Native American Myths and Legends

by Richard Erdoes, Alfonso Ortiz

Gathering 160 tales from 80 tribal groups to offer a rich and lively panarama of the Native American mythic heritage. 100 drawings.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Native American, History, Folklore, Short Stories, Religion

527 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Richard Erdoes was an artist, photographer, illustrator and author. He described himself as "equal parts Austrian, Hungarian and German, as well as equal parts Catholic, Protestant and Jew..."

He was a student at the Berlin Academy of Art in 1933, when Adolf Hitler came to power. He was involved in a small underground paper where he published anti-Hitler political cartoons which attracted the attention of the Nazi regime. He fled Germany with a price on his head. Back in Vienna, he continued his training at the Kunstgewerbeschule, the University of Applied Arts, Vienna.

He also wrote and illustrated children's books and worked as a caricaturist for Tag and Stunde, anti-Nazi newspapers. After the Anschluss of Austria in 1938 he fled again, first to Paris, where he studied at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere, and then London, England before journeying to the United States.

In New York City, Erdoes enjoyed a long career as a commercial artist, and was known for his highly detailed, whimsical drawings. He created illustrations for such magazines as Stage, Fortune, Pageant, Gourmet, Harper's Bazaar, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Time, National Geographic and Life Magazine, where he met his second wife, Jean Sternbergh (d. 1995) who was an art director there. The couple married in 1951 and had three children. Erdoes also illustrated many children's books.

An assignment for Life in 1967 took Erdoes to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation for the first time, and marked the beginning of the work for which he would be best known. Erdoes was fascinated by Native American culture, outraged at the conditions on the reservation and deeply moved by the Civil Rights Movement that was raging at the time.

Erdoes wrote histories, collections of Native American stories and myths, and wrote about such voices of the Native American Renaissance as Leonard and Mary Crow Dog and John Fire Lame Deer. In 1975 the family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico where Erdoes continued to write and remained active in the movement for Native American civil rights.

His papers are preserved at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

Reviews

[Peter Crofts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very problematic text. Most, if not all, of the texts are paraphrases. It's probably why so many of them sound like fairy tales. It's the manner they were chosen to be presented, and they read like the products of a literate culture, which they are not. We are talking about oral storytelling cultures and when encountering their myths it should feel that way.

So why did I give it 5 stars? Because below this layer the basics of the myths are still pretty much apparent and some of them are pretty astonishing. These are not the myths of bronze age city dwellers but cultures living much more within the natural world. If the mythical world of the Near East and Europe is all you are familiar with it is like entering a completely different world, which it literally is.

If you want to encounter First Nations' (as we refer to them in Canada) tales and myths on their own terms there are much better alternatives. One, that is top shelf in terms of its respect for source, offers meticulous direct translations and provides necessary introductions to each tale offered in order to give them some cultural heft is Brian Swann's "Coming to Light". Once you encounter such a work it is very hard to go back to this sort of book.

[Το Άθχημο γατί του θενιόρ Γκουαναμίρου · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of Native American myths is wonderful. It is divided into ten parts that cover 1) myths about the creation of man, 2) about the creation of the world, 3) about the sky, the moon and the stars, 4) about monsters and heroes, 5) about war 6) love, 7) Trickster tales, 8) stories with animals, 9) stories with ghosts and spirits and 10) stories about the end of human life and the end of the world.

Religious dances, prayers, smoking, cultivating the land, especially with corn, and hunting are often accompanied by special invocations and ceremonies, special preparations and attire. Most cultures believe that the world was originally covered in water and there are myths about a great flood, about people made of clay, but rarely we find any ideas about guilt and sin. I was particularly impressed by a legend about how horses were acquired and tamed. These animals came to America in 1600 with the first conquistadors and soon became part of the life of the natives. So they incorporated them into their already existing myths.

