What do you think?
Rate this book
Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liars’ Club
Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liars' Club paints a vivid, fascinating portrait of a community deeply grounded in tradition and dynamically engaged in the present. A collection of forty interwoven stories, conversations, and teachings about Western Cherokee life, beliefs, and the art of storytelling, the book orchestrates a multilayered conversation between a group of honored Cherokee elders, storytellers, and knowledge-keepers and the communities their stories touch. Collaborating with Hastings Shade, Sammy Still, Sequoyah Guess, and Woody Hansen, Cherokee scholar Christopher B. Teuton has assembled the first collection of traditional and contemporary Western Cherokee stories published in over forty years.
Not simply a compilation, Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liars' Club explores the art of Cherokee storytelling, or as it is known in the Cherokee language, gagoga (gah-goh-ga), literally translated as "he or she is lying." The book reveals how the members of the Liars' Club understand the power and purposes of oral traditional stories and how these stories articulate Cherokee tradition, or "teachings," which the storytellers claim are fundamental to a construction of Cherokee selfhood and cultural belonging. Four of the stories are presented in both English and Cherokee.
Not simply a compilation, Cherokee Stories of the Turtle Island Liars' Club explores the art of Cherokee storytelling, or as it is known in the Cherokee language, gagoga (gah-goh-ga), literally translated as "he or she is lying." The book reveals how the members of the Liars' Club understand the power and purposes of oral traditional stories and how these stories articulate Cherokee tradition, or "teachings," which the storytellers claim are fundamental to a construction of Cherokee selfhood and cultural belonging. Four of the stories are presented in both English and Cherokee.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2012
20 people are currently reading
428 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 13, 2017
I read this book as I prepared once again to write about my half-Cherokee demigod character Piper McLean. Before, I had drawn most of the Cherokee tales that Piper relates in the Heroes of Olympus series from James Mooney’s ethnographic studies from the 1890s, when Mooney, a white researcher from what would become the Smithsonian, lived among the Cherokee and recorded their stories, fearing that they would some day die out. Mooney’s transcripts are still frequently referenced by Cherokee storytellers (and outsiders, of course) but I was grateful to author Daniel Heath Justice for recommending this anthology, put together by contemporary Cherokee storytellers themselves, and offering a more authentic, living context for the lore of the Cherokee people. It was fascinating “sitting in” while the various members of the Liar’s Club took turns recounting stories that had been passed down to them, and newer stories that were from their own family histories. The book conveys the Cherokees’ dry sense of humor, their strong sense of community, and their understanding of man’s place in nature much better than any other book of Cherokee tales could do with just stories recorded in isolation. You will come away with the feeling that you were invited to sit on the porch with these storytellers and spent some time getting to know them and their lives. It is time well spent!
March 2, 2018
3.5 stars
It’s hard for me to rate a book of folklore. Its primary purpose is to preserve stories and information about a culture, rather than to entertain, and perhaps the most important target audience here is people of Cherokee heritage who may not have much connection to traditional culture. Not being one of those people, I can’t claim that my review will reflect others’ experiences with the book.
The author, Christopher Teuton, is a professor of Cherokee descent who spends time on tribal lands in Oklahoma with four older men who jokingly call themselves the “Turtle Island Liars’ Club.” The four are involved in various ways in the preservation of traditional culture, and are all storytellers. The book is built of many short sections, interspersing stories which range from less than a page to a few pages in length with sections in which the group hangs out and discusses various aspects of Cherokee culture. The stories range from legends to accounts from the lives of the storytellers and their families, and while some read like traditional tales, others clearly have had modern updating: animals encounter steel traps or become roadkill, for instance. But there’s no pretense at telling an authoritative version of any of the tales; in discussing their art, the storytellers make clear that the stories are alive and changing, that different people tell different versions and they even tell different versions themselves to different audiences. And in fact I have encountered different versions of a couple of these stories elsewhere.
I found the stories to be interesting and enjoyable, but Teuton made an excellent decision in choosing to include more than that; the short topical sections in between provide grounding and context, and I generally found the factual information interesting. Most books of folklore seem to be compilations of stories without telling readers anything about the storytellers, their lives, or their wider culture, beyond what one might glean from the tales they tell. This one provides a much fuller picture of Cherokee life, at least as seen through the eyes of these four men.
The fact that a fairly small number of voices – of men from roughly the same generation with similar life experiences – make up the book is a drawback. Another, at least in my eyes, is the way the author renders speech: at times it is almost like reading a transcript, with the “ums,” the people interjecting with “yeah” or “mmhm,” the sentences that trail off without communicating anything. Journalists clean up speech to make it more concise and avoid making their subjects look dumb, and Teuton doesn’t explain why he chose not to, though he does discuss other decisions about how to shape the book. Fortunately though, he’s talking to people who are used to public speaking, and the storytellers’ voices along with the brevity of the sections mitigate the dryness of the author’s writing, which is quite evident in his introduction.
