Thomas Doty was born in southern Oregon, where he lived until he passed away in 2020. He was descended from the Shasta and Takelma people who lived along the Klamath River in the village of Coyote’s Paw, as well as from Irish and English settlers. He spent his youth exploring the back country with his dog Tippy, hiking, and camping with family and friends. Night after night, in the light of a campfire, he listened to stories about relatives who had called southern Oregon home for generations. Doty learned the art of storytelling from native elders. He then traveled the countryside performing Doty & Coyote: Stories from the Native West and composing stories, participating in a living oral tradition.
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Praise for Books
“I pray that Tom lives for a long, long time so that generations ahead can hear these stories.” —Agnes Baker-Pilgrim (Taowhywee), Takelma Elder, Spiritual Leader, International Indigenous Grandmother
“Thomas Doty is a cultural treasure. From the Black Hills of South Dakota, to the deserts of the Southwest, to the Oregon Country, he is the best spinner of native myths I have ever heard. And I’ve heard quite a few.” —Dr. John Medicine Horse Kelly (Clealls), Haida Elder, linguist and professor of journalism, Carleton University, Ottawa
“Doty is a master of both traditional and original Native American stories. His love and understanding of the magic of stories seems to be the source of his amazing talent, not to forget his twenty-eight years of experience.” —The Siskiyou, praise for Thomas Doty
“One of the best of Oregon’s storytellers.” —Shannon Applegate, author of Skookum, praise for Thomas Doty
“It is a rarity indeed when a friend comes along who can relate traditional Native American stories with such clarity and flair! He captures your imagination and transports you back to yesteryear.” —Talking Quail, Cherokee Nation, praise for Thomas Doty
“Thomas Doty is a treasured Native American storyteller. He has the very real talent to interweave an ancient story with endless wonder and surprise while connecting both the story and the characters with today. When he tells the story, he becomes the character described and the audience is transported to that moment and place.” —Gary Albright, director of the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum
Doty Meets Coyote is an audio tapestry of traditional and original Native American stories from the American West told by master storyteller Thomas Doty.
It is Thomas Doty’s work as a storyteller to not only perpetuate the Old Time myths with integrity but to add new stories to the collective basket of folklore, just as tellers before him have done for centuries. Storytelling is an ancient tradition as well as a living art. Thomas Doty’s adventures with Coyote find them journeying into the rich native culture and traditions of Doty’s ancestors.