Native American Myths

by Diana Ferguson

They come from the Pawnee, Iroquois, Algonquin, Inuit, Navajo, Sioux, and Hopi--and every one of these myths reveals the richness and depth of Native American culture, with its honored traditions and rituals. Born out of a deep sensitivity and respect for nature, they are exquisitely beautiful and contain the most profound spiritual and emotional truths. Through these legends, meet the Master of Life, who created the world; Thunderbird, who brings the storms; Grandmother Spiderwoman, who descends Earth to spin her silk; Coyote and his friends; as well a cast of other intriguing characters central to various Indian nations' cosmology. As part of an ancient heritage, these stories are a lasting tribute to the imaginative power and worldview of the first Americans.

Genres: Mythology, Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2001

Reviews

[Heidi Wiechert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Native American Myths is an excellent collection of stories from different cultures gathered into a few categories: "How the world was made," "Tricksters and Culture Heroes," "Earth Sea and Sky," "Quests and Sacred Gifts," and "Ghosts and the Supernatural".

"In the beginning, people lived at peace with the Earth and all her creatures. The Great Spirit had said that it should be so." pg 34

One of my favorite stories from the collection is "The Buffalo Skin Sky" which tells the tale of a buffalo skin saving humanity from drowning in a great flood. It reminded me of the Biblical tale of Noah and the ark.

"Coyote stood alone, holding the sacred gift of fire. But he had no one to give it to, so he passed it to the nearest tree." pg 50

I also enjoyed the stories that had the trickster Coyote in them. There were a couple different cultures who shared tales about him. He must have tricked a lot of people to have such a reputation... :)

Recommended for anyone who enjoys mythology. This book would be a wonderful choice for bedtime story reading.

[R.M. Archer]

DNF because I had to return it to the library.

[hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The myths were very interesting, I'd love to reread a few particular ones in the future. I love how there were some reoccurring characters such as Coyote, even throughout different tribes. I think I'll add more mythology books to my tbr :)

My only complaint with the book are the images of Native American art and artifacts from different cultures that are displayed within the pages of the stories. There is no explanation for them, or what tribe they are from, or their value with the story they are shown in. I would like to know more about the pictures, because it really just looks like the author looked up "Native American __" and pasted it into her book with no explanation.

[T.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and felt that the author did an excellent job in the retelling of some of these tales. This is also one of the few books on Native American folklore/mythology that I've come across that is fairly accurate. The author, Diana Ferguson, did extensive research and she had the always formidable Colin F. Taylor as a consultant. This book wasn't very long and it contained ample illustrations and photos. I feel that this book would make an excellent introduction into Native American Folklore and Mythology.

[Flow · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun intro to Native American myths that was somehow able to present stories from a diverse number of cultures into approximately 150 pages. Although I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading this compilation of stories, I would recommend seeking out another book if there is a particular region or population of Native Americans that you are interested in. Maybe Diana Ferguson, or her consultant, Colin Taylor, already have such books published.

[Jody Mena]

I really liked this book, it started off with some basic geography and history, and then presented the mythologies according to topic rather than by region, so you got a feel for a crosscut of Native American cultures all at once rather than trying to learn everythign about a single culture or region all at once. It was a good introduction to Native American mythology!

[Alan Bach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize this book is by the same author of the previous book I read on Incan, Aztec, etc. mythology until I opened this one up. Again, the pictures of the artifacts and landscapes are interesting, but the storytelling has weird expressions that don't quite fit. I felt that it was slightly better and didn't feel like as many as the stories were overly abridged.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Native American Myths
Ferguson, Diana
diverse collection of native American stories by region. it shows the history and the artwork associated to the culture and the story.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good collection, I thought. A little bit odd, it seemed to me, in the way that it was organized. But it was interesting. I enjoyed it.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice condensed read on some Native American Mythology stories.
Enjoyable.