Overall, I found this book engaging, and readers with a particular interest in Cherokee culture or folklore will likely enjoy it. A general audience may become more impatient, though there is certainly wisdom about life in the book that applies regardless of culture. Also, four of the stories are transcribed in both Cherokee and English, which is fun.
It’s hard for me to rate a book of folklore. Its primary purpose is to preserve stories and information about a culture, rather than to entertain, and perhaps the most important target audience here is people of Cherokee heritage who may not have much connection to traditional culture. Not being one of those people, I can’t claim that my review will reflect others’ experiences with the book.
The author, Christopher Teuton, is a professor of Cherokee descent who spends time on tribal lands in Oklahoma with four older men who jokingly call themselves the “Turtle Island Liars’ Club.” The four are involved in various ways in the preservation of traditional culture, and are all storytellers. The book is built of many short sections, interspersing stories which range from less than a page to a few pages in length with sections in which the group hangs out and discusses various aspects of Cherokee culture. The stories range from legends to accounts from the lives of the storytellers and their families, and while some read like traditional tales, others clearly have had modern updating: animals encounter steel traps or become roadkill, for instance. But there’s no pretense at telling an authoritative version of any of the tales; in discussing their art, the storytellers make clear that the stories are alive and changing, that different people tell different versions and they even tell different versions themselves to different audiences. And in fact I have encountered different versions of a couple of these stories elsewhere.
I found the stories to be interesting and enjoyable, but Teuton made an excellent decision in choosing to include more than that; the short topical sections in between provide grounding and context, and I generally found the factual information interesting. Most books of folklore seem to be compilations of stories without telling readers anything about the storytellers, their lives, or their wider culture, beyond what one might glean from the tales they tell. This one provides a much fuller picture of Cherokee life, at least as seen through the eyes of these four men.
The fact that a fairly small number of voices – of men from roughly the same generation with similar life experiences – make up the book is a drawback. Another, at least in my eyes, is the way the author renders speech: at times it is almost like reading a transcript, with the “ums,” the people interjecting with “yeah” or “mmhm,” the sentences that trail off without communicating anything. Journalists clean up speech to make it more concise and avoid making their subjects look dumb, and Teuton doesn’t explain why he chose not to, though he does discuss other decisions about how to shape the book. Fortunately though, he’s talking to people who are used to public speaking, and the storytellers’ voices along with the brevity of the sections mitigate the dryness of the author’s writing, which is quite evident in his introduction.
Overall, I found this book engaging, and readers with a particular interest in Cherokee culture or folklore will likely enjoy it. A general audience may become more impatient, though there is certainly wisdom about life in the book that applies regardless of culture. Also, four of the stories are transcribed in both Cherokee and English, which is fun.
July 4, 2016
Revisiting The Turtle Island Liar's Club was a pure joy. On one level, the book is a collection of Cherokee stories, presented by a group of four elders: Hastings Shade, who passed before the book wa published; Sammy Still; Sequoyah Guess (direct descendent of the man who shaped--he never claimed to have "invented" the Cherokee syllabary; and Woody Hansen. Individually and collectively, they're unforgettable, each deeply grounded in Cherokee tradition, each very much a part of the modern world. Drawing in part on Zora Neale Hurston's Mules and Men, which like Turtle Island is at least as much literary performance as anthology, Teuton writes in a style that recognizes the individual voice of each of the storytellers, creating a rich tapestry of tribal voices.
The center of the book is on the importance of language and stories to a Cherokee identity that is deeply rooted in a world view that has been passed down over the generations but is also evolving in response to the pressures of American materialism and popular culture. It's also concerned with the nature of education, the delicate balance between guidance and trust in the ability of the individual to find his or her own path. The sense of a shared identity, at once communal and absolutely tolerant of idiosyncrasies, provides a model that those outside the Cherokee world would do well to take much more seriously than we do. As a Cherokee who grew up away from the homelands in North Carolina and Oklahoma (where Turtle Island is set), Teuton presents his own process as a kind of model for those seeking to reestablish connections with a way of life more satisfying than that offered by America's consumerist culture. Non-Cherokees will have a different relationship to the tradition, but it's by now means exclusive. The wisdom speaks to anyone concerned with finding a balance between the often-conflicting dimensions of life.
In a sense, all of that seems a bit abstract; the real, serious pleasure of Turtle Island Liar's Club, is in the stories themselves, which are arranged in four chapters focused on "beginnings," "movement," "teachings" and "the wondrous." My particular favorite on this rereading was"Wolf Wears Shoes" but, like life, that's subject to change day by day.
