This rich compendium combines Lenape (Delaware) history, an introduction to several storytellers, and storytelling beliefs with a diverse collection of tales. The tales presented here are twentieth-century renderings from many locations, demonstrating the durability of the storytelling traditions.
Folklore and Fairy Tales
When Bear Stole The Chinook
Because the long, hard winter caused scarcity of firewood and food, a poor Indian boy and his animal friends journey to the lodge of the Great Bear to release the chinook.
Kokopelli
Kokopelli the Cicada leads the Ant People from the Dark World up to various other worlds and finally to the Green World, helping teach them along the way what they will need to know to survive and thrive there as the First People.
A Snake Falls To Earth
Fifteen-year-olds Nina and Oli come from different words–she is a Lipan Apache living in Texas and he is a cottonmouth from the Reflecting World–but their lives intersect when Oli journeys to Earth to find a cure for his ailing friend and they end up helping each other save their families.
Old Father Story Teller
Includes retellings of six Tewa Indian legends and a brief biographical section about the author, who is a noted American Indian artist.
Quail Song
A retelling of a traditional Pueblo Indian tale in which Quail outwits a persistent Coyote.
Who Wants To Be A Prairie Dog? (Navajo Fairy Tales)
A young Navajo boy must participate in his family’s annual sheep dip. As he follows the sheep to the dipping site, he is led on an adventure and must choose what is more important: his needs or the needs of others.
Spider Spins A Story: Fourteen Legends From Native America
Presents tales from various native peoples, including the Kiowa, Zuni, Cherokee, Hopi, Lakota, and Muskogee, all featuring a spider character.
The Way To Make Perfect Mountains: Native American Legends Of Sacred Mountains
Presents a collection of legends about North American Indians.
Martina Has Too Many Tías
A retelling of the Caribbean folktale La cucaracha Martina where Martina, in an effort to escape her noisy tías, slips away to a warm familiar island where she can play in peace and quiet–but is she home at last?