ABSTRACT
He began in a low but confident voice. As the narrative continued, the storyteller's hands and eyes moved, and the pitch of his voice modulated, placing emphasis on Coyote's particular actions, identifying the direction in which he traveled or contrasting his character with that of other Myth People. Despite the narrative's numerous and seemingly disjointed subplots, the rhythm with which the raconteur told the story did not vary. It was a story remembered, not memorized. The narrative came alive, and many who moments before had been listeners now traveled with Coyote. The 25-minute-long story ended as it had begun, with each of the 15 college students, Indian and non-Indian alike, quietly returning to the reality of the classroom. The story of “Coyote Losing His Eyes” was as true to form and content as it had been when the 20-year-old storyteller first heard it told to him by his Coeur d'Alene grandmother. With the exception of its being told in English, this 1997 retelling was also virtually identical to the story conveyed in 1927 to Gladys Reichard by an elder about 70 or 80 years old (Reichard, pp. 89–95).
