NATIVE AMERICAN MYTHS

Rosalind Kerven

Description

* An important book about one of the world's most inspirational yet least-known mythologies, written by an expert in the genre. * One of the most comprehensive collections of its kind. Based on three years' research through hundreds of archives, revealing a treasure trove of material, some never before available to the general UK reader. * Over 100 ancient stories, verse narratives, songs, anecdotes and fragments of wisdom, sourced from 55 different Native American peoples.* Extraordinary allegories that explore universal human concerns, promoting harmony between people and respect for the environment.* Unforgettable characters include the Thunderbirds, Spider Woman, Raven, the Sun, Bear Mother and the Keeper of the Brains of the Dead.* Includes fascinating information about the original Native American storytellers and their diverse cultural backgrounds.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History of the Americas

Informations

• Publié par: Talking Stone
• Date de parution: 23 juillet 2018
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781912643752
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Now I will tell you stories of what happened long ago.
There was a world before this.
The things that I am going to tell about happened in that world.
Some of you will remember every word that I say,
some will remember a part of the words,
and some will forget them all -
I think this will be the way, but each must do the best he can.
Hereafter you must tell these stories to one another.
You must keep these stories as long as the world lasts;
tell them to your children and grandchildren
generation after generation
When you visit one another, you must tell these things,
and keep them up always.
- Henry Jacob, elder of the Seneca people, 1883

The Harvest Song Painted in Taos Pueblo, New Mexico (Southwest) by Eanger Irving Couse, c.1920

First published in the UK by Talking Stone 2018
Text copyright Rosalind Kerven 2018
Talking Stone
Swindonburn Cottage West, Sharperton
Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 7AP
The moral right of Rosalind Kerven
to be identified as the author of this work
has been asserted in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or
otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher
ISBN: 9781912643752
Cover illustration:
Haida Double Thunderbird, unknown artist, 1880
To the best of the publisher s knowledge,
this work and all the text illustrations
are out of copyright and in the public domain
Patterns and motifs in chapter headings are based on
19th century Native American designs from each cultural region
Dedicated to the wild creatures of North America, without whom these stories would not have been told.

