Heide Museum of Modern Art

Coyotl and Rabbit - mythological tricksters

Coyotl

He was at it, he was doing something good, something real good, something he really had to get his hands on. So he approached, “Perhaps, is it perhaps me who should do it? May be, it should be me”. But Old-man was having nothing of it, “No, he said you will spoil it”. So he promised, he did promise, he promised he would not spoil it.

“Come on then, but you most do it right” Old –man replied.

Coyote got very excited, very happy in deed, he took the basket and promptly filled it with pebbles of the river and one by one he placed them, carefully, in the sky. The portrait of rabbit, the portrait of spider, the portrait of the hummingbird…but this was too much if any one was to have a starry portrait in the heavens it had to be his, Coyote.

He spent a great deal arranging them his best smile, his lovely nose, his candid eyes, his bushy tail, till it was mostly the only picture in the sky. But the pebbles were many and he had not even made a dent on the long list of portraits of the many animals. This is too much, “why should any body else have their portrait?” he got bored, and in one sudden movement he hurled the pebbles onto the sky “there it is finished” he said. “I am done.”

Much to his sorrow the he had hit and spoilt his picture, the stars began to fall and in the process his face were no where to be seen. And he cried he cried for what he had done, ever since the lonely Coyote howls, howls crying for what he had done.

Coyote from the Nahuatl word Coyotl has the best of both worlds he is able to mate with dogs and with wolfs, in American Indian stories he is a trickster, a creator and a fool. In the North American Continent his native habitat he spends much of his life hunting, alone, and is not afraid of being close to human habitation. Since immemorial times Coyote has been perceived in Indian America as a godly manifestation of an uncanny ability to bring worlds apart together of what is savage and the civilized. In Mexico, Huehuecoyotl or Old-old-coyote is the oldest deity of Mesoamerica, and at Tullan the legendary city of the Toltec people, in a prominent pyramid he is to be seen mating, cavorting with a woman.

Dingoes do not bark I recently learnt, but they howl, I have been told. To who may ask? for what? I most find out why? Surely the Aborigine peoples know why.

Coyote meeting Dingo, Fernando Palma

Rabbit

There are also many more tricksters in the world, back in Mexico an Indian story older than the city of Tullan tells how the face of the moon is a rabbit, a rabbit whose only fault was to be near by, during the creation of the present world, a world that most end in fire, a world that was created together with our present Sun…..the Sun of movement.

Nanahuatzin was a wretched god, a god full of puss and boils and there at Teotihuacán the Gods gathered together when there was no light, when there was no motion, they gathered to council “who will sacrifice oh gods to give life? Who will be the sun? Who indeed, nobody dare to answer. Then promptly stood up, he offered himself Tecusistecatl “he of the land of shells”, brave and handsome, the god of plenty.

“It is I” he said, thinking this task there would be much honor. Very well Tecusistecatl, Then the gods at Teotihuacán lit a big pyre. Who else? Said the gods, and again nobody answered.

You Nanahuatzin, it has to be you Nanahuatzin.

“Great favor you make me” he replied, and for 3 nights they fasted making penance.

The gods built two pyramids and on each one a pyre strong, unbearable, Tecusistecatl radiant, splendidly dressed for the occasion he wore a dress of precious feathers, he brought forward copal, and gold needles for blood letting, he approached. Nanahuatzin barely dressed with rugs of paper instead of copal he burnt his own scabs, and his blood letting instrument were simple Maguey thorns.

Throw yourself in the fire, the gods commanded, Tecusistecatl took his place, he stepped back a few paces to run into the fire. He run but did not make it, his heart could not help him. Three times he attempted it and three times he failed.

Then they called up on Nanahuatzin who without hesitation hurled himself into the fire.

Realizing his cowardice Tecusistecatl followed and jumped too. For a long time there was only darkness the gods waited some said it would appear in the north, some in the south, some in the west, but Ehecatl “Wind” kept looking to the east. And from the East the Sun arose and for some time it would not move, then Ehecatl transforms himself into a violent warrior Tlahizcalpantecuhtli “Lord of dawn” and fires a dart of light to put the sun were it is today moving.

The sun arose and there was light and joy, but a second sun followed. The gods were annoyed at Tecusistecatl and smacked his face with the rabbit, with anger for the light was blinding. At Teotihuacán the city “Were-gods-are-made” our present Sun was created, the sun of movement or Nahui Ollin “Four-Movement”, Nanahuatzin the humble god of disease.

However, the moon in Australia tilts different to the moon of Mexico and the rabbit like a fruit bat is hanging upside down.

Rabbit, Fernando Palma

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