Αυτή η συλλογή μύθων γηγενών Αμερικάνων είναι υπέροχη. Χωρίζεται σε δέκα μέρη που καλύπτουν 1) μύθους για τη δημιουργία του ανθρώπου, 2) για τη δημιουργία του κόσμου, 3) για τον ουρανό, τη σελήνη και τα αστέρια, 4) για τέρατα και ήρωες που αναμετριούνται με αυτά, 5) για τον πόλεμο και τους κανόνες του, 6) για τον έρωτα, 7) Trickster tales, δηλαδή ιστορίες με πλάσματα - κυρίως πρόκειται για ιστορίες με το κογιότ (ένα ζώο που συγγενεύει με τους λύκους) που κάνουν σκανδαλιές και διαταράσσουν την τάξη των πραγμάτων, 8) ιστορίες με ζώα, 9) ιστορίες φαντασμάτων και πνευμάτων και 10) ιστορίες για το τέλος της ανθρώπινης ζωής και το τέλος του κόσμου.

Μέσα από αυτές γίνονται κατανοητά τα ήθη και οι παραδόσεις διαφόρων πολιτισμών, από τους Acoma στο Νέο Μεξικό ως τους Aleut στην Αλάσκα. Σε πολλές περιπτώσεις παραξενεύτηκα με κάποιες ιδέες τους, όπως εκείνη σχετικά με τη δημιουργία ανθρώπων από θρόμβους αίματος και χρειάστηκε να ψάξω περισσότερο για να πληροφορηθώ για την πολιτιστική σημασία που έχει σε αυτούς τους λαούς το αίμα (ειδικά στα έμμηνα των γυναικών) καθώς και για ειδικές τελετουργίες που συνοδεύουν το αίμα που προκύπτει από μια γέννα, γιατί θεωρούν πως μπορεί από αυτό να δημιουργηθεί ένα καλό ή ένα κακό ον, οπότε πρέπει να θάβεται με ένα συγκεκριμένο τυπικό.

Οι θρησκευτικοί χοροί, οι προσευχές, το κάπνισμα, η καλλιέργεια της γης, ειδικά με τον καρπό του καλαμποκιού και το κυνήγι συχνότατα συνοδεύονται με ειδικές επικλήσεις και τελετές, προετοιμασίες και ενδυμασίες. Στις περισσότερες κουλτούρες πιστεύουν πως αρχικά ο κόσμος ήταν σκεπασμένος με νερό και υπάρχουν μύθοι για μια μεγάλη πλημμύρα, για ανθρώπους που πλάσθηκαν από πηλό αλλά σπανιότερα συναντούμε ιδέες περί ενοχής και αμαρτίας.

Ιδιαίτερη εντύπωση μου έκανε ένας μύθος για το πως απέκτησαν και δάμασαν τα άλογα. Τα ζώα αυτά ήρθαν στην Αμερική στα 1600 με τους πρώτους κονκισταδόρες και σύντομα έγιναν κομμάτι της ζωής των γηγενών. Έτσι τα ενσωμάτωσαν στους ήδη υπάρχοντες μύθους τους.

Κάποιες ιστορίες είναι ιδιαίτερα αστείες και περιγράφουν πράγματα και καταστάσεις με τις οποίες όλοι μας μπορούμε να ταυτιστούμε όπως για παράδειγμα ο θεός Glooscap είναι παντοδύναμος αλλά δεν μπορεί να τα βγάλει πέρα με ένα μωρό που δεν τον ακούει και δεν τον φοβάται! Οι γυναίκες είναι σεβαστές, έχουν τον δικό τους διακριτό τους ρόλο μέσα στις κοινωνίες τους και σπανιότερα είναι ακόμα και πολεμίστριες. Κυρίως όμως είναι μητέρες και ασχολούνται με τις οικιακές εργασίες ενώ ο πόλεμος και το κυνήγι είναι έργο των ανδρών.

