole The Stars

Kangi, perhaps with the closing of the school, the teachings from our animal guides has completed itself… i wrote this story to say thanks to you and them for all the play and crazy laughter… love… – Miyaca

One day raven flew down and stole the sun and stars from a rich man hoarding them under some trees. he flew away, but soon the weight of both was too much for his wings so he shook the sun out to the west and watched it go down. he flew all night through the dark and fell asleep by the river.

just then coyote walked by. “hey, raven, want to smoke some tobacco?” raven loved to smoke. coyote brought out his pipe but when raven reached to take it, the stars came tumbling out. raven quickly gathered them up, telling coyote how he got them. “that’s quite a story!” coyote exclaimed. he loved stories. just then, the sun came up in the east blinding them both, but not before coyote snatched four of the stars from raven’s pile. they smoked the pipe and went on their ways.

raven flew into a terrible storm and lost all his stars to Wakinyan, the thunder bird, who swallowed them and spit them out one by one as bright lights across the sky. to this day, raven prefers to fly under the clouds. to stay in the dark and not remember his shame.

coyote spent many days with the four stars hidden in his tobacco pouch. he didn’t want to share them with anyone. when he finally brought them out, Waziya, the north giant, chased him down and killed him, but not before coyote managed to throw them away to different directions.

Waziya tracked the north star and keeps it there to this day. Wambli, the eagle, grabbed one and placed it in the east as wope, the morning star. these two are the brightest stars.

what happened to the other two remains a bit of a mystery. some say raven had enough magic to steal the one in the west, and keep it in his secret cave. that’s why he likes the west so much. some say coyote had enough trickery to track the south star and bury it there with his tobacco. that’s why wherever he goes, he’s always heading south.

but the wise ones say Wakantanka, the great spirit, put them so high in the sky that neither trickster could ever snatch them. for the stars belong to everyone and must shine so that all the people can see, and remember forever, the light.

Sudhiro Coyote Myiacha Olowan