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Pima Indian Legends
Coyote, Eagle-man, quail, bear, and other charaters relate their adventures in two dozen delightful tales Anna Shaw heard her father tell when she was young. The author, a Pima herself, unfolds twenty-four charming Indian tales as passed down from generation to generation. Simple, and beautiful in design and content. A delight for all ages.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 12, 2022
Anna Moore Shaw was an Akimel O'odham (Pima) Indian whose family converted to Christianity after a long resistance. She was the first Akimel O'odham to graduate from Phoenix Union High School, after which she and her husband, also an Akimel O'odham, settled in Phoenix.
The stories collected in Pima Indian Legends were related to her children by her and her father. Most are set in the mythological past When Animals Were People, after the creation of the world but before humans came along and the current structure was in place; two also take place in whole or in part during the time of the Hohokam. The majority feature Coyote, the trickster known throughout the Southwest, whose antics often led to hilarious disaster. A few treat people or Se-eh-ha, Elder Brother, the chief god (if that's the right word) of the Akimel O'odham.
The stories are told in a direct, clear prose, charming and engaging, and are almost all set in the landscape of the Akimel O'odham, the territory straddling the Salt and Gila Rivers. (A couple take place at Casa Grande.) They are based on much older traditional stories, but curtailed and stripped of the ribald aspects the Akimel O'odham enjoyed. For example, the first in the collection, about the flood, which occupies only 3 pages, was extracted from an original version requiring 4 nights to be told. So they stand several removes from the originals.
But they are delightful, and would make lovely bedtime stories for any kid, Native American or not!
The stories collected in Pima Indian Legends were related to her children by her and her father. Most are set in the mythological past When Animals Were People, after the creation of the world but before humans came along and the current structure was in place; two also take place in whole or in part during the time of the Hohokam. The majority feature Coyote, the trickster known throughout the Southwest, whose antics often led to hilarious disaster. A few treat people or Se-eh-ha, Elder Brother, the chief god (if that's the right word) of the Akimel O'odham.
The stories are told in a direct, clear prose, charming and engaging, and are almost all set in the landscape of the Akimel O'odham, the territory straddling the Salt and Gila Rivers. (A couple take place at Casa Grande.) They are based on much older traditional stories, but curtailed and stripped of the ribald aspects the Akimel O'odham enjoyed. For example, the first in the collection, about the flood, which occupies only 3 pages, was extracted from an original version requiring 4 nights to be told. So they stand several removes from the originals.
But they are delightful, and would make lovely bedtime stories for any kid, Native American or not!
June 23, 2010
An interesting look into the fables of the Pima people, but clearly written for children. It's old enough that the author westernized the stories rather than being true to her own people.
July 26, 2025
coyote was gettin cooked by the quails
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews