Apache legends & lore of southern New Mexico : from the sacred mountain

Sanchez, Lynda. (Author). Bigmouth, Percy, 1891-1959 (Added Author).

Summary: Storytelling has been a vital and vivid tradition in Apache life. Coyote tales, the creation legend and stories of historic battles with Comanche and Anglo intruders create a colorful mosaic of tribal heritage. Percy Bigmouth, a prominent oral historian of the Mescalero and Lipan Apache tribes, realized in the early twentieth century that the old ways were waning. He wrote in longhand what he had learned from his father, Scout Bigmouth, a prison camp survivor at Fort Sumner and participant in the turbulent Apache Wars. Join author Lynda Sánchez as she brings to light the ancient legends and lore of the Apaches living in the shadow of Mescalero's Sacred Mountain. Seventy-five years in the making, this collection is a loving tribute to a way of life nearly lost to history. --Provided by publisher.

Record details

ISBN: 9781626194861
ISBN: 1626194866
ISBN: 9781540210210
ISBN: 1540210219
Physical Description: print
208 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Publisher: Charleston ; The History Press, 2014.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-206).

Formatted Contents Note:

Foreword, by Mary M. Serna -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction: Coming full circle -- In the shadow of the sacred mountain -- History and traditions of the Apache -- The legacy of Old Scout Bigmouth (1855-1958) -- Percy Bigmouth's gifts (1891-1959) -- The coveted haven -- "I kept it in my sleeves" (as told by Percy Bigmouth and Eve Ball) -- The legend of creation -- Its strings are made of rainbows: the Apache cradleboard ceremony -- Classic animal stories and antics -- Old coyote (the trickster) tales -- Of doves and Old Brown Turkey -- Legends of caves and bats -- On the war trail -- Of raiding and war -- Enemy people (Comanches) -- The return of the captives -- The Battle of Coyote Mountain -- Victory and bitter defeat -- Apache vengeance -- gold, silver and a pueblo's demise -- Crossing over the bridge.