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This dictionary is targeted at students of the Tlingit language. ... Read more

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Reprint of the English translation of the Tlingit (Northwestern American) Myths and Texts with folklore:Myths Recorded in English at Sitka1. Raven2. The Big Clam3. English Version of the Story of the Four Brothers4. Origin of the Killer Whale5. KAka'6. The Land-Otter Sister7. The Land-Otter Son8. The Wolf-Chief's Son9. Wolverine-man10. The Halibut People11. Stories of the Monster Devilfish and The Cry-Baby12. The Woman Who Was Killed by a Clam13. Root-stump14. The Protracted Winter15. Beaver and Porcupine16. The Poor Man Who Caught Wonderful Things17. The Finding of the Blue Paint, And How a Certain Creek Received Its Name18. Various Adventures Near Cross Sound19. Kâts!20. The Unsuccessful Hunters21. Origin of Iceberg House22. The Woman Taken Away by the Frog People23. How the Frogs Honored the Dead24. The Brant Wives25. Story of the Puffin26. Story of the Wain-House People27. The Alsek River People28. The Youthful Warrior29. The First War In The World30. How Protestant Christianity Was First Heard of at SitkaMyths Recorded in English at Wrangell31. Raven, Part I31. Raven, Part II31. Raven, Part III31. Raven, Part IV31. Raven, Part V31. Raven, Part VI31. Raven, Part VII31. Raven, Part VIII31. Raven, Part IX31. Raven, Part X31. Raven, Part XI31. Raven, Part XII31. Raven, Part XIII31. Raven, Part XIV31. Raven, Part XV31. Raven, Part XVI31. Raven, Part XVII31. Raven, Part XVIII31. Raven, Part XIX31. Raven, Part XX31. Raven, Part XXI32. Kakê'q!utê33. Origin of the GonaqAdê't34. A Story of the GonaqAdê't35. Origin of the L!ê'nAxxî'dAq36. The Thunders37. Origin of the Screech Owl38. Little Felon39. Origin of the Fern Root and the Ground Hog40. The Halibut That Divided the Queen Charlotte Islands41. The Image That Came to Life42. Djîyî'n43. The Self-Burning Fire44. The Giant of Tâ'sna...106. Origin of a Low-Caste Name ... Read more

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A detailed explanation of the history and development of Tlingit basketry. Includes photographs. Originally printed in 1944; exact publishing date not specified. ... Read more

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I have for several years devoted many of my leisure hours to the study of the language, history, traditions, customs and superstitions of the Dakotas. These Indians are now commonly called the "Sioux"--a name given them by the early French traders and _voyageurs_. "Dakota" signifies _alliance_ or _confederation_. Many separate bands, all having a common origin and speaking a common tongue, were united under this name. See "_Tah-Koo Wah-Kan_," or "_The Gospel Among the Dakotas_," by Stephen R. Riggs, pp. 1 to 6 inc.

They were, but yesterday, the occupants and owners of the fair forests and fertile prairies of Minnesota--a brave, hospitable and generous people,--barbarians, indeed, but noble in their barbarism. They may be fitly called the Iroquois of the West. In form and features, in language and traditions, they are distinct from all other Indian tribes. When first visited by white men, and for many years afterwards, the Falls of St. Anthony (by them called the Ha-Ha) was the center of their country. They cultivated tobacco, and hunted the elk, the beaver and the bison. They were open-hearted, truthful and brave. In their wars with other tribes they seldom slew women or children, and rarely sacrificed the lives of their prisoners.

For many years their chiefs and head men successfully resisted the attempts to introduce spirituous liquors among them. More than a century ago an English trader was killed at Mendota, because he persisted, after repeated warnings by the chiefs, in dealing out _mini-wakan_ (Devil-water) to the Dakota braves.

