Xwayama, the golden eagle, is among the leading Animal People of the myth age, appearing as a chief and a figure of dignity in the Sahaptin narratives. In the Coyote cycle set down by Melville Jacobs, Coyote adopts Eagle as kin and then, in characteristic fashion, tricks him and takes his wives, so that Eagle is at once Coyote's companion and his dupe. Beyond the tales, the golden eagle holds the highest place in Plateau ceremonial life, its feathers the most honored of regalia, and its myth-age person carries that prestige into the stories.