St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-04-17
ApAcHEs AND COYOTES.
S0me Reasons for the Inoaan TroaS
tlon Of Their KinsAiP.

Heo0O30
tl0n Of Their KinshiP.
OF all the thousand and one ramifl-
cations of tine different animals, wild Oh
tame, none has stronger claim to intel
|ligence, and few, ii any, greater genius
and application when placed where
nature demands those traits to assert
themselves, than the much despised
coyote which roams the plains and
mountains, hunted and hated by all
other living animals and human beings.
Some months ago. while discussing the
habits, customs and traditions of the
Chiriachua Apaches with their white
chief, Capt. Jeffords, who still lives in a
lonely mountain home in Arizona This
band, the Royal Chiriachuas, being
prisoners at Fort Sill, where they were
taken by Gen. Miles in 1856, / made
some such statement as the above, when
he related the fact that the Apaches,
SO far from disliking the coyotes. look
upon them as their kin. Their tradition
teaches 4hem that, far back in their
early history, the Evil Spirit. being
angry at some of their people, turned
them into coyotes. To-day this is firm
" believed by this tribe of Apaches. and
for one of them to kill coyote would
bring ruin on the rest of the tribe. Thus
the coyote is not considered an intruder
but is q welcome visitor in the Chiri'
achua Indians camp.
IL do not wonder at the Indians belief
in their kinship," said their white chief
"They possess many similar character
istics, and in some of the habits peculiar
to each there exists a great resemblance
"For instance, let either q band oi
Apaches or coyotes be taken by sur
prise. and they will scatter instantly
disappearing in = most mysterious
manner. Not only in this secrctiveness
and caution is their resemblance trace
able, but in many other habits; one o1
the most interesting of which Is ths
manner in which both rid themselves ol
vermin, which IL as curious as it j.
clever.
'In Arizona the heat and denrth o
water naturally breed yermin. No
only are animals tortured with thess
pests, but humanity, particularly thu
Indian, whose habits are conductive t.
such . condition, is not exempt. Ihav<
frequently known them to walk from
40 to GO miles for bath, not from ar
Unborn desire for cleanliness, but from
the necessity of Kidding themselves o.
these pests. The coyotes resort to ,
similar method. On moonlight nigh
one may see them in bands trotting to
ward a river. each carrying stiff wing
or tail feather from some large fowl il
;ts mouth. On reaching the river they
plunge in and swim out to the deepes
water, until the end of the nose witt
the dry feather held between the teetl
is alone visible. The vermin then, il
preference to drowning, take refug
upon the dry feather; upon which Mas
ter Coyote coolly drops his load of liv
ing freight into the water, and, shaking
himself, walks on with a clear CON
science, and. one can almost imagine,
smile lurking on his cunning face. Ane
little wonder, for clever enough he is
The Apache does not carry feather il
his mouth, but he uses his hair for th'
same purpose, allowing it to float OF
top Of the water until the vermin hav'
ell left the body. when he swims Il
shore, and literally plasters his hail
with wet clay until the pests are smoth
cred. Sometimes the clay is left OF
two or three days before it is washet
OF. There are numerous other in
stances in which there exists a similar
ity between the Apache and the coyote
which apparently gives strong grount
for the Apaches' tradition."-Sport'