Αυτή είναι μια Αμερική που δεν γνώριζα και με μεγάλη χαρά διαπίστωσα πως αυτοί οι πολιτισμοί, με τις προφορικές τους παραδόσεις, τα ήθη και τα έθιμά τους, παραμένουν ακόμα ζωντανοί.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first opened American Indian Myths and Legends in 2006. I remember the book’s Pantheon paperback edition sitting in my hand like a promise — thick, solid, almost audacious in its breadth. Over 160 tales, the back cover said, gathered from 80 different Native American tribal groups.

A chorus of voices across centuries and geographies, each speaking from its own sacred geography, yet somehow bound together under one wide, continental sky.

It was edited by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz, and even before reading the first story, I liked that combination. Erdoes was a European-born artist, photographer, and storyteller who had spent decades with Native communities, documenting their ceremonies and voices. Ortiz was Tewa, an anthropologist from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, someone whose roots were in the very traditions the book represented. Together, they seemed to bridge the space between academic rigor and lived experience, between a library desk and the campfire’s glow.

Back in 2006, I didn’t have the depth of anthropological reading I do now, but I’d read enough folklore and oral tradition to know that anthologies can flatten voices if handled carelessly. That was my quiet worry: would this book turn into a sterile cabinet of “interesting cultural curiosities,” the kind that exoticises and distances? It didn’t take long to realise my worry was misplaced. The first stories I read—small, sharp, and full of life—had a freshness that felt like you were in the room with the teller. The language didn’t puff itself up into museum-speak; it danced, teased, warned, and seduced, often all in the same paragraph.

The book’s structure was one of its quiet strengths. Erdoes and Ortiz didn’t simply gather the tales and drop them into the reader’s lap; they organised them into thematic sections, letting each type of story breathe among its own kind.

Human and world creation myths came first — not in some grandiose Genesis imitation, but in hundreds of smaller, more intimate visions of how the world began. Some involved cosmic eggs, some a god’s dreams, and others tricksters blundering their way into accidentally creating something important. This section alone dismantled the idea that there’s only one “serious” way to talk about beginnings.

Then came the tales of the sun, moon, and stars — celestial narratives that reminded me how every culture has looked upward and tried to stitch the night sky into a story-cloth. Many of these had a dual tone: awe for the cosmic beauty, but also wry explanations for why the moon has scars or why certain stars keep their distance. They made me smile in that way only oral traditions can, mixing the poetic with the downright cheeky.

The hero section felt like diving into an ancient action-adventure serial: monster slayers, perilous journeys, trials of endurance. But these weren’t Hollywood heroes—many were flawed, stubborn, sometimes reluctant, and often victorious only with help from animals, spirits, or the natural world itself. I remember one night in 2006 reading a monster-slayer tale in bed and feeling that warm electricity of recognition: these figures were kin to Hercules and Beowulf and Arjuna, yet utterly their own in style, rooted in North American landscapes.

And then—my favourite—the trickster tales. Coyote strutted through these pages like a rock star who refuses to age, pulling pranks that ranged from clever to ridiculous to catastrophic.

Trickster stories are often treated as comic relief by casual readers, but here they’re layered: they poke fun at human vanity and greed, but they also explore transformation, survival, and the thin line between wisdom and folly. In 2006, I remember laughing aloud at one story, then reading the last lines and realising I’d just been handed a moral lesson sharper than most sermons.

There were sections, too, for animal stories, ghost stories, war tales, love stories, and apocalyptic visions. The love stories—under “The Sound of Flutes”—were often bittersweet, tinged with longing, loss, or transformation. The ghost tales in “Something Whistling in the Night” had a way of curling into your spine; they didn’t rely on jump scares but on the quiet dread of spirits lingering just at the edge of the firelight. The apocalyptic tales “Only the Rocks and Mountains Last Forever” weren’t merely about destruction—they often carried the idea of renewal, of cycles, of something enduring beyond the end.

What struck me then, and still does, is the elasticity of tone in this anthology. Within a dozen pages, you might go from laughter to grief to wonder. That’s the hallmark of a living tradition—it doesn’t file its emotions into neat drawers.

