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| Click to play the Coyote Game |
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Secwepemc did not have a system of writing. Traditional knowledge was passed on from one generation to the next by word of mouth, or oral tradition. The stories and legends of the Secwepemc were told for many purposes. They may have been told to pass on cultural or historical information, to give lessons or just for entertainment.
There were many versions of similar stories. Each storyteller added his or her own adaptations according to their style, their purpose and their audience. The message may have been very clear in some cases and in others, very symbolic and subtle.
The Secwepemc people did not have a legend explaining the origin of the world. They believed that it always existed.
The Secwepemc people believe that the world was made good to live in by the all powerful "Old One" with the help of Coyote. The original story, told and retold by generations of Secwepemc people, explained how the earth was made ready for Secwepemc people.
The world was said to have been very small at the beginning of time, but grew larger, emerging more and more from the lakes which were believed to surround it. There was also an Upper World, an Underground World and an Underwater World.
The "mythological age" represented the beginning of time as the Secwepemc people perceived it. This was the time of the Secwepemcs' first ancestors - beings who had the attributes of both people and animals. The stories or myths about these beings are known in the Secwepemc language as "stsptekwle". These animal people, some of whom were cannibals, were endowed with special powers. The end of the Mythological Age was signalled by the appearance of a number of powerful beings known as "transformers" (English translation). It is said that they travelled about the country transforming things into their present state.
One power loomed greater than all other transformer figures. He was called "Old One". It is said that Old One sent the transformers to earth to help prepare the land for the present Native people.
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| Coyote Rock |
Coyote is the best known and remembered transformer figure. Stories told of his exploits, describe his foolish nature and how he was gifted with great magical powers. He was known to be very cunning. He taught the people many things, introduced salmon and created fishing places. Coyote also transformed people-killing monsters and made the world safe for the present-day Secwepemc. Because Coyote was foolish and sometimes left his work incomplete, the Old One himself had to finish the work. Finally, Coyote himself, was transformed into Coyote rocks that can be seen throughout Secwepemc territory.
It is said that Coyote's most important contribution was to introduce the salmon and to create fishing sites. The greatest value of the legends and stories of the Secwepemc people are in the values and attitudes towards all relationships in the world. They teach that everything in this world has a purpose for being here and that we must respect this.
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