Presents detailed coverage of the deities, legendary heroes and heroines, important animals, objects, and places that make up the mythic lore of the many peoples of North America.

Continuing the series The Best Native American Myths, Legends, and Folklore, Volume 3 offers an enjoyable look into the history of the Native American Indian. Before the time of books, computers, tablets and recording devices, the history of many cultures was passed down, from person to person, by word of mouth. The rich histories of so many people were told in songs, chants, poems and stories. This was and still is the way of Native American tribes. Each in its own way enriching their stories with their own experiences. By reliving these stories and songs, we have the opportunity to bring life back to the ancient spirits that created them. We have a chance to walk with the spirits of the past. Being there were so many different tribes with countless beliefs and customs, the only way to understand their ways is through understanding their stories. In this book I have endeavored to show a wide landscape of different tribes and hopefully present a true look at their beliefs. Among the stories included in this collection are: The Alligator and The Hunter, Mistakes of Old Man, The Badger and the Bear, The Bird Tribes, The Spider Woman and the Twins, The Woman and Her Bear, Creation Story, Yaponcha - The Wind God, How Fire Came To the Six Nations, The Origin of the Prairie Rose, The Bird Whose Wings Made the Wind, A Widow's Revenge, The Story of a Poor Man, Heavy Collar and the Ghost Woman, Bluejay Finds a Wife, The Medicine Grizzly Bear, A Little Brave and the Medicine Woman, The Man Who Was Afraid of Nothing, The Simpleton's Wisdom, Crossing the Red Sea, Wakiash and the First Totem Pole, and many more.

Passed down from generation to generation, the myths and rituals of Native Americans form a rich religious and cultural base from which all members of each society can create and maintain a sense of community, physical and emotional health, identity, family, and self. Such traditions, handed down through stories and rites, stand as the lifeblood of every Native American culture. This thoroughly illustrated and carefully researched guide explores the amazing array of mythical beasts, heroic humans, and nurturing spirits that make up the fascinating spectrum of Native American mythology. With over one thousand alphabetically arranged entries, representing over one hundred different Native American cultures, readers can quickly explore the meaning of hundreds of elements of Native lore--from names, phrases, and symbols, to images, motifs, and themes. Accompanying essays take a closer look at other issues related to the origin, development, and perpetuation of Native American mythology, such as the Christian influence on myth, varying mythology between tribes, storytelling, and more. We learn about such mythical creatures as Apotamkin of the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy tribe of the Southeast (a bogey monster with long hair and huge teeth who, through the fear he generates, keeps small children from straying onto thin, newly frozen ice in the winter and unguarded beaches in the summer), ritual healing ceremonials such as the Southwestern Navajo's Uglyway ceremony (a ceremony to remove and protect against the forces of chaos and disorder that give rise to illness), and the Marau ceremony of the Hopi Indians of the Southeast (a complex ceremony concerned with rain, the ripening of corn, and the fertility of women, as well as rites of initiating new members into the society). This compelling volume honors the richness of the beliefs and values of the many peoples of native North America, from northern Mexico to the Artic Circle. In addition, a complete bibliography of primary sources and secondary sources points the way to further research, making this the perfect reference for anyone interested in the mythical history of America's original inhabitants.

Folklorist Gary R. Varner takes a lengthy look at various myths, legends and beliefs of Native Americans in this book. Included are stories and archaeological finds from various lands that suggest cultural contacts between explorers from China, Japan, the Mediterranean and Europe with Native Americans in pre-Columbian times. Native American folklore and myths are examined including the universal legends of the flood and stories of the mysterious god-men such as Quetzalcoatl, Votan and Chinigchinix, who brought the arts, technology and civilization to indigenous cultures. Mysteries of Native American Myth and Religion is a fact-filled, yet fascinating story of the original inhabitants of North and South America. Varner has written several books on folklore and mythology and is a member of the American Folklore Society and the Foundation for Mythological Studies.

This fascinating and informative compendium of Native American lore recounts the continent's myths chronologically and region-by-region, offering a wide range of nomadic sagas, animist myths, cosmogonies and creation myths, end-time prophecies, and other traditional tales. Legends include stories of sun worship, trickster pranks, the ghost world, and secret societies.

Native Americans use storytelling to get to know one another, as well as, passing history and messages on to newer generations. These stories are a heritage, but they will be known only as long as they are told. When someone ceases to tell a story, part of our cultural knowledge is gone. The stories of Native American Indians have always possessed some greater meaning. They are often based in nature or about animals. And even though the tribes may vary in location or beliefs, deep within you will find a common thread. Respect for nature can be heard in stories from tribes from Canada to Florida. The stories included in this book show Native American storytelling at its best. Among the stories included in this fourth volume Of the Native American Story Book are: The Woman and her Bear, The Story of Winter Snow, The Warrior of High Cliff, The Sacred Pipe of the T'salagi, The Origin of Fire and the Canoe, The Long Journey, A New Bow for Tani, The Trickster's Great Fall and His Revenge, Grandfather Thunder, The Origin of the Doll Being and many, many more.

Explores differences in myths among Native American tribes as well as similarities, such as the Great Spirit and Earth Mother.

Before the time of books, computers, tablets and recording devices, the history of many cultures was passed down, from person to person, by word of mouth. The rich histories of so many people were told in songs, chants, poems and stories. This was the way of Native American tribes. Each in its own way enriching their stories with their own experiences. By reliving these stories and songs, we have the opportunity to bring life back to the ancient spirits that created them. We have a chance to walk with the spirits of the past.  Being there were so many different tribes with countless beliefs and customs, the only way to understand their ways is through understanding their stories. In this book you will understand the Native American people a little better and see where they have come from and what they can offer the world. By exploring these stories offered you will get a glimpse into an often forgotten past. These stories are given to you, to carry forward for younger generations to explore and learn. Included in Volume One are the stories: Origin of the Pleiades, The Woman Who Fell from the Sky, Grandmother Spider Steals the Fire, White Bead Woman, The Origin of Corn, The Hunter and Selu, Myth of the White Buffalo Woman, The Origin of Eternal Death, How Coyote Stole Fire, The Lame Warrior, The Story of Hungry Wolf, Origin of the Sweat Lodge, The Legend of the Cherokee Rose, Contents of the Medicine Bag, Raven's Medicine, The First Fire, Origin Of Disease And Medicine, The Daughter Of The Sun, The Journey To The Sunrise, Why The Mole Lives Underground, The Terrapin's Escape From The Wolves, Origin Of The Groundhog Dance, The Haunted Whirlpool, The Man In The Stump, The Mother Bear's Song and many, many more. You are invited to go Walking With Spirits.

Every aboriginal nation has its gods, from whom the people receive all that they have, all that they practice, and all that they know. Traditional American Indian life revolved around communication with divinity, and these stories about the origin of the earth and its creatures embody every facet of Native American culture-customs, institutions, and art. Curtin, a celebrated anthropologist, roved California and Central America in the 1890s in pursuit of these tales. Recounted here as he heard them, they offer both authentic views of an ancient society and captivating examples of storytelling art.