Long-Ago Stories of the Eastern Cherokee

by Lloyd Arneach

Tragically, relatively little of this flourishing nation and its rich culture has survived. Its stories, however, live on today. In this priceless and engaging collection, native Cherokee and professional storyteller Lloyd Arneach recounts tales such as how the bear lost his long bushy tail and how the first strawberry came to be.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Indigenous, Cultural, Native American

89 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[J. Wootton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folktale collections are prone to unevenness, making them difficult to rate. There is something glorious, though, in books like this one, assembled by a professional storyteller of the people who retold or originated them, rather than recorded third-hand by an anthropologist or enthusiast.

Many of these stories are animal fables and origin stories, plus a few morality tales. Arneach also includes recent accounts - Sequoyah, who developed the Cherokee written language; the Trail of Tears; Wounded Knee - relating them in the same matter-of-fact style as 'How the Bear Lost His Tail' and 'Pleiades and the Pine.' He also tells the story of Ishi, last of the Yana tribe, who died in California in 1916. These historical inclusions accentuate the inherent unevenness of the folk stories, yet Arneach achieves his intended effect: communicating the sense of endangered cultures, harassed and abused alongside many others to the point of extinction, cultures that built themselves with stories like every other human tribe in the world.

[Gabriella (ThatNerdyGirl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

American Lit reading assignment 1

Story writing was bland, and my siblings and I read it in various accents to make it even slightly entertaining 😭

[Dennis Rhoades · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice collection of stories.

This is a nice grouping of Cherokee myths and recollections of the Trail if Tears and the massacre at Wounded Knee. I only wish it were more comprehensive in retelling the old lore.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animal tales, morality tales, and a short summary of both Wounded Knee and the Trail of Tears. Ishi was the highlight for me

[Mirra Price]

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the Cherokee, their legends and stories.

It is easy to read and nicely illustrated.

[Mike Ely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and creative origin stories by the Cherokee. Easy and enjoyable read.

[Luci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good compilation. Read it to my Kindergartener. A great book for adults and kids.