Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest

by Katharine Berry Judson (Editor), Jay Miller (Introduction)

These collected myths and tales of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest—the Klamath, Nez Perce, Tillamook, Modoc, Shastan, Chinook, Flathead, Clatsop, and other tribes—were first published in 1910. Here are their stories concerning the creation of the universe, the theft of fire and daylight, the death and rebirth of salmon, and especially, the formation of such geographical features as The Dalles, the Columbia River, the Yukon River, and Mounts Shasta, Hood, Rainier, Baker, and Adams.

 

Katharine Berry Judson began with native oral tradition in retelling these stories. They represent, as Jay Miller says, “a distillation of tribal memory and a personification of environmental wisdom.” Some legends—“Duration of Life,” “Old Grizzly and Old Antelope,” and “Robe of Kemush”—are almost literal translations, recorded by government ethnologists. Animating the beautifully wrought tales are entities like Coyote, Old Man Above, Owl and Raven and other Animal People, and Chinook Ghosts.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Native American, History, Monsters, Classics

193 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1997

Reviews

[Kogiopsis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book can be read for free on Archive.org!

Definitely a collection which shows its age in the author's word choices, especially in the introduction and some image captions, but despite that it seems like it was, generally, meant well as an archive of knowledge and culture which was in the process of being erased. Some of the stories felt as if there were nuances missing from the page, elements that got lost in translation; but that could just as well be the result of my own different cultural perspective. I do wonder what modern members of the tribes whose stories are related here would make of them.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

Nice to see some of the myths and legends of the Pacific Northwest. One of my favorites things to read is different myths and legends. The story with Coyote is my favorite.

Can't wait to read more myths and legends!!!

[Norina · Rating 4 out of 5]

What strikes me most about this collection is the number of times that guts are mentioned. In one particularly memorable story the heroine uses a piece of seal gut to escape from one dangerous situation after another. In another a stubborn man has his guts stolen by a witch when he refuses to take the correct route to meet the man on the moon. Then there's that trickster Raven, who munches the guts of every gullible animal who crosses his path, including a friendly whale, who rescues him from the middle of the ocean only to be eaten from the inside out.

Weird and wonderful stuff here, but not for the squeemish.

[Derek Kimball · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a 2nd edition printing of this book from 1912. Along with a guide to animal names in Klamuth tongue it has a wonderful creationism myth about how Coyote was sick of the sun so he brought in some fog and shrouded the Earth. The Earth was still very young. All the trees were short. No one in Klamuth tradition knows where humans came from because when Coyote tired of the fog and wished it away there were humans wondering around where previously there had been none.

[Nicole]

Living my entire life in the Pacific Northwest, and having a half-Native albeit culturally-assimilated grandmother from northern Mexico, I'm fascinated by the indigenous culture of this region and country at large. Knowing that storytelling and myths are at the center of that way of life, I was excited about this book when I first picked it up a long while ago. It was surprising to me that I found many of the stories difficult to get into and often hard to follow. Now that I'm reading "The Sacred" by Beck, Walters and Francisco, I understand. Many of the myths and legends of the First Peoples are coded in a way, with each story serving a multitude of functions. These stories are not simply describing the anecdotes of various gods, nor the origins of this or that thing or place. They are also deeply moral and philosophical in a way that may not show itself at first telling. One has to live the story, feeling it as if it were alive--which is profoundly hard to do in an age where we don't have much of a relationship with the sacred, nor a respect instilled from birth for the Earth and its multitude of plants and animals. I look forward to revisiting them in the future with this in mind--several times, I hope.

Note: I did not pay much attention to the language of the story collector herself, which sounds sadly problematic.

[Didi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a wide variety of stories from many different nations across the northwest, but its age is its main flaw. Having been originally published in 1910, the text suffers from common cultural insensitivities of its time. Luckily, the introduction by Jay Miller in this 1997 version addresses this. However, I think the formatting of the book could've benefited from something like footnotes or annotations of some sort in order to provide clarity, context, or corrections throughout the experience of reading, rather than keeping it sequestered only to Miller's introduction. Even so, I enjoyed reading the stories that were included, even if they were framed by Judson's prejudices (though I understand her efforts toward an "authentic" compilation of indigenous oral history was well-intended).

Still, there are more informative and culturally sensitive sources for native stories that exist today that one can reference. Even with the added introduction in the 1997 published version that I read, this book can't escape from the fact that it was originally published from a non-indigenous perspective, and seemingly intended for a non-indigenous readership. My own point of view is limited because I myself am not native, but I still found the outdated qualities of the text to be distracting as I read. I am glad that I read it, though, so that I have more exposure to the cultures of the region that I was born and raised in.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of stories from the native peoples of the Pacific north-west. There are some common topics: the origin of the world, the creation of Humans, and the acquisition of fire. A few seem to focus on basic moral lessons about not quarrelling with your neighbors or the need to respect powerful forces. The stories about Coyote are perhaps the most entertaining, though the tales explaining how people came to live in houses or to make totem poles were also very good. Jay Miller's Introduction puts this 1910 book into a modern context, critiquing the original compiler Katherine Berry Judson for her biased perspective, but it would have been nice to have seen an afterward following each story, or story block; if the retellings here are inaccurate or "problematic", which I do not doubt, it would help correct those problems to see a brief commentary on these stories.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

On a recommended reading list for an upcoming trip to British Columbia, Canada. However, none of the myths or legends is this collection are from Canadian native First People. The collection was first published in 1910!

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the myths and stories. Did not enjoy the simple portrayal of the Native tribes as infantile or some of the language which was way too white. I know, it was written over 100 years ago, but still. To reduce beautiful, complex humans to this level of simplicity annoys me.

[Alan Bach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, as it seems to have been prepared by Seattle Public Library staff, and the photos are excellent. But most of the stories of how things came to be have no rhyme or reason: this became that because of this arbitrary decision.

[Rachael Arsenault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a bit dated in some of the language and terminology used to describe indigenous peoples and their tribes/nations, but an excellent collection nonetheless.

[Esther Steiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great stories from various tribes along the Coast and the Pacific Northwest, particularly Coyote the trickster!

[Ashley Sousa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, but a very interesting look at various myths and legends.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have the University of Nebraska Press edition with an introduction by Jay Miller. Miller's introduction was very helpful as he explains that Judson assembled her collection of Native American stories between 1904 and 1911; therefore, her tellings are "symptomatic of European attitudes toward Native Americans" (1). Miller also explains that many of the tribal names used by Judson have now been changed to "accord with what [native:] people call themselves," and Miller defines terms used by Judson that have either native origin or birth in an outsider's description of a tribe(2). Miller's reminders about Judson's societal stereotypes add another historical dimension to the stories collected in this book.
Having visited the Northwest several times because my husband is from Oregon, it was entertaining to read the origin myths of some of the landscape's best known elements and their original names: Mount Rainier (White Mountain), Mt. Shasta, the Dalles, the Columbia River (Great River). The structure of the myths reminded me of the plots of some Japanimation movies like "Howl's Moving Castle;" the plots seem to zigzag in random directions and the outcomes and lessons are not always what the reader expects.
I found it helpful to have read "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown because of the background Brown gives on tribes in the Northwest and their relationship with Europeans.
Overall an easy, entertaining read with a lot of material for people with historical and anthropological interests.

[Kevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise for the book is very appealing; myths of the Native Americans. I was expecting a lot of stories about why things were the way that they saw them, explaining laws of nature and social structure, etc. Unfortunately, these were some of the most uncreative stories I have ever heard. My eight-year-old has more logic behind her stories, which is setting the bar pretty low.

The nadir of the stories was the Mineral Springs. Once there were twins. One of the twins killed the other. And that is why this tribe does not let twins live when born. Lame, right? It's that whole "and that is why," part. There's no explanation, no logic.

This is indicative of the vast majority of these stories. They just do not make sense. Many times phrases and words are used that are native words and not translated. The reader is left to wonder. I suspect the translators did not really speak the language of the tribe with the story, or there was some other fundamental concept in each story that was lost in translation. I suppose this is why authors should not just merely rely on Google Translate to write a book and should do their research before publishing.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

First published in 1910, this book shows its age. In her preface, Judson refers to American Indians as "the red men," conflates tribes, and demonstrates her ignorance of the diversity of Native cultures. While many are excellent tales, their sources are dubious. As they were collected from a variety of second-hand sources and filtered through the white academia of a century ago, take them with a grain of salt, and keep in mind their factual inaccuracies and misuse of terms. I do want to give credit to Jay Miller's introduction. Miller calls out the collection's many failings while still leaving room for the enjoyment of the stories.

There are many excellent American Indian folktale collections out there; this isn't the only option. Look for collections curated by Native editors or ones that specify not only the tribe from which the story comes, but also the storyteller from whom it was recorded. Two excellent example are Pantheon's American Indian Myths and Legends, edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz; and Native American Stories, told by Joseph Bruchac.

[R.J. Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book could have used more explanation to go with each myth. Some of it just seems to have been taken out of context or edited to fit into the confines of this book.

While the introduction does point out that the author was writing at the time when "all" native americans were stereotyped as the buffalo-hunting plains-types who had captured the fancy of American pop culture, it doesn't point out that many of these myths seem to have been filtered by the translators--themselves coming to the task with a pre-existing familiarity with European (Greek, Norse, etc.) mythology that tainted their interpretation of these stories.

Also, while many of the stories have a particular tribe cited as its source, there are some that have no tribe of origin listed. A bibliography would have been very helpful for the scholar wanting to further look up some of these stories to see where they originated and what, if any, was taken out to create an "abridged" version to fit in this book.

[T.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a solid introduction into the mythology & folklore of the tribes of the Pacific Northwest. I thought that the author did an excellent job of transferring/translating theses tales into a contemporary format without loosing the cultural significance or "meaning" of these stories. This is an excellent read for those who have an interest in learning the tales of the tribes of the Northwest.

[Ashley Ream · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a reprinting of Katharine Berry Judson's 1910 compilation of myths. And while these are invaluable, they would benefit from more than the modern introduction that has been added in this edition. A glossary, map and footnotes would go some way in assisting today's reader. Nonetheless, I am grateful these stories have been preserved and are still being made available.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these out of a purely regional interest. I liked them very much, though. They were often humorous. It was also interesting to consider the possible didactic purposes of some of the stranger stories.

[Jeffrey Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the original, which was published around the turn of the last century. A German author who's name escapes me at the moment. He actually took the time to live with these tribes and understand their creation and other stories. I have not read this edition.

[Devin Curtis · Rating 1 out of 5]

A poorly written retelling of various bits and pieces of tales that are not contextualized in any way, or allowed to build upon each other in any way. Even the modern introduction in this re-issued edition seems to be apologetic in tone which makes me wonder why they reprinted it at all.

[Amanda]

Like many of my myths and legends... this is an official flip-through book now :)

[Jessica Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating to read. It has piqued my interest in reading more on local myths and legends and their origins.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of good myths

[Xian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these are really random... from mildly amusing to hilarious if you like surreal humor. Some actually read like scenes from dreams.