This is the third entry of a four-part series, Dog Days of August, highlighting dog-related items from the American Folklife Center’s archival collections. The first entry can be found here, the second entry here, and the third entry here.
[Note: This entry is about coyotes, a member of the Canis genus, which are found throughout North America. Coyote inhabits a unique place in the oral traditions of several Indigenous communities, with stories ranging from the sacred to the profane, many of them restricted to seasonal telling. Some tribes consider coyotes taboo. Out of respect for these complex traditions and beliefs, this post does not delve into the Coyote stories found in AFC collections and only deals with stories and songs about the actual animal. Furthermore, this note serves as a content alert for those readers who would prefer to avoid further mention of coyotes altogether.]
When I was little, my family moved from southwestern Colorado to Northern Virginia. The two areas felt as different as it was possible to be in terms of climate, recreational activities, population density and diversity, plants, and animals. We left behind sagebrush and mountains, elk and roadrunners, Mesa Verde and prairie dogs, and replaced them with dogwoods and cherry blossoms, pigeons and Canada geese, and – most importantly for my family – the Smithsonian museum complex and an impressive public library system.
One of the few things that felt familiar in our new home were the coyotes.
There weren’t nearly as many of them as there had been back in our sleepy little desert town. In fact, I saw (and heard) more red foxes than anything else, but the coyotes were still there, wandering the expanding suburbs of Fairfax County. It made the adjustment from Colorado to Virginia a little bit easier. After all, if they coyote could do it, so could I.
Though more typically associated with western states, coyotes have migrated eastward and are now considered a common species throughout the DC metropolitan area. The District Coyote Project even maps local coyote sightings and educates local residents about this wild member of the Canis genus.
The American Folklife Center’s holdings reflect this wide geographic spread throughout North America, with recordings of coyote-related content from California,
San Antonio, Texas,
and New York.
The Montana Folklife Survey collection (AFC 1981/005) included a surprising cameo from this wily creature.
On August 28, 1979, Barre Toelken and Michael Crummett traveled out to Deer Lodge, a ranch run by the Montana State Prison. Toelken’s fieldnotes for that day begin:
“Morning: Mike and I went to Deer Lodge and interviewed the prisoners we had talked to yesterday. First we watched while the men showed us their “pet” coyote, a young female who has sort of adopted the cow camp, plays with the dogs and cats, and who almost plays frisbee.”
According to Toelken’s notes, all of the men at Deer Lodge considered the coyote their “pet,” but from the photographs it is clear that Phil Harris likely has the closest relationship with the animal. Coyotes tend to be solitary and human-avoidant, but through patience (and the enticement of a “sweet treat”) Harris was able to build trust with this wild visitor.
Though the coyote is described as a “pet,” it does not appear to have had a name. At least, no name is provided in either Toelken’s field notes, or in the photograph logs. Crummett, the photographer, did include the following note in his comments: “with all of the new faces, the coyote is not sure whether he should venture on.” Beyond this, there is very little information about the pet coyote. Phil Harris was, at the time of Toelken and Crummett’s visit, very close to his release date, but there was no discussion of what would happen with the coyote when Harris left Deer Lodge. One might assume that the other men serving at the Lodge would take up the responsibilities for caring for it after his departure.
On that August afternoon in 1979, Michael Crummett took one last photograph of the coyote, giving a “howl goodbye.” Personally, I like to imagine it is singing one of the coyote lullabies.
Further Reading
Learn more about coyote trapping and fur trade, as depicted in the Buckaroos in Paradise: Ranching Culture in Northern Nevada (AFC 1991/021)
Want to read about more coyote-related songs? Check out Caught My Ear: The Lullaby That Came from Symbolize the Exodus of Cuba’s Children by Stephen Winick, on the Folklife Today blog, which includes links to and discussion of the song “Lullaby of the coyote”
Check out the coyote entry from the Historia Naturae, an early encyclopedia of the flora and fauna of North and South America, featured in the Library’s digital presentation of the Exploring the Early Americas exhibition
Local to the DC Metropolitan area?
- Check out this National Park Service page to learn more about coyotes in Rock Creek Park
- Visit the District Coyote Project to view a map of current coyote sightings in and around Washington, DC and learn about community-based scientific research around the Rock Creek coyotes
Comments
As an former and now-retired Folklife Center hand, I remember hearing about Phil Harris back in 1979. There was talk of his skillful braiding of horsehair, a classic method for making bridles and other horse gear. Harris also used horsehair to make custom belts, applying a technique he called “hitching” (more less tying small knots) as distinct from braiding. Harris was also a topflight hand at re-shoeing horses. All of this nicely documented in pictures and words by Mike Crummett and Barre Toelken in the “Montana Folklife Survey Collection” — search “Harris” and “horsehair” from the collection’s search box. As Meg reports in this blog, Mike and Barre were mainly focused on Harris’s craft skills. I bet both men — Barre, alas, is no longer with us — would be happy to know that 45 years later, Harris’s _Canis latrans_ pet enjoys a folklife spotlight.