And that’s where Ortiz’s role as co-editor mattered profoundly: he wasn’t just a scholar but a cultural insider, shaping the selection and presentation in a way that honoured the voices rather than bending them to fit outsider expectations.

In 2006, I read this book mostly at night, the way one listens to a storyteller when the day’s work is done. Some stories I devoured in a single sitting; others I let sit in my mind for days before moving on. The black-and-white illustrations scattered through the pages added an earthy texture—less about glossy art and more about anchoring you in the imagery of the traditions.

Over time, certain stories became part of my mental toolkit. Coyote tales would bubble up whenever I saw someone (myself included) about to outsmart themselves. The creation stories, with their varied and sometimes contradictory visions, reminded me that truth is often plural, not singular. The monster-slayer stories became metaphors for my own smaller battles—teaching me that victory is rarely about brute force alone.

There was also the subtle, political layer I appreciated more in hindsight. By bringing together so many tribal voices and letting them speak on their own terms, Erdoes and Ortiz created a counter-narrative to the centuries of erasure and simplification that Native traditions have endured.

This wasn’t a “melting pot” homogenisation; it was a celebration of diversity within a larger cultural continent. You could see how a Lakota vision differed from a Hopi one, how a Navajo ghost story carried a different flavour from a Cherokee one, and how all of them together formed a vast, interwoven fabric of meaning.

I think back to 2006 me—maybe a little less patient, definitely less seasoned in cultural studies—and realise that this book helped tune my ear to the cadence of oral storytelling. It taught me to respect the pauses, the tangents, and the strange turns that don’t fit the Western three-act model. It made me realise that not all stories are aiming for a tidy resolution; some exist to linger, to be told again differently next time, to live not on paper but in the act of telling.

Funnily enough, I didn’t finish the book in one continuous run. I’d read a section, then wander away for weeks, then come back. The anthology format allowed that—it wasn’t a single linear narrative but a well you could return to, drawing up a different flavour of water each time. And every return felt like slipping back into a circle of listeners who’d been there all along, waiting for you to take your place again.

Years later, when I revisit American Indian Myths and Legends, I notice things my 2006 self missed. I see how the editors arranged certain tales not just thematically but rhythmically, placing light after dark, tragic after comic, in a way that mirrors life itself. I catch the sly humour tucked into solemn stories and the solemn undercurrents beneath the humorous ones. And I see more clearly the resistance embedded in these tales—resistance to forgetting, to assimilation, and to the silencing of Indigenous worldviews.

Looking back, the book’s lasting gift to me is twofold. First, it widened my map of the world—not in the sense of adding pins to a globe but in expanding the terrain of what I thought stories could be. Second, it deepened my respect for the cultural ecosystems that birth and sustain these narratives. Reading it wasn’t just about consuming tales; it was about being invited, however briefly and imperfectly, into the relational webs those tales inhabit.

The best way I can describe the experience is this: in 2006, American Indian Myths and Legends gave me a seat at a fire that’s been burning for generations.

I was a guest there, listening, laughing, shivering, and marvelling. And like all good guests, I left knowing I’d been trusted with something precious—not just the stories themselves, but the understanding that they live because they are told, shared, and carried forward.

Even now, nearly two decades later, the warmth of that fire remains.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I ordered this book I was hoping to find an unadulterated peek into pre-colonial indigenous lore. That is not what this book is, so don't expect it if you pick the book up for yourself. That said, I still think American Indian Myths and Legends is a valuable book to read.

Inside you'll find a large collection of short tales from all over North America, covering a multitude of mythical subjects (such as creation, the end of the world, ghosts, and heroes). Many of these stories are written in a very similar style to the Brothers Grimm tales, which causes me to wonder how many liberties the editors took when transcribing the stories from oral tradition to paper. Additionally, many of the stories have clear allusions to Biblical stories, along with other references to post-colonial influences. Despite these things, I believe that American Indian Myths and Legends is a good representation of the lore among Native American tribes and society in the 19th century, and the early 20th century. If we applied techniques of critical analysis, we could learn much about pre-colonial ingenious lore as well.

