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There was a time long ago when there were no large animals to hunt. The people were hungry and so were the animals.

Coyote searched the land for food. After many days, he found a corral full of buffalo high on a ridge where a man and a boy lived.

"That's not fair!" thought Coyote. "There are too many buffalo for just one man and a little boy."

Coyote had an idea. "I will change myself into something small, get inside the corral and let the buffalo out."

Coyote was a trickster. He transformed himself into a little puppy. When the boy saw the puppy, he picked it up and took it home.

"Father, look! I found a puppy!" said the boy.
"There's something strange about that puppy," said the father. "Put it back where you found it."
"I won't! I'm keeping it!" said the boy. He ran off with the puppy and kept it with him for the rest of the day.

As soon as it got dark and the father and son were asleep, Coyote turned back into his true form and slipped out the door.

Once inside the corral, Coyote nipped at the legs of the buffalo. They started running and caused a stampede. The buffalo charged through the fence and ran down the ridge onto the plains.

The noise of the stampeding buffalo woke up the man, who ran after the buffalo. They were much too fast for him.

"I knew you weren't a real puppy! You tricked us!" shouted the man as he saw Coyote running with the buffalo.

The boy was sad that his puppy disappeared. The father was angry that he was tricked by Coyote. Everyone else was happy that the buffalo roamed free and continue to do so to this day.

What part of America did this legend come from?
Southern Plains
Great Lakes
Pacific Northwest
Southern Plains Where did Coyote find buffalo?
in a corral
in a cave
by the river
in a corral What do you think a corral is?
a stable
a cave
an enclosed yard
an enclosed yard Why were the people hungry?
There was a drought.
There were no large animals to hunt.
The large animals drowned.
There were no large animals to hunt. Why did Coyote want to free the buffalo?
so hunters could hunt them for food
so he could roam with the buffalo
so the buffalo could drink water at the river
so hunters could hunt them for food Why did Coyote change into a puppy?
to get food from the boy
to blend in with the buffalo
to easily get into the corral to release the buffalo
to easily get into the corral to release the buffalo How did Coyote get the buffalo to leave the corral?
He nipped at them and caused a stampede.
He ran in circles around the buffalo.
He howled at the buffalo.
He nipped at them and caused a stampede. What does this legend explain?
how coyotes hunt
how buffalo came to roam free
how hunters kill buffalo
how buffalo came to roam free

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