Cultural Differences And Similarities Between The Okanogan And The Kiowa

Native American stories and culture is a fading piece of America’s long and rich history. Within Native American culture one can find certain similarities in their beliefs and stories, particularly within the tribes of the Okanogan and the Kiowa people. In their stories both tribes quickly relate on their characters, word usage, and the explanations for the world.
The way in which Native Americans speak about the earth, land, sea, and sky is quite remarkable. The descriptions tell a vibrant story like no other and paint a vivid image in your own mind. It shows how much respect these men and women have for it. Within the Okanogan stories it occasionally says a word in a different dialect, Salish it is the traditional language spoken by the people

The story of The Way to Rainy Mountain tells about how the big dipper came into the world. It says eight siblings were playing and then suddenly the one brother was struck dumb and turned into a bear. The girls then feared for their lives and sought out refuge from the bear. They got to a tree stump and the tree commanded them to climb up it, as the bear drew nearer the tree then grew up into the sky and created the big dipper from the seven girls. Compared to the other story in Coyote and the Buffalo where the main character Coyote gets into a quarrel with Buffalo. Coyote, like the sisters, jumps to a tree for refuge but instead of the last story where the tree was their getaway, Coyote must use his sly words to get him out of this pickle. Both of theses stories show the meaning of trees for not only the Okanogan and Kiowa tribes but for all of Native Americans. The trees show how much power they have within themselves and the sanctity on which each tree holds true. They can symbolize the medicinal healing that can come from trees and how trees, and their canopy, cover us

Though they may not have the same qualities or attitudes but they both symbolize explanations for different things. The Coyote stories tell of a trickster type character who while being sneaky and devious in certain parts, still wants to do better. In Fox and Coyote and Whale, coyote notices how fox's wife is cheating on him. We see Coyote throughout the entire story helping his companion and restoring justice. He is part of an example on cheating. The story of The Way to Rainy Mountain, told by the granddaughter of the main character, tells of her grandmother and her experiences. Her grandmother is one of the last remaining of free Native Americans. She tells of how she can not think of her grandmother living in a lifestyle where she would stand behind a wooden stove and work on her beadwork in the south window. Her stories of her are a voice for Native Americans and how they were forced into something that they were never destined to do.
Buffalo must have had a hug role in the daily lives of the majority of Native American tribes living in the west plains. They demonstrate this by continually using them in stories. The entire story of Coyote and the Buffalo is an explanation for why there are no buffalo along the Swah-netk’-qhu or the Kettle Falls on the Columbia River. In addition within the story of The Way to Rainy Mountain it tells of a ritual done where they would lay the head of a buffalo