If you're interested in the cultures of the indigenous peoples in North America, this book is well worth your time.

Additional comment:
At the back of the book, this edition has included a sort of update on where the various tribes are at today. I don't know how current this resource is (and I suspect it's 70+ years removed from today), but it is rather depressing to read. Throughout the many tribes present, there is a common pattern; There is an indigenous North American tribe, in the past they were numerous and possessed large swaths of land. Today there are relatively few of them left (if they are not extinct), and they are limited to such and such federal reserve.
I don't intend to make any political or social commentary here on the relationship between Native American groups and those who came later. Yet, it is worth noting the tragedy that entire civilizations and peoples were uprooted and destroyed in a short period of time, and not that long ago.

[Kristen (belles_bookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The trees spoke to each other. Every day and every moment they were talking, and they are still talking now in an unknown language which humans do not understand."

Part One (Tales of Human Creation): Also included are tales of how some tribes get their sacred ceremonies, horses (or Elk Dogs, here, since there is no word for ‘horse’ which is now MY FAVORITE THING EVER), and tobacco
Part Two (Tales of World Creation): I love creation myths, they’re so inventive and interesting to see how cultures come up with reasoning for things. Big things like where the sun came from and what volcanoes are, to little things like why bears hibernate or why a badger has black legs
Part Three (Tales of the Sun, Moon, and Stars): Some Zeus-esque stories here and more appearances by Coyote than I would have thought, honestly.
Part Four (Monsters and Monster Slayers): There are a LOT of tales with bodiless heads though
Part Five (War and the Warrior Code): Needs more horses
Part Six (Tales of Love and Lust): As expected, a lot of animals-turn-human and sleep with or marry humans. Coyote is predominate
Part Seven (Trickster Tales): Lots of Coyote (though for some reason I was expecting a fox, but that would be Japan, wouldn't it?)
Part Eight (Stories of Animals and Other People): I know another story about his Crow turns black that I like a little better (how he steals things, including fire from Eagle and when he carries the burning fire brand to earth the smoke turns his feather's black, and the fire fell to earth and hide inside rocks so that's why today when you strike two rocks together fire comes out). The story of the girl marrying the owl is very Cupid and Psyche.
Part Nine (Ghosts and the Spirit World): Some very Orpheus like myths here.
Part Ten (Visions of the End): Mostly what I took away from here is that the Battle of Wounded Knee is something Americans should be ashamed about their history for their entire lives.

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

a wonderful collection of tales divided into themes: tales of human creation - tales of world creation - tales of the sun, moon, and stars - monsters and monster slayers - war and the warrior code - tales of love and lust - trickster tales - stories of animals and other people - ghosts and the spirit world - visions of the end, these 166 stories outline native consciousness better than any non-fiction study. i've been reading them since 1990, but always haphazardly - just choosing one that interests, but this time i read it from cover to cover, and in doing so, was heartbroken to come to the end and read the stories concerned with the settler invasion and visions of the end of the world. it's good that these stories remain, they are signifiers of imagination, bravery, and a relationship to the natural world that is unparalleled.

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection and worthwhile starting place for those interested in Myths and Legends of the Native Peoples of North America. Broken up into topics with the only limitation being the one imposed by history: many of these tales were written down post-European contact (often by Europeans) so you can see Christian influence. Still, it’s imperative to know these stories in the best forms available and this book surely is one of the best.

[Fateme H.]

من از بچگی عاشق افسانه‌ها بوده‌م. هنوز هم هستم.
یکی از جالب‌ترین چیزها، مشاهده موارد و قصه‌ها و تفاسیر مشابه تو داستان‌ها و افسانه‌های اقوام مختلف، تو زمان‌های متفاوته. خیلی جذابه برام که مثلا سرخپوست‌ها اون سر دنیا یه چیزی گفته‌ن که تو افسانه‌های مثلا ایرانی هم پیدا می‌شه.