With open arms and generous hospitality they welcomed the first white men to their land; and were ever faithful in their friendship, till years of wrong and robbery, and want and insult, drove them to desperation and to war. They were barbarians, and their warfare was barbarous, but not more barbarous than the warfare of our Saxon and Celtic ancestors. They were ignorant and superstitious, but their condition closely resembled the condition of our British forefathers at the beginning of the Christian era. Macaulay says of Britain, "Her inhabitants, when first they became known to the Tyrian mariners, were little superior to the natives of the Sandwich Islands." And again, "While the German princes who reigned at Paris, Toledo, Arles and Ravenna listened with reverence to the instructions of Bishops, adored the relics of martyrs, and took part eagerly in disputes touching the Nicene theology, the rulers of Wessex and Mercia were still performing savage rites in the temples of Thor and Woden."

The day of the Dakotas is done. The degenerate remnants of that once powerful and warlike people still linger around the forts and agencies of the Northwest, or chase the caribou and the bison on the banks of the Sascatchewan, but the Dakotas of old are no more. The brilliant defeat of Custer, by Sitting Bull and his braves, was their last grand rally against the resistless march of the sons of the Saxons and the Celts. The plow-shares of a superior race are fast leveling the sacred mounds of their dead. But yesterday, the shores of our lakes, and our rivers, were dotted with their tepees. Their light canoes glided over our waters, and their hunters chased the deer and the buffalo on the sites of our cities. To-day, they are not. Let us do justice to their memory, for there was much that was noble in their natures. In the following Dakota Legends I have endeavored to faithfully represent many of the customs and superstitions, and some of the traditions, of that people. I have taken very little "poetic license" with their traditions; none, whatever, with their customs and superstitions.


Download Legends Of The Northwest Now! ... Read more

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A powerful mix of history and legend dramatizes the values and traditions of Tlingit and Haida societies in Southeast Alaska. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Life among the Land Otter People
We see lots of Otters here on the Olympic Peninsula, and though I've always been fascinated to watch them I have always wanted to keep a good distance away from them. I have to laugh at myself, but in some way these old legends concerning the Land Otter People finally illluminate my caution.
Among the ancient Haida and Tlingit tribes of the Northwest Coast, the boundary between the animal world and human world was not very distinct. Kushtakas were people who had been kidnapped by the Land Otter People and transformed into creatures who retained some of their human qualities but were responsible for trickery, sickness, storms, famine, etc. They weren't all bad--sometimes they would save people lost at sea, but the rescue was always at a cost. It was the Shaman's job to try to prevent his people from the strange fate of becoming a Kushtaka, which meant he had to instill in them a careful regard for both the natural world and the Supernatural world, a strong will in order to resist the Otter People illusions and spells, and a respect for the tribal customs. Apparently, it was a thankless job, human nature being what it is.
These are stories that deal with the age-old battle between "good" and "evil", conscience and carelessness, awareness and ignorance.They are sensitively retold, with an effort made to be complete tales, not just snatches of myth and legend. Because they come from an oral tradition and were meant to be told around the fire or whileworking, they don't always succeed in the way we have come to expect from "short stories", and some of the endings are flat. Anne Cameron's book, Daughters of Copper Woman, does a better job of giving the old tales poetry and punch. However, these simple and direct re-tellings are a welcome glimpse into a vanished world.

My arms have fur on them!!
This book is great!I love those old stories, and like to tell them to my friends.There are many things to be learned from these tales.Next time you are lost in the woods, this would be a good book to have with you ... give it a go, eh?

