Coyote-Old-Man (Ghostdancing)



Real Name: Coyote-Old-man Nicknames: The Trickster Former Aliases: Father Craft Other Current Aliases: No other known current aliases

Status
Occupation: Occupation unknown Legal Status: Coyote-Old-Man does not have any legal status on the planet Earth. Identity: Secret Marital Status: Single Group Affiliation: Power beings of the spirit world Base of Operations: Spriit World; also Los Angeles, California; also Eastern United States

Origin
Coyote-Old-Man existed in the spirit world of the animal power beings. From this mystical realm, he witnessed the planet Earth suffering under the polluted corruption of the Fourth World. He discovered that one of his own kind, an animal totem known as White-Buffalo-Woman was missing from the spirit plane. He took human form and manifested himself on Earth in the hopes of finding her, and bringing her home.

Place of Birth: Innaplicable Known Relatives: Animal avatars of the spirit world (siblings), Brother Pack-Rat (brother), Father Sun (father), Sister Crow (sister), Sister Owl (sister), Snot-Boy (nephew), White-Buffalo-Woman (sister) First Appearance: Ghostdancing 1 (1995) Final Appearance: Ghostdancing 6 (1995)

History
Coyote-Old-Man appeared in desert valleys of southern California. He took the form of an aging Hopi Indian and began calling himself Father Craft. As Father Craft, he found an ex-hippie guru named Snake. Snake had once been involved with White-Buffalo-Woman back in the 1960s, when she was assuming the name, Brown Mary. He believed that she was dead however – murdered by federal agents some twenty years prior. Father Craft knew better than to believe that White-Buffalo-Woman was dead. He feared however, that her identity may have been destroyed, and that she may have lost her ability to commune with the spirit plane.

Father Craft traveled to the suburban town of Fort Edgar. He discovered a young man named Brother Christopher, who had only recently escaped from a secret society known as the Mammonites. As luck would have it, Christopher was also the son of White-Buffalo-Woman. Father Craft and Brother Christopher traveled to the Laurel Canyon home of a federal agent named Cody and rescued White-Buffalo-Woman.

He then began to school Brother Christopher as to his true nature. He revealed to him his birth name, Snot-Boy, and explained that he was destined to be the deliverer – a hybrid being of both the physical and spiritual plane who would usher in the dawn of a new age – the Fifth World. It took a long time before Christopher accepted the truth about his identity, but in time, he fulfilled his role in the cosmic plan and brought about the post-apocalptic era of the Fifth World.

The emergence of the fifth world was signalled by a series of earthquakes and the appearance of the great Thunderbird spirit. As the barriers between the spirit realm and the physical plane fell sway, thousands of animal spirits ravaged the western regions of the United States causing untold carnage. Father Craft assumed his true form and took great pleasure from witnessing the destruction of the greed-infested corruption of the Fourth World. After the dust settled, Coyote-Old-Man began journeying towards the east, in the hopes of watching the entire spectacle take place a second time. Whether he was succesful in extending the power of the Fifth World on the east coast or not has never been revealed.

Characteristics
Height: Variable Weight: Variable Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown (in natural form); white (in human form) Unusual Features: In his natural form, Coyote-Old-Man resembled a humanoid being with the head and paws of a coyote. His forehead was marked with a strange, red, tribal sigil. In human form, Coyote-Old-Man resembled an elderly Native American of the Hopi tribe.

Powers
Known Powers: The full extent of Coyote-Old-Man’s powers has never been revealed. As an animal-totem, he possessed the ability to perceive alternate dimensions both in the physical and spiritual planes of existence. He likewise shared an intimate connection with all matters relating to nature – most notably the coyote. He could communicate with the creatures of the Earth and inspire others towards acts of creativity.

Like all power beings, Coyote-Old-Man had the ability to take human form. His strength and vitality in human form directly correlated to his internal spiritual strength. If his spirit were ever broken, he would then lose his immortality and become subject to the same physical limitations that affect normal human beings.

Known Abilities: Known as a trickster spirit, Coyote-Old-Man specialized in areas of beguilement, deceit and chicanery.

Strength Level: In the spirit world, Coyote-Old-Man's strength level is incalculable. In his guise as Father Craft, he possessed the strengh level of an elderly man who engaged in minimal regular exorcise. Despite his infirm appearance however, Father Craft possessed remarkable agility and hand-eye coordination.

Miscellaneous
Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: No known transportation. Weapons: No known weapons.

Trivia

 * The image of the coyote as a trickster spirit is prevalent in many Native American cultures. Even the ancient Egyptians regarded the coyote as an untrustworthy prankster.

Recommended Readings

 * Ghostdancing 1 (1995)
 * Ghostdancing 2 (1995)
 * Ghostdancing 3 (1995)
 * Ghostdancing 4 (1995)
 * Ghostdancing 5 (1995)
 * Ghostdancing 6 (1995)

Related Articles

 * Cody
 * Fifth World
 * Fifth World Raga
 * Fourth World
 * Ghostdancing (drug)
 * Mammonite
 * Snake (Fred Kominsky)
 * Snot-Boy