Book Description

Book Description
Passed down from generation to generation, the myths and rituals of Native Americans form a rich religious and cultural base from which all members of each society can create and maintain a sense of community, physical and emotional health, identity, family, and self. Such traditions, handed down through stories and rites, stand as the lifeblood of every Native American culture.This thoroughly illustrated and carefully researched guide explores the amazing array of mythical beasts, heroic humans, and nurturing spirits that make up the fascinating spectrum of Native American mythology. With over one thousand alphabetically arranged entries, representing over one hundred different Native American cultures, readers can quickly explore the meaning of hundreds of elements of Native lore--from names, phrases, and symbols, to images, motifs, and themes. Accompanying essays take a closer look at other issues related to the origin, development, and perpetuation of Native American mythology, such as the Christian influence on myth, varying mythology between tribes, storytelling, and more. We learn about such mythical creatures as Apotamkin of the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy tribe of the Southeast (a bogey monster with long hair and huge teeth who, through the fear he generates, keeps small children from straying onto thin, newly frozen ice in the winter and unguarded beaches in the summer), ritual healing ceremonials such as the Southwestern Navajo's Uglyway ceremony (a ceremony to remove and protect against the forces of chaos and disorder that give rise to illness), and the Marau ceremony of the Hopi Indians of the Southeast (a complex ceremony concerned with rain, the ripening of corn, and the fertility of women, as well as rites of initiating new members into the society). This compelling volume honors the richness of the beliefs and values of the many peoples of native North America, from northern Mexico to the Artic Circle. In addition, a complete bibliography of primary sources and secondary sources points the way to further research, making this the perfect reference for anyone interested in the mythical history of America's original inhabitants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

So-so
It's like what it says on the title. A dictionary. It's not what I call a definitive source, but it's ok. ... Read more

Book Description
An A-Z spanning the history of Native Americans from the earliest legends to the present day. ... Read more

Book Description
This revealing work introduces readers to the mythologies of Native Americans from the United States to the Arctic Circle-a rich, complex, and diverse body of lore, which remains less widely known than mythologies of other peoples and places.In thematic chapters and encyclopedia-style entries, Handbook of Native American Mythology examines the characters and deities, rituals, sacred locations and objects, concepts, and stories that define mythological cultures of various indigenous peoples. By tracing the traditions as far back as possible and following their evolution from generation to generation, Handbook of Native American Mythology offers a unique perspective on Native American history, culture, and values. It also shows how central these traditions are to contemporary Native American life, including the continuing struggle for land rights, economic parity, and repatriation of cultural property.With more than 40 photographs, illustrations, and maps, here is the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to the mythological heritage of Native North Americans available in one volume. ... Read more

Book Description
Folklorist Gary R. Varner takes a lengthy look at various myths, legends and beliefs of Native Americans in this book. Included are stories and archaeological finds from various lands that suggest cultural contacts between explorers from China, Japan, the Mediterranean and Europe with Native Americans in pre-Columbian times. Native American folklore and myths are examined including the universal legends of the flood and stories of the mysterious god-men such as Quetzalcoatl, Votan and Chinigchinix, who brought the arts, technology and civilization to indigenous cultures. Mysteries of Native American Myth and Religion is a fact-filled, yet fascinating story of the original inhabitants of North and South America. Varner has written several books on folklore and mythology and is a member of the American Folklore Society and the Foundation for Mythological Studies. ... Read more

Book Description
Anyone interested in mythology and legends will enjoy these stories which have been passed down orally for generations by the Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. They reveal Pueblo customs and traditions as well as the ceremonial aspects of Pueblo religion. A character called Grandfather, the fictional narrator of these stories, embodies the collective wisdom of the Pueblo Indians, the attitudes about universal dilemmas and conflicts in human life that developed through many generations.

Some of the stories are realistic; others involve the supernatural. Some evoke the initial contact between the pueblos and the Spanish conquistadors. There are also tales of the joy and bitterness of interactions between parents and children, husbands and wives, and humans and spirits. Rites of passage and "vision quests" often enter into the characters' attempts to live in harmony with nature, other humans, and spirits. Lessons on how to live, of growing up, marrying, parenting, and growing old sometimes emerge straightforwardly in these stories, but more often, readers are left to draw their own conclusions.

These stories, collected by the Teresa Pijoan since she was eight years old, actually came from many different storytellers, some of them childhood friends of the author. She had heard several versions of each story before writing it down and she often used elements from one version to fill in the parts missing from other versions. She then showed her drafts of each story to members of several different pueblos and weighed their comments before putting each story in its present form. Ms. Pijoan grew up on the San Juan Pueblo reservation and the Nambe Indian reservation in New Mexico,even though she herself is not Native American. But her early experiences and bicultural background instilled in her a deep respect for and an understanding of pueblo life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An absorbing and thought-provoking assemblage of folklore
Pueblo Indian Wisdom: Native American Legends And Mythology is a collection by Teresa Pijoan of the legends, folktales, and myths which were passed down orally for generations among the Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. Powerfully rendered, the recorded drafts of each individual story was shown to multiple storytellers, with their comments taken into account for the final draft. An absorbing and thought-provoking assemblage of folklore, Pueblo Indian Wisdom is a welcome and commended addition to any personal, academic, or community library Native American Studies collection. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Very worthwhile for children and adults alike
Compiled by Allan MacFarlan, Native American Tales and Legends compiles myths and stories drawn from the title culture.Featuring more than thirty tales, Native American Tales and Legends feature heroic stories and allegories, folk tales, and tales of the spirit world among others, which is pretty much what anyone at all familiar with the Native American culture would expect.Children will enjoy the fairy tale-like quality and dreamlike states of many of the tales ("Manstin, the Rabbit" in particular) and followers of the culture will enjoy this collection even more so.The only real downside of Native American Tales and Legends is that more material wasn't included in this collection, and that no poetry from the culture is featured either, which contains just as much mythology and heart as any of the other stories featured here.Despite that, this is instantly worth picking up regardless. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Introduction to Turtle Island's Myths
This book is a wonderful introduction to the general mythologies of North America. After explaining the importance of Native American myths, Leeming and Page give a wonderful introduction to Native American culture, pointing out shared traits and beliefs (such as the earth-diver creation story) that can be found from Siberia and northern Eurasia to North America down through Central and South America. They then examine the different culture areas (the Arctic, Subarctic, Northwest Woodlands, Southeast Woodlands, Great Plains, Northwest Coast, California and the Great Basin and the Southwest), looking at major themes, language groupings and Nations in each region. More than anything else this shows both the unity of the First Nations, and the diversity as even close neighbors differed signifcantly in culture at times.

The first chapter looks at Native American pantheons, showing universal archetypes such as the world creator, the mother figure and the supreme god. Each one gives a few Native American myths to support it, ranging from traditional Native American myths (both told by Native peoples and recorded by anthropologists) to Oglala holy man Black Elk to James Mooney's massive Myths of the Cherokees, and covering a wide variety of Nations and regions. It then goes on to look at other figures central to Native culture, such as the Trickster (coyote, raven, Manabozho, Glooskap, etc), the Dying God and a wide variety of other kachinas, manitous and spirits. Again a wide variety of Nations are examined, including Sioux, Cherokee, Penobscott, Maidu, Luiseños, Ojibway, Apache and many others besides.

The next chapter takes an in depth look at Native American cosmology, starting with the creation. Several versions of the earth diver creation myth, dominant in both North America and Siberia, is contrasted with the emergence myth of the Hopi, Diné (Navajo), Apache and other Nations of the Southwest. A handful of other creation myths are given, including those of Nations such as the Yokuts, Chuckchi (actually Siberian, but included to show the shared cultures of North America and Siberia) and Blackfoot who believe that an omnipotent Creator made the world. Beyond that are a handful of tales describing the universal flood myth, the afterlife and ultimately the end of the world, bringing the cycle of life full circle and illustrating the cyclical nature of many Native culture's world views.

Finally, the book closes out with looking at hero figures; culture heroes, monster slayers, hero twins (a major theme throughout the Americas really) and so forth. Included here are such legendary hero figures as the Diné (Navajo) hero twins, Glooskap (Algonquian), Sweet Medicine (Cheyenne) and Blot Clot (Blackfoot), amongst others. Really this book is a wonderful introduction to Native American beliefs and stories. As I said before, a wide range of Nations is covered, including the Pueblos, Pawnee, Pomo, Tohono O'odham, Kiowa, Yuchi, Caddo, Arikara and even Métis. Since it covers so many regions and major themes, it is an excellent introduction to a pan-North American mythology. I really suggest that anyone interested in Native American (or world) mythology.

Probably a good introduction to native myths.
Native American myths are always primitive, raw, peculiar, and sometimes entertaining, but might not be for everyone.This particular book is not daunting, at about 200 pages, with most of the myths being relatively short.What the authors have tried to do is present the myths in a general, more literary approach, and with some reference to similarities with other mythic traditions.Starting with the native "pantheons", then to their conception of the cosmos (creation, flood, afterlife, end of world), then to hero myths.Of these the last section was the most entertaining, the other myths end up being etiological and rather simple.If you are interested in the mysths in their more original forms there is "American Indian Myths and Legends".This book is more like a primer, but is at least a good overall introduction to what is really a vast mythological tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Definitely worth it!
I am a Native American through blood and I can honestly say I was not brought up in any special way and that large part of my heritage was never really acknowledged. Nevertheless, I have always been up on it, I pray to The Great Spirit and so on. I purchased this book because I knew some of the context but I was more interested in learning about other tribes and their stories and such in comparison to my own since I already knew those ones. This book is great and awesome for anyone who is studying Native American symbols, stories, and ceremonies. There are, in fact, some things that are not necessarily completely true-like the owlomen for instance. I think it is geared toward a more nuetral instance in comparison to an everynight occurence, but I will never know. Although, everything else is pretty justifiable and quite informational. Definitely get this book!

Animals can tell us a lot...
Animals have been living on Earth and dealing with nature a lot longer than us.They can sense when an Earthquake is about to happen.Pets can sense an illness within their owner before the owner does.Birds, insects, and other animals have evolved and adapted to deal with floods, climate changes and dangers that happen in their lives.Why NOT use their reactions and knowledge to help us deal with nature and our own dangers?
American Indians have been listening to nature and the animals to help them deal with such dangers.Early Europeans did the same before Modern Science and the Church destroyed those cultures.While I am not sure about many of the stories I did enjoy the book.It is for beginners and I think many details have been withheld so not to make the exercises and the ceremonies beyond the grasp of the person just starting his or her spiritual quest.Think of it as a Spirits of the Earth for Dummies.

A Beatifully written Spiritual Book For Healing, Knowledge and Practice by Honoring The Great Creator and Nature!!!
This is one of Bobby Lake Thom's books that changed my life in a very Positive and Spiritual way. The knowledge in this book comes from experience and training in the medicine way.Native Healer, Bobby Lake Thom (Medicine Grizzly Bear) shares his wisdom and experience to the reader about the importance of honoring nature and the Great Creator everyday of our lives by becoming aware of our natural surroundings in nature. I am very GRATEFUL for this book and the other books that Bobby wrote. It teaches and informs the reader about nature symbols, spirits, healing and knowledge. This book is a must for anyone in search of spiritual healing and knowldege. Bobby has the experience and training from several elders(Medicine Men and Women) in his lifetime from many different tribes. Readers should also look forthe books Native Healer and Call of The Great Spirit by the same author. Again THANK YOU again for a very powerful spiritual tool Mr. Bobby Lake Thom!May the Great Creator and Good Spirits in Nature Bless You and your family Forever! I Highly recommend this book to everyone interested in Spiritual Knowledge and Healing!

Great guide to reading natures signs
I ,and my family,use this book all the time as a field guide to interpret natural signs and omens in nature.This book is an authentic,true guide to how many native people look at the natural world and how it trys to guide and assist us in our lives.Bobby has done a great job,weaving traditional stories and short interpretations on each animal,insect or birds being discussed.Especially instructive was the section on how to use the creative,right brain to intuit the language of nature.Native people do not write in a overly intellectual or complex style .The teachings and beauty is in the simplicity and heart of the words.This book speaks to your mind yet on the spiritual level too.Great book!!!!!!!

informative
I'm not a total novice of the subject, but I do still have a lot to learn. I found I liked the writing style of the author who seems to be very experienced and knowledgable. I came away from reading this book armed with a whole lot of new information (new for me) and a better appreciation for that which we do not see, or sometimes CHOOSE not to see. As I was reading this book, I found myself reaching often for my notepad to jot down quotes that "hit" me. I began reading this book at the same time I was reading a novel...on a very recent trip which involved a couple of long airplane flights. I was much more drawn to pulling this book out of my bag than the novel. That says alot to me. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The BEST book on Native/Christian contrast I've read
I've read a ton of book on Native/Christian comparisons and contrasts, but this was by far the most stimulating and well-reasoned of them all. The ideology is reasonable and the research is dead-on, and the authors representtribal traditions with insight and clarity, even from perspectives outside their own tribal affiliations.

I was particularly interested in Tink's treatment of the Trickster ideology in Native cultures. As an Ojibway, I'm familiar with the works of Gerald Vizenor and commented to my wife (reading aloud to me on a road trip), "Oh yeah, Vizenor talks about stuff like this!" And Lo! and behold, but a paragraph later Tink references Vizenor while explaining the significance of Trickster characters in the development and maintenance of tribal mores. The recognition of Trickster stories in the Bible is something easily missed by Amer-European Christians, and yet for Indigenous people they are very apparent; I had even personally noted the Trickster story in the Jesus/Syro-Phoenician Woman account and then Tink alludes to it as well.

I found their treatment of things like land, panentheism, the roles of men and women, sexuality, and concepts of sin and salvation to be intriguing, and I have long preached a very Indigenist world view to Christians who often fail to recognize that such a world view is at the heart of, not contrary to, the systems of Native *and* Biblical premises, if one knows how to read or listen.

I wish I could spend an evening with Kidwell and Tink, just eating dinner and talking long into the night. I find their collaborative ideas to be fascinating and needed.

An exercise in understanding Native American theology
In A Native American Theology, Clara Kidwell, Homer Noley, and George Tinker effective collaborate to present an original exercise in understanding Native American theology. While observing traditional categories of Christian systematic theology, there is a reimaging consistent with Native American experience, values, and world view. The authors also introduce new categories from native thought-worlds such as the Trickster (eraser of boundaries, symbol of ambiguity), and Land. Highly recommended reading for Native American studies, multicultural studies, and comparative religion, A Native American Theology concludes with the authors addresses contemporary Native American issues including racism, poverty, stereotyping, cultural appropriation, and religious freedom. ... Read more

Book Description
For countless generations, Native American storytellers have watched the night sky and told tales of the stars and the constellations. The stars themselves tell many tales-of children who have danced away from home, of six brothers who rescue a maiden from the fearful Rolling Skull, of the great wounded sky bear, whose blood turns the autumn leaves red, and many more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

broad overview of Native American star lore tales
"They Dance In The Sky" is divided into chapters that focus on particular regions of North America. Within each chapter are descriptions of the tribes in that region and then retellings of several of their star myths. At the end of each chapter the reader will find a listing of each tribe's constellations or important stars, and the Western equivalent, if known.

This book doesn't go into detail about the significance of the myths or the specific stars that figured into the tales, but it does give a broad representation of the kinds of tales told by the various peoples. This makes it a lighter read, and for some that's just right.

Don Childrey, author of "STAR TRAILS: Navajo, A Different Way To Look At The Night Sky" ... Read more

Book Description
Native American stories of the sacred are intended for morethan entertainment: they are teaching tales containing elegantly simpleillustrations of time-honored truths. From tales of Creation to "Why?"stories that help explain the natural world around us, these storieshighlight the sacredness of all life and affirm that we are each anintegral part of all that is holy.

Drawn from tribes across North America, these are careful retellings oftraditional stories such as Son of Light's quest to win back his capturedwife from the monstrous Man-Eagle; humble Muskrat's noble self-sacrifice toestablish solid land so other beings might live; Water Spider's creativesolution for retrieving fire for all the animals; and White Buffalo CalfWoman's profound gift of the sacred pipe to the people. Each of thecompelling stories in this collection illustrates principles that can guideyou on your own spiritual quest.

Now you can experience the wisdom of these teaching tales even if you haveno previous knowledge of Native American traditions. SkyLight Illuminationsprovides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that explains the culturaland spiritual significance of the seemingly mundane objects found in thesestories--tobacco, gambling, even the exploits of mischievous tricksterssuch as Coyote and Weasel--while gracefully drawing comparisons toChristian, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions, among others.Whatever your spiritual heritage, these Native American stories of thesacred are sure to delight and inspire you with the sacredness of allCreation, and remind you that the earth does not belong to us--we belong tothe earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very interesting
I took a class with Prof. Pritchard at Marist College and this book was a requirement. The book is great. Short, but very enlightening. It consists of many short stories that appear in Native American cultures. The book has very detailed footnotes, like in Sparknotes to explain everything. He is a wonderful teacher and has great knowledge about Native American cultures. I would highly recommend it to anyone with interest in this topic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wonderful
This book is absolutely wonderful for those who are persuing intrests in Native American Literature. It is a great source of knowledge and understanding. It goes along through all of the struggles and stereotypes that have been placed on Native Americans since we invaded their territory.. I HIGHLEY RECOMMEND

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL
I first began reading thie book for a NAtive American Literature class, but have found that this books offers great stories that will help you learn and understand many of the struggles of the Indian culture. It goes through the stereotypes and dramas that they had and are still going through. I recommend this book to anyone studying Native Americans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great for children and adults
i am not a native american but my ansestors were so it is in my blood and i am very proud of it. i had this book when i was a child and i loved the stories and the ways of the [native] americans. this book is great for children, and i think that native american haritage is very important. ... Read more

Book Description
Gathering 160 tales from 80 tribal groups to offer a rich and lively panarama of the Native American mythic heritage. 100 drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

wow
This is exactly what I was looking for!
The Indians legends and myths about nearly everything.
Maybe you have read the books of Carlos Castaneda and wanted to know more about the world of Indians? Maybe you are just wondering what is behind the white peoples world? Or maybe you just enjoy reading good stories for yourselves and for your children.

It would be wise for us to start reading a stories for our children again, instead of putting them before TV. This is kind of strong base for their mental structure- to face the everyday lifes stress and routine.

For all reasons this is a good choice.

I read al lot, maybe 60-80 books a year, but this book I will remember.
Enjoyable reading to you!

authentic but inconsistent
this collection is, for the most part, written directly from recordings of tribe members retelling the stories. there is a nice sense of authenticity in the collection, but many of the stories really seem to be collected for the sake of collecting the stories... in other words, there is a definite inconsistency throughout this book.

it can be tedious to get through some parts, because the legends occasionally seem to go nowhere. it seems that many of these myths are explanations of how something came in to being, rather than a moralistic message, and in this sense it is valuable in presenting insight into the worlview of the cultures represented. nevertheless, as a reader it is enjoyable to feel that a story is leading up to something, which is not always the case here.

i was surprised by the politically incorrect title (First Nations is the preferred term nowadays- "Indians" is considered offensive), but the book was published in 1984 so this makes sense- perhaps a reprint will have a different title.

166 Quickies
Sorting through many of the American Indian Myths (As if there was a homogenized group called American Indians) Richard Erdoes and Alfonzo Ortiz selected 166 short, one or two page, stories. These stories look like the pre-curser to the urban legends today.

The myths are artificially separated into ten subjects and lose the continuity of being divided by particular ethnic group; thus we never get a feel for the bigger picture of where the stories come from.

You need a great sense of humor as many of the stories are very kinky such as "TEETH IN THE WRONG PLACE" (PONCA-OTOE), which is exactly what it implies.

There seems to be only three Zuni tales out of the 166. I wonder if there is a reason for this.

Fantastic Collection of Stories from the First Nations
Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz really did a wonderful job putting together this compilation. Taking various stories from North America, the duo covers traditional tales of everyone from the Aleut to the Toltecs and pretty much everything in between. Every region and culture group is represented, and tales from well known Nations such as the Cherokee, Lakota, Dine (Navajo), Apache and Iroquois appear beside those of less well known (but no less vibrant and culturally active) Nations such as the Miwok, Caddo, Metis and Shasta. Hopefully this will help expand people's views of Native American culture. After all, stereotypical views of "Indians" rarely include the Nations of California or the Pacific Northwest, or even the Southern Woodlands (the original homeland of the Cherokee and their neighbors). Obviously not every Nation could be represented, but this is still an excellent survey of the continent. It does a wonderful job showing how common cultural themes have woven their way across this entire continent, helping to reinforce the culture and customs of the First Nations. And at the same time, it also shows how each culture was different, having its own beliefs, customs and practices unique to themselves.

Each chapter was divided into a different theme, so the book covers the Creation of People, the Creation of the World, Stories about Celestial Bodies, Monsters, War Heroes, Love, Tricksters, Animal People, Ghosts and the End of the World. Hence the book goes full circle in exploring major themes in North American belief. Each chapter includes the stories of numerous Nations from different regions, linguistic families or "cultural groupings", allowing the reader to see them in a much broader light. All of the stories are short, and they range in mood from hilarious (Intome's description of his nightmare in "Inktome Has a Bad Dream") to being deeply moving (the sun's sacrifice in "The Scabby One Lights Up the Sky"). At the end of each story, the source is given and they come from quite a number of sources. Many are recorded in this book for the first time as far as I am aware, so it is certainly worth looking at even if you are very familar with Native American traditions.

To those familar with Native American culture, some things in this book should be familar, particularly the antics of Coyote, Inktome the spider, Raven and other tricksters, but also the tales of Glooskap, giants, floods, disembodied cannibal heads, the place of emergence, Hiawatha and so forth. One thing I should point out before going further is that some of these tales deal with adult themes (in the Inuit tale "Moon Rapes His Sister Sun" the moon commits the sins of rape and incest and forever chases his sister across the sky) and can be downright raunchy (as is the case with several of the Coyote and Inktome stories). There is nothing wrong with these stories, as they either are meant to teach a moral lesson (as is the case with the former) or because they are meant to amuse (in the case of the trickster stories). But it can come as something of a shock to those who are expecting "mere children's stories". Still, if you or someone you know has an interest in Native American culture, this book is certainly worth getting.

Good storyteller
Adult storybook....
I ordered this book to glimpse into the Native American mythology, and I have to say, I am very impressed. This book comprises of ten parts, each consisting of intelligent, sometimes even funny tales and facinating stories of Human Creation, World Creation, Sun-Moon-Stars, Monsters, Love and Sex, Animals and Birds, and Ghosts-to mention a few. It's filled with analogies taken from nature. All these stories come from the tribes once spread across all over the North American continent. The editors claim that some of the stories are completely "untouched" by white people and that they still convey the original folklores started some thousands of years ago.
If you are interested in idiosyncratic facts than forget about it, if you like good stories and folk-tales, this book is for you. ... Read more