Awsome book on Alaskan Indian Mythology
This book is awsome!Beck does a wonderful job retelling the legends ofTlingit and Haida mythology.This book is excellent if you want/need tolearn about the old Indian tales of southeast Alaska.I'd also highlyrecommend Beck's other book "Hero's & Heroines in Tlingit-HaidaLegend"

Good source of hard-to-find legends
Mary Giraudo Beck did an admirable job of gathering information that has not been readily available to readers for several decades.The Tlingit and Haida cultures are quite fascinating, and their Kushtaka (and some other)legends are very well elaborated here.This book is a must-read for anyoneinterested in Northwest Coast cultures, or in the relation of wildlife tonative peoples.It is a very engaging, yet quite easy read, thatnevertheless loads the reader with solid research. ... Read more

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In the spring, the bear returns to the forest, the glacier returns to its source, and the salmon returns to the fresh water where it was spawned. Drawing on the special relationship that the Native people of southeastern Alaska have always had with nature, Blonde Indian is a story about returning. Told in eloquent layers that blend Native stories and metaphor with social and spiritual journeys, this enchanting memoir traces the author’s life from her difficult childhood growing up in the Tlingit community, through her adulthood, during which she lived for some time in Seattle and San Francisco, and eventually to her return home. Neither fully Native American nor Euro-American, Hayes encounters a unique sense of alienation from both her Native community and the dominant culture. We witness her struggles alongside other Tlingit men and women—many of whom never left their Native community but wrestle with their own challenges, including unemployment, prejudice, alcoholism, and poverty.The author’s personal journey, the symbolic stories of contemporary Natives, and the tales and legends that have circulated among the Tlingit people for centuries are all woven together, making Blonde Indian much more than the story of one woman’s life. Filled with anecdotes, descriptions, and histories that are unique to the Tlingit community, this book is a document of cultural heritage, a tribute to the Alaskan landscape, and a moving testament to how going back—in nature and in life—allows movement forward. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The story between the mythology is the story.
I am only rating this as a 3 stars because I found the book a little hard to follow at times when the "story" wandered off into mythological glaciers, bears, wind, etc a bit too much making it hard to remember where the girl was in the story when the story returned to it.

I certainly get what the book is about. It is a gritty story of an Indian girl that lived a life I would NOT want to imagine. It is a story of the terrible effects of TB and alcohol on the native peoples of our lands.

Having Comanche and Cherokee grandparents I understand a lot of the context in the story concerning how devastated they were by the loss of their language,culture, and lands.

That being said...I think the book was written by a remarkable woman that is lucky she lives thru it all.

Blonde Indian
Excellent demonstration of the loss and regaining of spirit. More than just an aboriginal snap shot, this book is a vital look at loss of spirit in our western culture at large.

beautiful, strongly indigenous voice
By weaving myth, memoir, and parallel fictional story lines, this book manages to be modern while retaining a strong indigenous voice that reminds me of the stories I was told as a child.I grew up in the Alaska Native community, and reading this book always makes me want to return home, to the streams, mountains, and oceans that I belong to.

One of the best memoirs I've read
This gorgeous and unusual book should be required reading for both lovers of memoir and anyone who lives in "Indian Country" (which, really, is most of us.) Hayes layers narratives of self, land, history and tribe in an unusual way that feels utterly organic. She also offers real insight into both the brokenheartedness and the joy that characterize modern Native people's experience. Though it is not without minor flaws, I give this book 5 stars because it is amazing and unique.

Deeply affecting story everyone should read
Ernestine Hayes has captured what it means to grow up with one foot in white culture, the other in a native way of life she must struggle to keep alive and burning in her heart.I loved the way native stories wove in and out of her experiences.I hope she has another book in the works because I want to read more of what she has to say. ... Read more

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A long time ago, Raven was pure white, like fresh snow in winter. This was so long ago that the only light came from campfires, because a greedy chief kept the stars, moon, and sun locked up in elaborately carved boxes. Determined to free them, the shape-shifting Raven resourcefully transformed himself into the chief's baby grandson and cleverly tricked him into opening the boxes and releasing the starlight and moonlight. Though tired of being stuck in human form, Raven maintained his disguise until he got the chief to open the box with the sun and flood the world with daylight, at which point he gleefully transformed himself back into a raven. When the furious chief locked him in the house, Raven was forced to escape through the small smokehole at the top--and that's why ravens are now black as smoke instead of white as snow.

