Elements
The settings and Native American artifacts described in Coyote Willows all exist. Here are photos and more information on some of the key sites and elements in Jake's story...
Tygh Valley and Tygh Ridge
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Jake Hawthorne grew up in Tygh Valley at the foot of Tygh Ridge. The imposing range of hills rises over 3000 feet high above the mile wide valley. The name comes from the Tygh Native American tribe, now part of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. The Pacific Railroad Surveys Reports, 1855, use the form Tysch Prairie. Fremont in his Report of 1845 gives Taih Prairie. Handbook of American Indians, volume I, page 800, gives other forms.
Wheat fields atop Tygh Ridge
Clovis Point
According to Jake, he and Sam Webber collected dozens of arrowheads and points when they were young boys exploring Tygh Valley and Tygh Ridge. They found two points that were quite different from the others. While the boys never showed them to an adult, Jake and Sam were convinced they were Clovis points and vowed to keep them as a symbol of their friendship. Jake carried his arrowhead everyday, both in and out of combat. It never broke. The Clovis point was the first clue to opening Sam’s computer files.
The Tygh Saloon
Every small town has its social center and for Tygh Valley it was the local tavern. It was here that out-of-towners mingled with locals the night before the annual demolition derby. That evening it was also the crossroads for important characters to establish their roles in the complex plot of Coyote Willows.
Rayed Shaman
The petroglyph symbol blocking access to Sam’s June files was a double rayed stick figure. Although recognizing it from his childhood, Jake is unable to come up with the password for the figure and turns to Sam's sister, anthropologist Rachael Webber, for help. She confirms rayed arcs symbolize the concept of the supernatural power of all living things and, since Sam chose a human figure, he must have had a particular person in mind.
Horsethief Park, the Columbia Gorge
Columbia Hills State Park
In Coyote Willows Horsethief Park, the petroglyphs there and the marina below are key settings in the story. It is at the park's dedication that Jake encounters Lou Ten Crows and learns the legend of Tsagegale, unlocking one of the clues hidden on Sam's computer.
The park has since been enlarged and renamed Columbia Hills State Park. Some of the oldest pictographs in the Northwest are found in this park along the Washington shore of the Columbia River. The park is a National Historic Site and guided tours are available to see the petroglyphs.
Tsagegale
She Who Watches
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This well-known Native American rock art is located in the Columbia Hills State Park (formerly Horsethief Park, as in the book). It is a combination of two styles, a petrolyph (carved into the rock) and pictograph (art drawn or painted onto rock). Tsagegale (translated as She Who Watches) is a centerpiece of the petroglyph collection assembled at the Park. 16 inches wide, Tsagegale is in her original location high on rocks overlooking the Columbia River. It is here that Lou Ten Crows tells Jake about Tsagegale.
Several legends exist regarding the origin of She Who Watches, but the most haunting of these comes from the Wishram legend of a wise woman Chief determined to watch over her people. The legend seems to be prophetic of the impact humans have made on the earth, and is central to the story told in Coyote Willows. More on the legend of She Who Watches can be found on the Rock Art page.
Salix exigua (Sandbar willow, Narrowleaf willow, or Coyote willow)
This willow had many uses for Native Americans; the branches were used as flexible poles and building materials, the smaller twigs were used to make baskets, the bark was made into cord and string, and the bark and leaves had several medicinal uses. The Zuni people take an infusion of the bark for coughs and sore throats.
Coyote willow is the plant being gathered by the boys on tribal lands, the plant being sold to GreenLeaf for use in traditional herbal remedies, and the plant being used by the Hanford clean-up contractors to try to prevent radioactive waste from reaching the Columbia River.
Two Deer
Jake's mother was an environmentalist before her time. Before her death she often took a young Jake on hikes up remote canyons and taught him how to identify nature's symbols and to respect all living things. Returning home after many years absence, Jake rediscovered the treasure box containing items they had collected, enjoying again a photograph of the red deer petroglyphs. This would not be the last time Jake encounters the leaping red deer as he hunts down a murderer.