| Summary: |
"Folktales are at the heart of Native American culture, a subject of growing importance to the curriculum. Prepared especially for students and general readers, this book conveniently collects and comments on 31 of the most important Native American folktales. These are drawn from the major Native American cultural and geographical areas and reflect the environment, cultural adaptations, and prevailing concerns of the regions from which they are taken. The tales are grouped in broad thematic sections on origins; heroes, heroines, villains, and fools; society and conflict; and the supernatural. Among the tales are: The Hopi Creation of the World, How the Snakes Acquired Their Poison, Blood Clot Boy, Montezuma and the Salt Woman, The Deserted Children, Raven, The Bad Wife, The Youth Who Joined the Deer, The Medicine Pipe, A Visit to the Land of the Skeletons, And many others." "Each tale is introduced by a brief explanatory headnote, and the volume closes with a selected bibliography. Students in social studies classes will value this book as a window on Native American culture, while students in literature courses will welcome it as a guide to Native American oral traditions."--BOOK JACKET. |
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