This engaging Tlingit story is brought to life in painterly illustrations that convey a sense of the traditional life of the Northwest Coast peoples. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

This tale will steal children's hearts as well
This is a retelling of a Tlingit tale about how Raven used to be white and there was only darkness in the world. The chief of a tribe has the Sun, Moon, and Stars in boxes because he wants them for himself. Raven tricks the chief into releasing them, then turns black while escaping.

I've been reading this to my 4 year old for 5 months now, and he loves it. The illustrations are great, and the writing is very nice. It is also an appropriate length for someone his age or a little older. While the book is directed to a child, I like it too. I enjoy reading it to him.

Felix Vigil's artwork is perfectly suited
How Raven Stole The Sun is the latest addition to the Abbeville "Tales of the People" series of books for young readers, published in partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. Felix Vigil's artwork is perfectly suited to Maria Williams retelling of a Tlingit tale she first heard from her father. Its the story of how the Raven transformed himself to bring light to what had been an earth shrouded in darkness. How Raven Stole The Sun is further enriched for young readers with a glossary of Tlingit Words, a brief description of the Tlingit People; and photographs of artifacts drawn from the Smithsonian collection, as well as period photos of the Tlingit people.Other highly recommended titles in this outstanding series include The Butterfly Dance (0789201615, ...); Brave Wolf And The Thunderbird (0789201607, ...); and Coyote In Love With A Star (0789201623, ...). ... Read more

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The glaciers creep
Like snakes that watch their prey, from their far fountains,
Slow rolling on.
– Percy Shelley, "Mont Blanc," 1816

Glaciers in America’s far northwest figure prominently in indigenous oral traditions, early travelers’ journals, and the work of geophysical scientists. By following such stories across three centuries, this book explores local knowledge, colonial encounters, and environmental change.

Do Glaciers Listen? examines conflicting depictions of glaciers to show how natural and social histories are entangled. During late stages of the Little Ice Age, significant geophysical changes coincided with dramatic social upheaval in the Saint Elias Mountains. European visitors brought conceptions of Nature as sublime, as spiritual, or as a resource for human progress. They saw glaciers as inanimate, subject to empirical investigation and measurement. Aboriginal responses were strikingly different. From their perspectives, glaciers were sentient, animate, and quick to respond to human behaviour. In each case, experiences and ideas surrounding glaciers were incorporated into interpretations of social relations.

Focusing on these contrasting views, Julie Cruikshank demonstrates how local knowledge is produced, rather than "discovered," through such encounters, and how oral histories conjoin social and biophysical processes. She traces how divergent views continue to weave through contemporary debates about protected areas, parks and the new World Heritage site that encompasses the area where Alaska, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory now meet.

Students and scholars of Native studies and anthropology as well as readers interested in northern studies and colonial encounters will find Do Glaciers Listen? a fascinating read and a rich addition to circumpolar literature. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

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The Canoe Rocks is a historical analysis of the EuroAmerican impact on Alaska's Tlingit people. With its extensive documentation, the book will assist diverse scholars. After introducing Russia's early efforts to establish a profitable settlement in Alaska's southeastern archipelago, the author reviews the concurrent British commercial encroachments. However, it is America's "Boston Men," and their successors, who really cause the Tlingit canoe to rock. Throughout the nineteenth century, Native institutions such as their family life, blood atonement, and trade practices, slavery, witchcraft, and even their celebrated potlatch were modified, some radically. Predictably, Alaska's environment also incurred accelerating alteration. Responses by Tlingit women and men to miners, missionaries, merchant-town builders, and other traditional frontier figures did not mirror their Native counterparts across the United States. These pages certainly confirm the Northwest Coast people's singular artistic and entrepreneurial energies. "The Canoe Rocks" offers readers an informative and culturally balanced history, a fast-paced narrative sure to excite enthusiasts of Native American history and the history of Western America. ... Read more

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