Coyote Ancestor-Spirit of Navajo
Known as Mą'ii in the Navajo language, the Coyote ancestor-spirit is one of the most complex and revered figures in Diné Bahane', the Navajo creation story. Unlike lesser spirits, Mą'ii existed from the beginning of time, present in the First World of darkness and mist alongside First Man and First Woman. He is both a creator and a destroyer, a teacher and a trickster, whose ceremonial name is Áłtsé hashké or First Scolder. Coyote's actions during the emergence from the underworlds shaped the very fabric of the world as the Navajo know it today. He scattered the stars into the Milky Way when h