The Coyote and the Locust
A Zuni trickster story about Coyote who heard Locust singing and playing his flute on a piñon branch. Coveting the song, Coyote demanded Locust teach it to him. Locust, wary of Coyote's intentions, tricked him by shedding his skin and placing a stone inside the empty shell on the branch. When Coyote returned and Locust refused to sing again, Coyote angrily bit the locust shell — but it was actually a stone wrapped in skin. Coyote broke his teeth, which is why coyotes have broken-looking teeth to this day. The story explains both the physical characteristic of coyotes and warns against anger, i