Sk'elep
Encyclopedia
Sk'elep or Coyote
is the traditional trickster
figure in the pantheon of Secwepemc
mythology. He is featured in many legends and has many powers, including the ability to die and come back to life. Like the animal his character is enjoined to, he is very clever. But like all intelligent beings, he can also have his foolish moments and can make emblematic mistakes that people can learn from. For example, according to a traditional Secwepemc story, he once decided that he had to climb into a tree and spin a web like a spider
. The only result of this misguided idea was that he left behind clumps of his hair in the tree. This magical hair, however, became wila (Bryoria fremontii), a species of lichen
which is sometimes also called 'wile' in the Secwepemc
language. In some other Interior Salish cultures, he went into the tree for other reasons; for example, in Colville-Okanagan culture, Coyote was dropped into the tree by some swans he'd grabbed in a hunt. In this story also, though, his hair became the hair moss lichen.
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
is the traditional trickster
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
figure in the pantheon of Secwepemc
Secwepemc
The Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...
mythology. He is featured in many legends and has many powers, including the ability to die and come back to life. Like the animal his character is enjoined to, he is very clever. But like all intelligent beings, he can also have his foolish moments and can make emblematic mistakes that people can learn from. For example, according to a traditional Secwepemc story, he once decided that he had to climb into a tree and spin a web like a spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
. The only result of this misguided idea was that he left behind clumps of his hair in the tree. This magical hair, however, became wila (Bryoria fremontii), a species of lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
which is sometimes also called 'wile' in the Secwepemc
Secwepemc
The Secwepemc , known in English as the Shuswap people, are a First Nations people residing in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Their traditional territory ranges from the eastern Chilcotin Plateau and the Cariboo Plateau southeast through the Thompson Country to Kamloops and the Shuswap...
language. In some other Interior Salish cultures, he went into the tree for other reasons; for example, in Colville-Okanagan culture, Coyote was dropped into the tree by some swans he'd grabbed in a hunt. In this story also, though, his hair became the hair moss lichen.