Profound fun.
The center of the book is on the importance of language and stories to a Cherokee identity that is deeply rooted in a world view that has been passed down over the generations but is also evolving in response to the pressures of American materialism and popular culture. It's also concerned with the nature of education, the delicate balance between guidance and trust in the ability of the individual to find his or her own path. The sense of a shared identity, at once communal and absolutely tolerant of idiosyncrasies, provides a model that those outside the Cherokee world would do well to take much more seriously than we do. As a Cherokee who grew up away from the homelands in North Carolina and Oklahoma (where Turtle Island is set), Teuton presents his own process as a kind of model for those seeking to reestablish connections with a way of life more satisfying than that offered by America's consumerist culture. Non-Cherokees will have a different relationship to the tradition, but it's by now means exclusive. The wisdom speaks to anyone concerned with finding a balance between the often-conflicting dimensions of life.
In a sense, all of that seems a bit abstract; the real, serious pleasure of Turtle Island Liar's Club, is in the stories themselves, which are arranged in four chapters focused on "beginnings," "movement," "teachings" and "the wondrous." My particular favorite on this rereading was"Wolf Wears Shoes" but, like life, that's subject to change day by day.
Profound fun.
December 8, 2024
The Good: Native wisdom and Cherokee elder stories
The Bad: Dense; best read slowly
The Literary: Combination of myth, language, and worldview
Together with Cherokee elders Hastings Shade, Sammy Still, Sequoyah Guess, and Woody Hansen, Cherokee scholar Christopher B. Teuton captures a collection of conversations, stories, and teachings that promote community and a way of "living in the middle". The Turtle Island Liars' Club calls themselves liars because the Cherokee word for storytelling, gagoga, literally translates as "he or she is lying."
This collection of conversations feels like the reader is sitting around a campfire with a group of old friends, and you're not sure how you snagged an invitation. The storytellers take turns telling stories quite casually. Any topic is allowed, and they typically range from traditional tales that their grandmothers told them to newer stories from their own lives. They feed off one another, one story reminding the next storyteller of something similar, so the narratives flow organically in the way of natural conversation.
Like many indigenous oral traditions, the Cherokee art of storytelling is evolving. The storytellers insist that there is no authoritative version of traditional tales. Stories are alive. The act of telling a story changes it, and each storyteller adds or subtracts something that is intrinsic to them. They admit they even tell different versions of the same story to different audiences, depending on the situation.
But in contrast to other collections of folklore, this one is personal. You get to know the liars, what they personally think of many of the stories, what they spend their afternoons doing, their love of hamburgers and fries, their dry humor, and how often they run errands for friends and family. In addition to traditional origin and animal stories, they tell personal stories of their lives growing up in rural Oklahoma.
Because the book is quite personal, it's limited to the viewpoint of these four men. Though I've never met them, they seem familiar to me, to my own family members, or other teachers I've met at powwows. They are individuals, and don't necessarily agree with one another. As the elderly do in general, they long for the old days. It's an honor to hear their stories, but I wish there was at least one female storyteller. The liars admit that traditionally most storytellers were female, and it's just coincidence they're all male, but it would still have been nice for that female perspective.
The Cherokee language is a direct gift from the Creator, and the importance of stories is a large part of the Cherokee worldview. Most stories are told in conversational English. Some are told in the form of an oral poem meant to mimic the structure and style of the Cherokee language. Four of the stories are told in Cherokee with translations. The literal translations are fascinating, particularly in rhythm and sentence structure.
Cherokee identity is deeply rooted in community but also finding one's own path. The stories are meant to bring people together, to learn from one another, and find what it is that you offer. Everyone has a story to tell.
The Bad: Dense; best read slowly
The Literary: Combination of myth, language, and worldview
Together with Cherokee elders Hastings Shade, Sammy Still, Sequoyah Guess, and Woody Hansen, Cherokee scholar Christopher B. Teuton captures a collection of conversations, stories, and teachings that promote community and a way of "living in the middle". The Turtle Island Liars' Club calls themselves liars because the Cherokee word for storytelling, gagoga, literally translates as "he or she is lying."
This collection of conversations feels like the reader is sitting around a campfire with a group of old friends, and you're not sure how you snagged an invitation. The storytellers take turns telling stories quite casually. Any topic is allowed, and they typically range from traditional tales that their grandmothers told them to newer stories from their own lives. They feed off one another, one story reminding the next storyteller of something similar, so the narratives flow organically in the way of natural conversation.
Like many indigenous oral traditions, the Cherokee art of storytelling is evolving. The storytellers insist that there is no authoritative version of traditional tales. Stories are alive. The act of telling a story changes it, and each storyteller adds or subtracts something that is intrinsic to them. They admit they even tell different versions of the same story to different audiences, depending on the situation.
