Book Description

These 22 “Why” stories from the Blackfeet, Chippewa, and Cree tribes were handed down from father to son, with little variation, through countless generations. These 22 stories were used to teach the young ones about the environment in which they lived but also the lessons of life. But the time of the tribal story-teller has passed, and only here and there is to be found a patriarch who loves the legends from the old days. This book is an attempt to ensure that these memories are forever on record and never lost to future generations. Herein you will find the stories of: Why The Chipmunk's Back Is Striped How The Ducks Got Their Fine Feathers Why The Kingfisher Always Wears A War-Bonnet Why The Curlew's Bill Is Long And Crooked Old-Man Remakes The World Why Blackfeet Never Kill Mice How The Otter Skin Became Great "Medicine" Old-Man Steals The Sun's Leggings Old-Man And His Conscience Old-Man's Treachery Why The Night-Hawk's Wings Are Beautiful Why The Mountain-Lion Is Long And Lean The Fire-Leggings The Moon And The Great Snake Why The Deer Has No Gall Why The Indians Whip The Buffalo-Berries From The Bushes Old-Man And The Fox Why The Birch-Tree Wears The Slashes In Its Bark Mistakes Of Old-Man How The Man Found His Mate Dreams Retrospection This volume was written and recorded in a time when the great Northwest was rapidly becoming a settled country. With the passing of the traditional ways of the Indian, much of the America’s aboriginal folk-lore, rich in its fairy-like characters, and its relation to the lives of its native people, has been lost. There is a wide difference between folk-lore of the so-called Old World and that of America. The folk-stories of our European ancestors, transmitted orally through countless generations, show many evidences of distortion and of change in material particulars; but the American Indian seems to have been too fond of nature and too proud of tradition to have forgotten or changed the teachings of his forefathers. Like Polynesian folklore, they have changed little and have a childlike in simplicity, beginning with creation itself, and reaching to the whys and wherefores of nature's moods and eccentricities, these tales impress as being well worth saving. YESTERDAY'S BOOKS for TODAY'S CHARITIES 10% of the net sale will be donated to Charities. ====================== TAGS: fairy tales, folklore, myths, legends, children’s stories, children’s stories, bygone era, fairydom, fairy land, classic stories, children’s bedtime stories, fables, cultural, setting, American Indian, native American, why stories, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Cree, tribes, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Great Falls, Helena, Lewis and Clark, Flathead, Custer, Beaverhead, Deerlodge, Fort Peck, Wolf point, I15, I90, i94, why the chipmunk's back is striped, ducks, fine feathers, kingfisher, wears, war-bonnet, curlew's bill, long, crooked, old-man, remake, world, blackfeet, never kill, mice, otter skin, great medicine, old-man, steal, sun's leggings, conscience, treachery, night-hawk's wings. Beautiful, mountain-lion, long, lean, fire-leggings, moon, great snake, deer, no gall, whip, buffalo-berries, old-man, fox, birch-tree, slashes, bark, mistakes, how the man found his mate, dreams, retrospection