Coyote, the "Trickster", is also known in may native cultures as the "Medicine dog". Coyote teaches the balance of work and play and how they both go together. It also teaches us not to take things too seriously, including ourselves. Coyote teaches us to laugh at ourselves, and our own folly. Without Coyote the world would be a dull place. Many native elders say, without laughter their people would have never survived.