[Amir Soleimani · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمونه های مختلفی از اسطوره های سرخپوستی در این کتاب گرد هم آمده
کتاب فاقد تحلیلست ازینرو مطالعه کتاب قدرت اسطوره را پیش از این کتاب پیشنهاد میکنم

[Krisette Spangler · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just found this boring and poorly written. Grammatically, it was terrible and some of the myths didn't make any sense. I didn't finish it, because I just couldn't bring myself to pick it up again.

[Laura Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read that taught me so much about the native culture on the North American continent. I’ll never get tired of learning about history and folklore.

[John Collings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always known this to be the definitive collection of Native American myths out there. Richard Erdoes travelled around the country to collect these stories from various tribes in order to make sure that they were not lost due to the fact they have been passed down by oral tradition and nobody had ever recorded them before. The stories blend from the ancient to more modern stories with references to points of American history important to the Native American tribes. The collection gives people great insight into these communities and because of that is really worth the time to sit down and read. Of course, with any collection of stories there are some that are excellent and others that are not so exciting, but this collection was not put together to entertain but to preserve a culture. With that in mind, this is a great collection for anybody interested in Native American mythology and how it fits into the pantheon of world mythologies.

[John Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Myths, legends, and fairy tales can carry great wisdom and provide a basis for great literature, or they can be insignificant or even pointless. This collection of American Indian myths and legends is extensive, containing over 160 stories from tribes coast to coast, including a few living in Canada. Most of the stories, however, carry no great weight, and do not seem very different from the no doubt bowdlerized versions many of us heard at summer camp as children. Perhaps the editors didn't make the best selections, or perhaps this material simply hasn't gone through the informal, centuries-long process of repetition, reconsideration, and revision that make Greek and Norse mythology or stories like the Epic of Gilgamesh endlessly fascinating even thousands of years after they first appeared. I will give the authors three stars for effort, and because I continue to hope there's more to these stories than I saw, but on the whole I was disappointed with this book.

[Charles Hull · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection, though it seems like it's best to think of as a starting place rather than a fully faithful source of myths. Certainly the paraphrased or "retold from multiple sources" stories are much flatter than those that are recorded straight from a speaker. Lame Deer's tales in particular jump with charm and personality that were sorely missed elsewhere.
Some favorites from this collection:

the Vision Quest
Coyote places the stars
Little Man with hair all Over
Rolling Head
Wakinyan Tanka
A Legend of Devil's Tower
Uncegila's Seventh Spot
Siege of Courthouse Rock
Spotted Eagle and Black Crow
Coyote's Strawberry
A Contest for Wives
What's this? My Balls for Your Dinner?
Doing a Trick with Eyeballs
the Snake Brothers
Revenge of the Blue Ear Corn Maiden
The Double Faced Ghost
Big Eater's wife
Blue Jay visits Ghost town
Coyote and the origin of Death
The coming of Wasichu

