The Mythology of North America: With a New AfterwordThe growing economic and political influence of Native American tribes has brought religious issues, once little noted, increasingly to the fore. Timeless in their basic structures, the continent's principal myths are now emerging as sacred histories that have contemporary significance. In this wide-ranging volume, John Bierhorst carefully delineates eleven mythological regions--from the Arctic to the Southwest and from California to the East Coast--presenting the gods, heroes, and primary myths of each area. First published in 1985, this indispensable guide has been updated to reflect the latest scholarship in Native studies. In a new Afterword, Bierhorst describes the recent impact of ancient myths in the arena of American Indian affairs and shows how Native Americans have successfully used mythology as oral evidence to reclaim land rights and to repatriate grave goods. Citing specific cases, he shows how new legislation and changing attitudes "have provided a basis for bringing myth to the negotiating table and into the courtroom." Detailed maps show tribal locations and the distribution of key stories. Indian artworks illustrate the texts and samples of differing narrative styles add enrichment, as some of the world's purest and most powerful myths are made more accessible--and more meaningful--than ever before. |
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adventures Algonkian American Indian animals Apache Arikara Athapascan Basin Bear Mother became becomes began Bella Coola Bird Nester Boas brother buffalo California called cannibal ceremony Cheyenne chief child clan CNAI Coast Salish Coast-Plateau Coyote created creation creator Cree culture hero daughter deer Eagle Earth Diver east Emergence epic Eskimo father fish folktales gods grandmother Haida hamatsa Hare HNAI human hunting Hupa husband Iroquois Kánekelak killed Kwakiutl Lakota legends lore Luiseño Midwest Mink monster monster-ridding cycle Moon Mother Corn myth age mythic mythology narrator native Navajo North America Northwest Coast Ojibwa origin myths Pawnee potlatch Pueblos Raven cycle region Rite ritual sacred Sahaptian Salish salmon Siouan Sioux Southwest spirit Star story storyteller Sun Dance tale tell Theft of Fire theme Tlingit told traditional Transformer cycle tribes trickster Tsimshian twin underworld variant western wife Winnebago Wisakedjak Wolf young Yurok Zuni