A trickster is a folktale character who usually appears as an animal that has human traits, such as being able to speak. Scammers are smart and they use their knowledge to play tricks or try to get around the rules. Trickster tales are used to entertain and often to teach lessons about how to behave and treat others.

First Nations peoples have used trickster stories to teach their children for many years.

Do other cultures have scammers?

A drawing of the trickster The Monkey King from Chinese mythology.

Yes! Trickster tales are popular in cultures around the world. In West Africa and the Caribbean, Anansi the spider is featured in trickster tales. In China, the trickster is called Sun Wukong, or The Monkey King, and the Eastern European trickster is The Fox. A trickster who does not appear as an animal is Loki, the Norse god of mischief.

Who is the trickster in First Nations stories?

There are a lot of crooks in Native stories! Many trickster stories have a coyote or raven as the trickster, as they are generally considered to be intelligent creatures. Scammers generally move easily between our world and the spirit world. They can appear as animals, humans or even rocks!

The story of baby turtle

Trickster stories can be used to share the story, to entertain, or to teach a lesson, like Baby Turtle’s: