Read complete books and articles on: Native American Folklore

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16 of the Best Books and Articles on: Native American Folklore

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

The Native American Oral Tradition: Voices of the Spirit and Soul » Read Now
by Lois J. Einhorn. 165 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

Einhorn, a rhetorical scholar, explores the rich history of the Native American oral tradition, focusing on stories, orations, prayers, and songs. Because American Indians existed without written language for many generations, their culture was strongly dependent on an oral tradition for continuity...
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Einhorn, a rhetorical scholar, explores the rich history of the Native American oral tradition, focusing on stories, orations, prayers, and songs. Because American Indians existed without written language for many generations, their culture was strongly dependent on an oral tradition for continuity and preservation. Not surprisingly, they spent many hours perfecting the art of oral communication and learning methods for committing their messages to memory. Einhorn thoroughly examines the important aspects of this unique oral tradition from a rhetorical perspective, covering individual speakers, nations, and time periods.
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2.

Indian Story and Song from North America » Read Now
by Alice C. Fletcher. 132 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The present book, Indian Story and Song from North America (1900), was inspired by enthusiasm for Native American music generated at the Congress of Musicians held in connection with the Trans-Mississippi Exposition, Omaha, July 1898.
3.

Indian Why Stories: Sparks from War Eagle's Lodge-Fire » Read Now
by Frank B. Linderman. 260 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...Delightful fables, collected by a devotee of Indian lore, recounts many of the legends told to him by tribal members, among them intriguing explanations of Why the...
4.

Blackfoot Lodge Tales: The Story of a Prairie People » Read Now
by George Bird Grinnell. 318 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library

...STORIES THE most shameful chapter of American history is that in which is recorded...barren land to be found on the North American continent. The fraud perpetrated on...
5.

Shoshone Tales » Read Now
by Anne M. Smith. 224 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library

Set primarily in the legendary past when animals had the power of speech and established human custom through their adventures (and misadventures), these informative and entertaining myths add immeasurably to the unique record of Western Shoshone oral tradition.
6.

Pawnee Hero Stories and Folk-Tales: With Notes on the Origin, Customs, and Character of the Pawnee People » Read Now
by George Bird Grinnell. 418 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library
7.

Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians (1929) » Read Now
by John R. Swanton. 275 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library

...documents in the Bureau of American Ethnology. The rest were...the doings of ancient native heroes, such as might...miscellaneous character. The native attitude toward...
8.

Hopi Coyote Tales: Istutuwutsi » Read Now
by Ekkehart Malotki, Michael Lomatuway'ma. 344 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...Hopi coyote tales = Istutuwutsi. American tribal religions; v. 9 1. Hopi Indians...tales, in a monograph series dedicated to American Indian religious documents...
9.

Turkey Brother, and Other Tales: Iroquois Folk Stories » Read Now
by Joseph Bruchac. 64 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library

...own voice, are stories which I have told to my own two sons, James and Jesse. Like all stories that I know from Native American traditions they have messages, sometimes...
10.

Myths and Tales of the Chiricahua Apache Indians » Read Now
by Morris Edward Opler, David French. 144 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Opler conducted field work among the Chiricahuas in the American Southwest, as he had earlier among the Jicarillas. The result is a definitive collection of their myths. They range from an account of the world destroyed by water to descriptions of puberty rites and wonderful contests. The exploits...
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Opler conducted field work among the Chiricahuas in the American Southwest, as he had earlier among the Jicarillas. The result is a definitive collection of their myths. They range from an account of the world destroyed by water to descriptions of puberty rites and wonderful contests. The exploits of culture heroes involve the slaying of monsters and the assistance of Coyote. A large part of the book is devoted to the irrepressible Coyote, whose antics make cautionary tales for the young, tales that also allow harmless expression of the taboo. Other striking stories present supernatural beings and 'foolish people.'
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11.

Hopi Animal Tales » Read Now
by Michael Lomatuway'ma, Lorena Lomatuway'ma, Sidney Namingha, Ekkehart Malotki. 564 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library

This original & informative collection features animal figures from thirty Hopi tales. Field Mouse, Coyote the Trickster, Cicada & his flute, Medicine Man Badger, the Chipmunk Girls & Antelope Kids, & other manifestations of serpents, insects, & birds appear in these ancient folk tales...
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This original & informative collection features animal figures from thirty Hopi tales. Field Mouse, Coyote the Trickster, Cicada & his flute, Medicine Man Badger, the Chipmunk Girls & Antelope Kids, & other manifestations of serpents, insects, & birds appear in these ancient folk tales, traditionally told in mid-winter, when the nights are long & cold & all the crops are in. Highly entertaining, the narratives reveal attitudes toward important aspects of Hopi culture, such as courtship, relations between the sexes, friendship, courage, industry, healing, & the treatment of children. The editor has compiled & meticulously edited Hopi & English versions of the tales in this bilingual edition. An introduction by a distinguished folklore scholar examines the cultural relevance of Hopi oral narratives & draws upon recent scholarly perspectives on folktales to place the tales within a wider, comparative context.
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12.

Seneca Myths and Folk Tales » Read Now
by Arthur C. Parker. 520 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library
13.

Wigwam Evenings: Sioux Folk Tales Retold » Read Now
by Charles A. Eastman, Elaine Goodale Eastman. 272 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library
14.

Native American Folklore in Nineteenth-Century Periodicals » Read Now
by William M. Clements. 274 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
15.

Nebraska Folklore (Discusses Native American folklore in multiple chapters) » Read Now
by Louise Pound. 244 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Included are Nebraska folk customs as well as studies of the origins of American cowboy and folk songs and of the use of dialect in folklore. Its wit and honesty will appeal to readers everywhere.
16.

Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest (Discusses Native American folklore in multiple chapters) » Read Now
by Katharine Berry Judson. 148 pgs.

Collections: History, Literature, Entire Library

These collected myths and tales of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest - the Klamath, Nez Perce, Tillamook, Modoc, Shastan, Chinook, Flathead, Clatsop, and other tribes - were first published in 1910. Here are their stories concerning the creation of the universe, the theft of fire and daylight...
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These collected myths and tales of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest - the Klamath, Nez Perce, Tillamook, Modoc, Shastan, Chinook, Flathead, Clatsop, and other tribes - were first published in 1910. Here are their stories concerning the creation of the universe, the theft of fire and daylight, the death and rebirth of salmon, and, especially, the formation of such geographical features as The Dalles, the Columbia River, the Yukon River, and Mounts Shasta, Hood, Rainier, Baker, and Adams.
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