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Native American Legends: Talapus
Name: Talapus
Tribal affiliation: Chinook
Alternate spellings: Italapas
Pronunciation: tah-lah-pus
Also known as: Coyote
Type: Animal spirits,
tricksters,
coyotes
Related figures in other tribes: Coyote (Western)
Coyote is a trickster character that occasionally appears in Chinook legends, even
though Bluejay
is the more typical trickster figure in Chinook mythology.
Indeed, some of the same stories usually told about the Bluejay
were sometimes told by Chinook people with Coyote as the main character instead.
Coyote is the trickster figure of the Interior Salish and Plateau tribes; since the
Chinooks were the center of a trade network that included most of the northwestern
tribes, their mythology absorbed elements from many different tribes.
Coyote Builds Willamette Falls and The Magic Fish Trap:
Two Chinook Coyote legends.
Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links
Coyote Was Going There: Indian Literature of the Oregon Country:
Excellent anthology of folklore from the Chinook and other Oregon tribes.
Indian Legends of the Pacific Northwest:
Collection of legends and folktales from the Chinook and other northwestern tribes.
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Additional Resources
Traders of the Columbia River
Chinook legends
Chinook language
Chinook Indian tribe
Washington Native American history
Northwest Indians
Northwest Coast artists
Penutian Indians
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