Series statement from jacket.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 522-525) and index.

"The 160 tales in this magnificent volume represent the richest record to date of a vital living legacy - the glorious folkloric traditions of the native American peoples. They also represent the combined talents of an eminent anthropologist and a master storyteller and artist, who have brought together both the best of folkloric sources of the last century and an exciting bounty of unpublished tales recorded by the authors from living storytellers. They sweep us across the entire North American continent - from the ancient Iroquois civilization of the Northeast, across the war-torn plains of the Cheyenne and Sioux, and up the rugged Northwest lands of the seafaring Aleut and Kwakiutl - drawing on the mythic heritage of over eighty tribal groups. The reach of the storytellers' vision is breathtaking, and illuminates a fantastic spectrum of traditional beliefs. Creation tales recount how our watery world was fashioned from primordial mud on the back of a turtle, its mountains and valleys the relics of ancient inhabitants. The first people spring to life from a sunbeam, a stone, or a drop of blood, and bring with them the vital corn, fire, or buffalo. Great heroes and heroines count coup for bravery on the battlefield, face hair-raising monsters, and make ghostly journeys to the spirit world. The scoundrel Coyote and his kin turn one hilarious trick after another, while poignant legends of love and sacrifice dramatize universal human predicaments. Rendering the tales with authority and authenticity, Erdoes and Ortiz infuse ancient images with compelling contemporary voices, and show how each generation shapes and re-creates its folkloric heritage anew. This is a book that will take its place with the masterworks of the field, to be read and relished for years to come." --,Dust Jacket.

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