Tales of the Earth


Book Description

A revealing analysis of key themes in Native American origin myths—and their stark contrast with the exceptionalist values of the United States. Tales of the Earth is a comprehensive yet concise overview of Native American mythologies. After outlining theories of the origins of Native North Americans, David Leeming considers the creation myths of many tribes, emphasizing four commonly occurring figures: the Great Spirit, the trickster, the goddess, and the hero. Leeming suggests that in addition to these figures, Native American mythologies have in common a deep reverence for the earth and for community responsibility as opposed to individualism—tenets that stand in stark contrast to the concepts of exceptionalism and Manifest Destiny that characterize the United States, a nation that was built on ancient tribal land.




Native American Legends An Anthology of Creation Myths and Origin Tales


Book Description

Native American Mythology began long before the European settlers arrived on North American soil. The most popular of these myths usually are the ones dealing with Creation and Origins of people, places and things. These myths deal with both how the physical world as we know it came to be and how the many features of specific cultures originated. They cover areas of gods and man and why we were separated, where did the different races come from, and when did evil surface. Being there were so many different tribes with countless beliefs and customs, the only way to understand these beliefs is through understanding the Native American stories. In this book there is a wide landscape of different tribes that present a true look at these beliefs. Among the stories included in this anthology are: Creation of the First Indians, Creation of the Red and White Races, In the Beginning, How the Great Chiefs Made the Moon and the Sun, Origin of Fire, The First Moccasins, The Origin of Game and of Corn, The Origin of Medicine, The Origin of Summer and Winter, Origin of the Animals, Origin of the Buffalo, Origin of the Clans, Origin of the Sweat Lodge, The Origin of the Winds, The Origin of Yosemite, The Origin of Earth, Origin of the Lakota Peace Pipe, How the World Was Made, The First Fire, Origin of the Pleiades And the Pine, and many more.




Creation Myths - Tales of the Native American Indians


Book Description

Native American Mythology began long before the European settlers arrived on North American soil. Contrary to popular beliefs, there is more to Native American Folklore than stories of buffalo hunts, teepee living and animal stories. Hundreds of tribes throughout North American created a huge mythological system that has rivaled that of the Greeks. The most popular of these myths usually are the ones dealing with Creation. These myths deal with both how the physical world as we know it came to be and how the many features of specific cultures originated. They cover areas of gods and man and why we were separated, where did the different races come from, and when did evil surface. Being there were so many different tribes with countless beliefs and customs, the only way to understand these beliefs is through understanding the Native American stories. In this book I have endeavored to show a wide landscape of different tribes and hopefully present a true look at these beliefs. With this book I hope you understand the Native American people a little better and understand where they have come. These stories have been handed down from generation to generation. And in such tradition, they are now handed down to you to share with the next generation. The stories collected in this book represent some of the best to be found. Included you will find: Old-Man Remakes the World, Determination of the Seasons, Determination of Night and Day, Creation of First Man and First Woman, The Boy Who Became a God, Creation and Longevity, Onondaga Creation Myth, Pushing Up The Sky, Emerging Into The Upper World, Great Medicine Makes A Beautiful Country, The White Dawn Of Hopi, Children of the Sun, and many, many more. Read on for Creation Myths - Tales Of The Native American Indians




Creation Myths and Legends of the Creek Indians


Book Description

"A long-needed study of the creation stories and legends of the Creek Indian people and their neighbors...including the influential Yuchi legends and Choctaw myths as well as those of the Hitchiti, Alabama, and Muskogee." -Charles R. McNeil, Msueum of Florida History, Tallahassee The creation stories, myths, and migration legends of the Creek Indians who once populated southeastern North America are centuries--if not millennia--old. For the first time, an extensive collection of all known versions of these stories has been compiled from the reports of early ethnographers, sociologists, and missionaries, obscure academic journals, travelers' accounts, and from Creek and Yuchi people living today. The Creek Confederacy originated as a political alliance of people from multiple cultural backgrounds, and many of the traditions, rituals, beliefs, and myths of the culturally differing social groups became communal property. Bill Grantham explores the unique mythological and religious contributions of each subgroup to the social entity that historically became known as the Creek Indians. Within each topical chapter, the stories are organized by language group following Swanton's classification of southeastern tribes: Uchean (Yuchi), Hitchiti, Alabama, Muskogee, and Choctaw--a format that allows the reader to compare the myths and legends and to retrieve information from them easily. A final chapter on contemporary Creek myths and legends includes previously unpublished modern versions. A glossary and phonetic guide to the pronunciation of native words and a historical and biographical account of the collectors of the stories and their sources are provided. Bill Grantham, associate professor of anthropology at Troy State University in Alabama, is anthropological consultant to the Florida Tribe of Eastern Creeks. He has contributed chapters to several books, including The Symbolic Role of Animals in Archaeology.