But in contrast to other collections of folklore, this one is personal. You get to know the liars, what they personally think of many of the stories, what they spend their afternoons doing, their love of hamburgers and fries, their dry humor, and how often they run errands for friends and family. In addition to traditional origin and animal stories, they tell personal stories of their lives growing up in rural Oklahoma.
Because the book is quite personal, it's limited to the viewpoint of these four men. Though I've never met them, they seem familiar to me, to my own family members, or other teachers I've met at powwows. They are individuals, and don't necessarily agree with one another. As the elderly do in general, they long for the old days. It's an honor to hear their stories, but I wish there was at least one female storyteller. The liars admit that traditionally most storytellers were female, and it's just coincidence they're all male, but it would still have been nice for that female perspective.
The Cherokee language is a direct gift from the Creator, and the importance of stories is a large part of the Cherokee worldview. Most stories are told in conversational English. Some are told in the form of an oral poem meant to mimic the structure and style of the Cherokee language. Four of the stories are told in Cherokee with translations. The literal translations are fascinating, particularly in rhythm and sentence structure.
Cherokee identity is deeply rooted in community but also finding one's own path. The stories are meant to bring people together, to learn from one another, and find what it is that you offer. Everyone has a story to tell.
abandoned
July 26, 2024I really wish this book had gone through more editing. Stories are related as they were told orally word for word, including every "uh" of the storyteller. I understand the importance of oral storytelling both as a medium and culturally, but you're not going to capture things exactly as it is anyways when translating it to written format, and so in a different medium you need to adapt to utilize the medium's strengths and avoid its weaknesses.
The stories themselves are a smattering of different things with some philosphical tidbits around them. Some interesting in their own right, many would be interesting if relayed to you by someone you met in person, but the change in format meant I was often more annoyed by the prose than enjoying the stories. I mostly also just skimmed the philosophical musings, hence why not marked as completed.
The stories themselves are a smattering of different things with some philosphical tidbits around them. Some interesting in their own right, many would be interesting if relayed to you by someone you met in person, but the change in format meant I was often more annoyed by the prose than enjoying the stories. I mostly also just skimmed the philosophical musings, hence why not marked as completed.
August 18, 2021
Must read
I took some time to finish this book but each time I came back to it, I had a hard time putting it down. It’s written in a narrative style of people have a storytelling session, so that there is no paraphrasing; it just is what is. It feels like I’m really there in the room enjoying each story. There’s some groundwork to do before they get started, and it’s essential for giving context that will help people understand what they are reading and why. It’s still in the same style though, so not stuffy. This is a great read!
I took some time to finish this book but each time I came back to it, I had a hard time putting it down. It’s written in a narrative style of people have a storytelling session, so that there is no paraphrasing; it just is what is. It feels like I’m really there in the room enjoying each story. There’s some groundwork to do before they get started, and it’s essential for giving context that will help people understand what they are reading and why. It’s still in the same style though, so not stuffy. This is a great read!
May 5, 2019
I overall loved the book and the collection of narrators who told the stories. Every now and then it becomes hard to understand them because theor conversations are written exactly the way they speak. So a lot of incomplete sentences and seeming ramblings, but I honestly think that just makes the book feel more authentic, which it is!
June 2, 2020
Very informative but also slightly humorous but overall a great read.
November 21, 2022
Structure detracts from the content
September 9, 2023
I did like it, it's worth a read, but I was left wanting more. More context, more about the liars, and of course, more stories.
February 24, 2024
3.8/5 stars. full review coming soon :)
January 27, 2013
I have only read the first part (excerpt for a class), but I look forward to reading the rest. Christopher Teuton is the incredible author of critical texts on native lit, and his thinking through the oral tradition, and how to go about writing this book ethically and accurately and usefully, is truly admirable. The "final product" of the text (you'll get the irony after you read Teuton) is engaging and easy to move through, and conveys huge amounts of cultural information and thoughtfulness about the meaning of self and community. (Or, perhaps, self as only existent in relation to community.) Lovely, lovely.
April 27, 2015
This is the last book I read for my undergraduate. What a fitting book, for there are more life teachings in this book than any other book I've read. An expression of the beauty and wisdom of Cherokee culture, Turtle Island Liars' Club recounts amazing stories that teach about how to live life to the fullest and how to respect the world around us. A brilliant book.
October 17, 2024
A great Insight to Cherokee culture. I loved it. It’s wonderful to hear many stories from my culture & learn more about my heritage. The stories are beautiful & educational. These were passed down orally & meant to educate & teach. I love to tell my sons these stories. Hopefully they will learn too.
October 7, 2020
Fantastic collection of amazing storytellers.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews