Book

Native American folktales / edited by Thomas A. Green.

Green, Thomas A., 1944- (Added Author).

Summary:

"Folktales are at the heart of Native American culture. Prepared especially for students and general readers, this book conveniently collects 31 of the most important Native American folktales. These are drawn from the major Native American cultural and geographical areas and are organized in sections on origins; heroes, heroines, villains, and fools; society and conflict; and the supernatural. The tales reflect the environment, cultural adaptations, and prevailing concerns of the areas from which they are taken. Each tale begins with a brief introductory headnote, and the book closes with a selected bibliography. Students in social studies classes will welcome this book as a window on Native American culture, while students in literature courses will value its exploration of Native American oral traditions."--Publisher's description.

Record details

ISBN: 9780313363016 (alk. paper)
ISBN: 0313363013 (alk. paper)
Physical Description: vi, 167 pages ; 25 cm.
Publisher: Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2009.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (p. [161]) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Origins -- The Hopi creation of the world -- Raven befriends the human race -- The first fire -- How the Child-of-the-Rain-God rid the world of monsters and released the birds of summer -- How hunting and farming came to the Cherokee -- The origin and history of the Jemez people -- How the snakes acquired their poison -- Heroes, heroines, villains, and fools -- Destroyer-of-Dangerous-Things : an Apache Hercules -- Blood Clot Boy -- Chicken Girl marries Sun Old Man : a Tewa Pueblo Cinderella -- The deserted children -- Montezuma and the Salt Woman -- Raven -- Coyote and wolf go to war with the bushes -- How Coyote joined the dance of the burrowing owls -- Manabozho's adventures -- Society and conflict -- The punishment of the stingy -- Kasiagsak, the great liar -- The bad wife -- The youth who joined the deer -- The first war in the world -- The medicine pipe -- Little Warrior's counsel -- The tricky medicine man -- The supernatural -- How Glooskap made a magician of a young man, who aided another to win a wife -- Tijaiha the sorceror -- Witch men from Acoma -- The raven mocker -- The skin-shifting Old Woman -- The Man-Eater and his younger brother -- A journey to the land of the skeletons.