Kiowa tipi cover Great Plains, 1904
The author owes a great debt to many men and women, long dead: the Native American people who generously shared their ancient stories with outsiders; and the ethnologists and other story collectors who took the trouble to transcribe them and record them for posterity. Where their names are known, these are given in the notes after each story.
CONTENTS
Terminology and Names
INTRODUCTION
MYTHS OF THE GREAT PLAINS
People of the Great Plains
Morning Star and Evening Star - Pawnee
The Man who Met the Sun - Blackfoot
What is Life? - Blackfoot
The Woman who Married a Star - Blackfoot
Splinter Foot Girl - Arapaho
Blood Clot Boy - Sioux
The Seven Buffalo Fathers - Gros Ventre
Two Songs - Sioux
The Adventures of Old Man - Blackfoot
The Thunderbirds - Crow
All Things in the World are Two - Pawnee
The Woman whose Lover was a Bear - Blackfoot
The Rolling Skull - Pawnee
MYTHS OF THE SOUTHEAST
People of the Southeast
The Origin of Hunting and Farming - Cherokee
Sun and her Daughter - Cherokee
Animal Powers - Caddo
Old Dog and the Wolves - Hitchiti
The Origin of Sickness and Medicine - Cherokee
Bears Singing - Cherokee
MYTHS OF THE SOUTHWEST
People of the Southwest
Emergence: the Four Worlds - Navajo
The Three Goddesses Create People - Hopi Pueblo
Tobacco and Corn - Pima
The Five Sacred things - Zuni Pueblo
The Battle of Winter and Summer - Acoma Isleta Pueblos
The Sun s Horses - White Mountain Apache
Song of the Horse - Navajo
Doctor Mouse - Isleta Pueblo
The Youth and his Eagle - Zuni Pueblo
The Coyote Girl - Hopi Pueblo
Mountain Chant - Navajo
The Serpent of the Waters - Zuni Pueblo
The War Twins and the Unborn - Zuni Pueblo
Song of Blessing for a New House - Navajo
MYTHS OF CALIFORNIA
People of California
Coyote and Earth Maker - Maidu
Coyote Dances for the Sun - Pomo
The Ten Moons - Shasta
Rattlesnake Song - Yokuts
The Singing Tree - Miwok Yokuts
The End of Darkness - Achomawi
Children s Initiation Song - Yuki
MYTHS OF THE GREAT BASIN
People of the Great Basin
Wolf and Iron Man Smoke Together - Shoshone
Summer Dance Song - Paiute
The Theft of Fire - Ute
MYTHS OF THE PLATEAU
People of the Plateau
The Bear Story that Brings a Windstorm - Modoc
The Earth is our Mother - Nespelem
The Deer People - Thompson River People
The Hunter and the Elk Spirit - Wasco
Fox and the Daughter of Darkness - Modoc
Ritual Morning Speech - Nez Perce
Mountain Glacier and Daughter of Chinook Wind - Lillooet
Northern Lights, Extreme Cold and South Wind - Sanpoil
Coyote and his Son - Thompson River People
Coyote and the Secrets - Wishram
How Sickness Came into the World - Modoc
The Chief with a Hundred Wives - Wasco
The Dresses, the Spirit House and the Bones - Modoc
An Old Woman s Prayers - Modoc
MYTHS OF THE NORTHWEST COAST
People of the Northwest Coast
The Cosmos - Bella Coola
Raven Steals Daylight - Tlingit
Raven and the Master of the South Wind - Tsimshian
Song to Calm the Wind - Haida
A Journey to Salmon Country - Bella Coola
The Country Under the Sea - Tsimshian
Mosquito Town - Tsimshian
Life in the Olden Days - Tsimshian
The Bear s Song - Haida
Moon Woman and the Arrow Chain Boy - Tlingit
The Wisdom of Porcupine - Tsimshian
Proverbs - Tsimshian
MYTHS OF THE ARCTIC
People of the Arctic
Our Forefathers Have Told us Much - Greenland
The Wooden Boy and the Winds - Alaskan Eskimo
Grandmother, Tell a Story - Canadian Inuit
The Man in the Moon - Greenland
Song of a Man Waiting for a Seal to Rise - Canadian Inuit
The Giant - Alaskan Eskimo
A Festival Song - Canadian Inuit
Sedna s Fingers - Canadian Inuit
Truly the World is Great - Greenland
Ghost Country - Alaskan Eskimo
MYTHS OF THE SUBARCTIC
People of the Subarctic
The Long Winter - Slavey
The Beaver Wife - Cree
A Hunter s Lullaby - Koyukon
Raven Gets Married - Chipewyan Loucheux
Mouldy Salmon Girl - Tahltan
The Two Brothers and the Giants - Kaska
Peace Song - Tahltan
The Boy who Gambled his Family Away - Tahltan
Copper Mountain - Chipewyan
MYTHS OF THE NORTHEAST
People of the Northeast
The Story Stone - Seneca
The Great Spirit and the Earth - Wabanaki
Small Turtle and the Moon - Wyandot
First Mother - Penobscot
The Keeper of the Brains of the Dead - Wyandot
Wizard s Chant - Passamaquoddy
Glooskap the Master - Micmac Passamaquoddy
Manabus and Little Brother - Menominee
Flying with the Thunders - Wyandot
A Fable - Winnebago
Summer and her Grandmother Rain - Passamaquoddy
Why Animals do not Talk - Iroquois
The Master of Night - Menominee
Little Leaf and Little Fire - Passamaquoddy
The Boy Who was Raised by a Bear - Wyandot
Wood Spirits - Micmac Passamaquoddy
The Singer in the Dusk - Algonquin
SOURCES AND BACKGROUND READING
TERMINOLOGY AND NAMES
There is no universally accepted term used to cover the numerous indigenous peoples of North America - those who inhabited the continent before the arrival of European settlers from the early 16th century. For most of the ensuing centuries, outsiders called the people Indians - a term derived from the fact that the original European explorers of the Americas mistakenly believed they had arrived in India. Some now consider this term unacceptable. It has also become somewhat confusing, since people with roots in India itself also live in North America. Since the 1950s, Native American has increasingly been used as a more accurate and respectful name, but this too is not universally accepted. In the United States Indian is still widely used, with many groups using the term on their own websites, whilst others prefer to avoid the issue. Inhabitants of Alaska are often called Alaska Natives . In Canada, the preferred terms are First Nations , Aboriginal Peoples or Indigenous Peoples .
Against that background, this book uses the term Native American , believing it to be accurate, all-embracing and generally inoffensive.
The use of the word tribe is also controversial; some regard it as derogatory, yet many Native American peoples own websites use it. Where applicable, this book uses the word people instead.
When the stories in this book were collected, outsiders tended to call the various Native American peoples by names which they did not use for themselves. Since this is a historical collection, it uses the names recorded in the original texts; however, in the factual introduction to each cultural section, and under each story title, this is followed by the correct name in parentheses.
Where direct quotes from old sources are used, the original wording has been reproduced.
INTRODUCTION
This book presents some outstanding examples of historical Native American stories, collected in what is now the the United States and Canada between the early 17th and early 20th centuries.
By the latter date, most of North America s great indigenous civilisations had been either exterminated or severely damaged by white settlers, who imposed their lifestyle right across the continent. However, even 100 years ago, a good many Native American survivors still remembered their ancestral traditions. Fortunately, some were willing to share these with ethnologists. They in turn were eager to record them before they were lost for ever, and published their studies of Native American cultures over a number of years in books and academic journals. Preserved alongside them are less formal works written by explorers, travellers, geologists and missionaries. Within these archives - most of which can now be viewed in the original documents online - are thousands of sacred myths, oral histories, local legends and folk tales.
CHOOSING THE STORIES
Research for this book took over three years, and involved examination of nearly 2,000 stories from 130 different peoples. The oldest ones were collected by Jesuit missionaries in the 1630s. A cut-off date of 1920 was set, in order to present only material firmly rooted in the past, when the old cultures were more likely to be thriving. For example, a Cheyenne chief sharing his traditions with an eth