The lore of Badger & Yote

The story of the Badger and Coyote is a traditional Native American tale, found in various forms among different tribes, particularly among the southwestern tribes like the Navajo and Apache. It reflects themes of cooperation, trickery, and greed.

Badger and the Coyote

Long ago, Badger and Coyote became friends. They were both skilled hunters but knew that working together could yield greater rewards. One day, they decided to join forces to dig for food, especially looking for prairie dogs, a favorite meal of both.

The Badger, being an excellent digger, started digging into the ground, while the Coyote stood guard. Badger worked hard, and before long, he uncovered a prairie dog hole. He dug deeper, and soon they had a whole stash of prairie dogs for their meal.

They decided to cook the prairie dogs and share them. The Badger was tired from all the digging, so after they made a fire, he asked the Coyote to watch the food while he rested. However, Coyote was sneaky and greedy. Instead of waiting for Badger to wake up, he ate most of the food himself, leaving just a few small scraps.

When Badger woke up, he saw what had happened. He realized that Coyote had taken advantage of him, but he didn’t confront him directly. Badger was smart and decided to get his revenge in a subtle way.

The next day, Badger suggested they should hunt together again, and Coyote agreed. They found another spot to dig, and once again, Badger did all the hard work while Coyote watched. But this time, Badger dug in a special way, creating a deep and narrow hole.

When Coyote went to look into the hole, thinking more prairie dogs would come out, he slipped and fell into the deep pit that Badger had cleverly created. Badger looked down and said, “Since you tricked me before, I will leave you here for a while to learn your lesson.”

Badger walked away, leaving Coyote trapped. Eventually, Coyote managed to escape, but from that day on, he knew not to cheat Badger again. The two remained wary of each other, and while they continued to hunt, their friendship was never quite the same.

Moral of the story

The tale often conveys lessons about fairness, cooperation, and the consequences of greed or betrayal. Coyote is often depicted as a trickster figure in Native American folklore, representing both cleverness and foolishness, while Badger is seen as a symbol of patience and determination.

More than fiction

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