A Trickster Visits the Federal Building

On December 3, a coyote visited the Federal Building in downtown Seattle. After being detained in the elevator, the coyote was given a ride to rural eastern King County. The coyote is known to Native Americans as the imitator, oldman, first born, first creator. The coyote drove away the dark shadows which held the world in chains. They dramatized the value of proper behavior.

Native American stories about the coyote were a reminder of the right way to do things--so often not the coyote's way. The coyote is a "changing person" and will never die. Carl Jung said that the coyote is "a forerunner of the savior...a divine being." Perhaps the coyote came to help us create a new world. Maybe he came to show us that we are behaving badly and wanted to point out to us that we must change our ways or we would destroy what he had created.

Perhaps Coyote came to our government offices to tell us of the hormone- disrupting chemicals that we have unleashed on this planet. A study of Lake Apopka, Florida found that 60% of the alligators had abnormally small penises. Beluga whales have been found that have both testicles and vaginas. In a study of panthers in the Everglades, 13 out of 17 males had undescended testicles. At the current trend of sperm count reduction in humans, a 35-year-old man born in 1975 will have a sperm count of about 1/4 of the average male born in 1925. Many scientists believe that hormone- disrupting chemicals are the cause. These chemicals are pervasive in our environment: in the plastics that hold our water, the coatings of metal food cans, and of course in our pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.

Perhaps Coyote came to tell us of the stupidity of Seattle's plan to log our watershed--commercial clearcut logging--to fix our watershed. Logging of watersheds, regardless of how well done, causes siltation of streams and disruption of the ecosystem. It will cause the deaths of birds, fish, and other wildlife.

Perhaps Coyote came to tell us that we can't manage nature, that nature will always win, and that we must work with it instead of against it as the white man has done on this continent for the last 500 years.

Perhaps Coyote came to tell us that we must take drastic action to stop global warming. That we must cut back by 60% on everything that produces greenhouse gases--such things as driving our cars, heating our homes, flying in our planes. But also we would have to cut back on 60% of what we consume so that the greenhouse gases that are emitted during production of these unnecessary items are reduced by 60%. We would have to stop giving large subsidies to oil and coal companies and for the exploration of oil and coal. If we gave just 1/10 of what we give to these gluttons to burgeoning alternative energy companies for their development we could cut greenhouse gases drastically.

Perhaps Coyote came to tell us that we must stop building roads. Stop overfishing our oceans and our streams. Stop cutting the last of our old growth. Stop scarring our planet with mining operations. Stop poisoning the land, the rivers and our oceans with our nasty chemicals.

Perhaps Coyote came to tell us about a new way of life where we get as much enjoyment out of each other and our environment in its natural state as we do from our favorite pastimes of shopping, war and, watching football. Perhaps he came to tell us that we don't need all these things, that it is each other that we need. That we need our brother the bear, the fox, the wolf, and all the other creatures on this planet. Maybe he came to say: "Look at the sun, the moon and the stars and the beauty of this place. This is all you need, not your metal boxes spewing forth there noxious gases, not your hypnotic light box, not all your expensive toys and things. Where has all this gotten you? Is the quality of life really better?"

Perhaps he came to re-create this place we call "ours," to take it back and scold us for how badly we have messed up. And what better place to start than at the offices of Senators Gorton and Murray, neither of whom have done much to protect this planet. But then, maybe the coyote said to himself, "what's the use--these two are bought and paid for by those same interests that are doing all these horrible things." And then he remembered what has happened to people that speak against those who protect the ones in control. He fears the retribution and perhaps even the pepper spray that many protesters receive. And then he runs into an elevator to hide, thinking, "maybe I'd better not say anything."

But probably, all the coyote really wanted was a ride home.

Stump Talk is put out every other week by a few ecofreaks. If you want to help our, contact NW Forest Action Group, 206-632-1656; e-mail can@scn.org.