J. Frank Dobie
The Voice of the Coyote is not simply a book on coyotes; it is, in essence, a trip to the past. It was written from and to a culture that is no longer common, so one must keep in mind that its author and audience was not intended to be our modern urban culture. The stories took place and were first told in a time when there was very little radio and no TV or internet. The storytelling follows an ancient and verbal pattern, like stories told around a campfire.
This book may not be palatable for everyone as it contains details of things such as hunting and trapping predation and the schizophrenic behavior of humans and coyotes (although it is a bit humorous). Perhaps one could say it is more easily understood by our dogs than our cats.
A coyote’s behavior is complex and often controversial, but it is still worth learning about. The coyote uses the land, in some ways, as the way people did when they lived off the land. For instance, the coyote will eat almost any plant or animal, just as the ancient people did. The coyote is also tied to water, much more so than most other desert creatures. All in all, one can gain a deeper understanding about The Way of Things by learning the ways of the coyote. The voice of the coyote may be a voice from the past but its wisdom and usefulness are worth possessing.