American Indian Myths and Legends


Book Description

More than 160 tales from eighty tribal groups present a rich and lively panorama of the Native American mythic heritage. From across the continent comes tales of creation and love; heroes and war; animals, tricksters, and the end of the world. “This fine, valuable new gathering of ... tales is truly alive, mysterious, and wonderful—overflowing, that is, with wonder, mystery and life" (National Book Award Winner Peter Matthiessen). In addition to mining the best folkloric sources of the nineteenth century, the editors have also included a broad selection of contemporary Native American voices.




Creation Myths - Tales Of The Native American Indians


Book Description

Native American Mythology began long before the European settlers arrived on North American soil. Contrary to popular beliefs, there is more to Native American Folklore than stories of buffalo hunts, teepee living and animal stories. Hundreds of tribes throughout North American created a huge mythological system that has rivaled that of the Greeks. The most popular of these myths usually are the ones dealing with Creation. These myths deal with both how the physical world as we know it came to be and how the many features of specific cultures originated. They cover areas of gods and man and why we were separated, where did the different races come from, and when did evil surface. Being there were so many different tribes with countless beliefs and customs, the only way to understand these beliefs is through understanding the Native American stories. This book shows a wide landscape of different tribes and hopefully presents a true look at these beliefs. With this book you will understand the Native American people a little better and where they have come. These stories have been handed down from generation to generation. And in such tradition, they are now handed down to you to share with the next generation. The stories collected in this book represent some of the best to be found. Included you will find: Old-Man Remakes the World, Determination of the Seasons, Determination of Night and Day, Creation of First Man and First Woman, The Boy Who Became a God, Creation and Longevity, Onondaga Creation Myth, Pushing Up The Sky, Emerging Into The Upper World, Great Medicine Makes A Beautiful Country, The White Dawn Of Hopi, Children of the Sun, and many, many more.




Origin Tales Of The Native American Indians


Book Description

Native American Mythology began long before the European settlers arrived on North American soil. The most popular of these myths usually are the ones dealing with Origins of people, places and things. These myths deal with both how the physical world as we know it came to be and how the many features of specific cultures originated. They cover areas of gods and man and why we were separated, where did the different races come from, and when did evil surface. Being there were so many different tribes with countless beliefs and customs, the only way to understand these beliefs is through understanding the Native American stories. In this book there is a wide landscape of different tribes that present a true look at these beliefs. Among the stories included in this anthology are: Creation of the First Indians, Creation of the Red and White Races, In the Beginning, How the Great Chiefs Made the Moon and the Sun, Origin of Fire, The First Moccasins, The Origin of Game and of Corn, The Origin of Medicine, The Origin of Summer and Winter, Origin of the Animals, Origin of the Buffalo, Origin of the Clans, Origin of the Sweat Lodge, The Origin of the Winds, The Origin of Yosemite, The Origin of Earth, Origin of the Lakota Peace Pipe, How the World Was Made, The First Fire, Origin of the Pleiades And the Pine, and many more.




Native American Creation Myths


Book Description

Traditional American Indian life revolved around communication with divinity, and these authentic stories about the origin of the earth and its creatures embody every facet of their culture — customs, institutions, and art.




Coyote Tales Of The Native American Indians


Book Description

Native American Mythology began long before the European settlers arrived on North American soil. Contrary to popular beliefs, there is more to Native American Folklore than stories of buffalo hunts, teepee living and animal stories. Hundreds of tribes throughout North American created a huge mythological system that has rivaled that of the Greeks. Many of these tales have been lost, or are often hard to find. This collection represents a history that should be remembered. As a Native American myself, I embrace these stories. Native Americans tribes offer such a rich heritage. They have recorded a huge amount of their history through storytelling. In these stories you will relive their history and the lives of North America's First People. The stories in this book have been handed down from generation to generation. And in such tradition, they are now handed down to you, to share with the next generation. Included in this anthology, are a group of collected works from the well-known, to the often-forgotten tribes. The tales included within this book feature one of the most familiar animals in Native American folklore, the trickster known as the Coyote. Often deceptive and always out for himself, the Coyote was often the bad guy in stories, as you will read in the folklore within this collection. Among the stories in the anthology are: Tale of Coyote and the Origin of Death, Creation Myth (Atsugewi), How the Old Man Made People, Coyote Frees the Buffalo, Tale of Coyote Becomes a Buffalo, Tale of Coyote, the Deer, and the Wind, Turkey Makes the Corn and Coyote Plants It, Coyote and Sun, Skunk Outwits Coyote, Coyote's Salmon, Iktomi and the Coyote, Creation Myth (Maidu), Adventures of Coyote, The Creation (Maidu), Coyote Kills the Prairie Dogs, Coyote Steals Sun's Tobacco, The Maiden Who Became a Bear, Creation and Longevity, Coyote and the Rattlesnake, The Offended Rolling Stone, Coyote's Eyes, Coyote Proves Himself a Cannibal, Coyote Keeps His Name, and many more.




Story Teller An Anthology Of Folklore From The Native American Indians


Book Description

Before the time of books, computers, tablets and recording devices, the history of many cultures was passed down, from person to person, by word of mouth. The rich histories of so many people were told in songs, chants, poems and stories. This was and still is the way of Native American tribes. Each in its own way enriching their stories with their own experiences. By exploring these stories, you will be offered you a glimpse into an often forgotten past. By reliving these stories and songs, we have the opportunity to bring life back to the ancient spirits that created them. We have a chance to walk with the spirits of the past. These stories were passed from one generation to the next. And now these stories are given to you, to carry forward for younger generations to explore and learn. The mythology of North America is a cultural treasure house, but many of these myths and legends are hidden away in various old and rare books. It would be difficult for the average person to track down and collect this material because the rarity of some of these books makes them hard to acquire. So, this vast body of wisdom lies out of reach of most people… until now. Included in this anthology are over 100 stories in the categories of Star People, Animal Tales, People Tales, War Tales, Origin Tales and Ghost Tales. Among the stories collected are: Origin of the Sweat Lodge, The Story of Poïa, The Story of the Land of Northern Lights, Tale of the Lazy Boys Who Became the Pleiades, The Moon and the Thunders, The Two War Gods and the Two Maidens, The First War, A Widow’s Revenge, A War Between the Alabama And the Choctaw, The Death of Head Chief and Young Mule, Two War Trails, Escape of The Seneca Boys, The End of The First World, Mistakes of Old Man, Iktomi’s Blanket, Iktomi and the Muskrat, Beaver Medicine, The Badger and the Bear, The Tree Bound, The Simpleton's Wisdom, Crossing the Red Sea, Wakiash and the First Totem Pole, The Dogs of the Chief's Son, The Orphan Boy Captured by the Bad Thunderbirds, Godasiyo the Woman Chief, Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away's Father, Blue Corn Maiden and the Coming of Winter, The Beginning of Newness, The Origin of the Society of Rattlesnakes, Origin of the Raven and the Macaw, How Glooskap Found the Summer, Raven's Great Adventure – How Raven Lost His Beak, Apache Creation Story, How the Old Man, Made People, Origin of the Medicine Man, When the Animals and Birds Were Created, Creation of the First Indians, A Little Brave and the Medicine Woman, The Man Who Was Afraid of Nothing, The Ghosts' Buffalo, The Land of the Dead, The Skin Shifting Old Woman and many more.