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m grateful that this compilation exists, but it’s a bit of a bittersweet read knowing that many of many of the cultures represented here were decimated, destroyed, and displaced. There are an expansive range of myths and legends in this book, so there’s something for everyone. The appendix at the back is helpful.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro fantastico!!!
Andando con ordine le prime 30 pagine sono introduttive sul libro e sul suo contenuto, 600 pagine circa sono realmente la descrizione delle 150 leggende che gli indiani d'America di sono tramandato attraverso i secoli, dividendole in 10 sezioni in base alla creazione degli elementi, agli spiriti e alla natura e le ultime 100 pagine sono di appendice su tutte le popolazioni indiane conosciute
Per la mia scarsa conoscenza della storia e della cultura dei nativi americani è stato un libro molto interessante, mai noioso e molto avvincente
Tutte le storie e le leggende solo spiegate in modo chiaro e gli autori rimandano a spiegazioni che esulano dalla leggenda stessa per fare capire meglio al lettore la storia e perché sia così importante nella cultura dei nativi americani.
Non è la classica raccolta di fiabe e favole a cui noi europei siamo abituati, non c'è quasi mai un insegnamento all'interno del racconto e anzi molto spesso non si capisce neanche perché ci venga raccontato ma come spiegano gli autori nella cultura degli indiani d'America anche una singola parola assume un significato e poi le storie molto spesso non hanno mai un solo protagonista ma tanti protagonisti che aumentano ancora di più il senso di appartenenza e di "tribù"
Leggere questo libro mi ha fatto avvicinare ad un mondo che non conoscevo e che per me è molto distante ma che mi ha fatto aprire la mente e viaggiare lontano in praterie sconfinate in un momento in cui è difficile anche solo uscire di casa.
Apprezzato e consigliatissimo.

[Ragini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I applaud Erdoes and Ortiz for the painstaking effort they must have put into compiling 160 stories from 80 tribes all across America - the stories are truly beautiful. They are organized into 10 themes, all of which interconnect and come together perfectly in the end. But as expected for any large collection, some stories are deeper and more meaningful (especially ones corresponding to real-life events such as the Wounded Knee Massacre), while others are more surface-level (likely told to younger children). It is also important to remember that these legends were edited and published by outsiders, not actual tribal members, and may not necessarily reflect the actual spoken words and thoughts of Indians, so I do want to read more stories told by tribes themselves. Overall, however, the editors approach these delicate subjects of cultural resistance and colonization from a perspective of respect and appreciation, not of superiority or patronization.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a long read, but worth it. There is one, more recent, tale about how some Native Americans look at US elections. The story is screamingly funny and alone worth the price of the book.

The writer brought in traditions from tribes and nations from coast to coast and included quite a few from what is now Canada as well. For anyone interested in their histories and lore, this is an excellent book for you.

Find it! Buy it! READ IT!

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An impressively wide selection of stories spanning time, subject, geography and people. However, the stories vary immensely in the verve and life with which they are told. Some read as lively, full stories and some read like a Wikipedia summary. I would note that all of Lame Deer's stories are great!

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this was good I was looking for something more like the sky woman story which this wasn't

[Christian Matyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a long read, but well worth it. STRONGLY recommended for anyone who lives in North America yet doesn't have any direct connection to indigenous First Nations peoples.

I appreciated how many of the "stories" weren't even full stories, but just quick mythological or legendary aspects. You really get a sense of the diversity of cultures of the continent through these tales, and it allows a Western mind to understand the morality, morays, and traditions in a way that is more intimate than sociological description.

I liked how many of the myths did not flinch from the fact that humans are humans and have foibles, Vanity, dishonesty, violence, misogyny, abuse, thievery, and. other dark traits of humanity are occasionally interwoven into these myths, which helps humanize the cultures that are too often given the xenophobic "noble savage" treatment. These are human stories, even if often fantastical.

Because of the length I would recommend psyching yourself up. Most of the entries are very short, so you can gobble them down in quick bites. But the whole tome – worth getting all the way through – is no small feat.

There are occasional typos and blunders in the edition I read, and I hope that these have been caught and corrected in later editions. Nothing that prevents you from reading, but obviously typos and grammar glitches can break the rhythm of any read.

[Zachary Leatherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had a few typos where words were misspelled or wrong that I think and editor or word processor should have caught but didn't detract from the overall book much.

It was very interesting to read and see the wide variety that was within the Native American stories and histories. It was also fascinating to see how the stories changed when introduced to white colonist.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool! There's a wide range in stories collected, and as an archaeology student, I like how they give key insights into studying the past and the varied cultures of Native Americans. They show both changes and continuities in the lives of Native American communities.

[Zoe Lipman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I skipped around and read the stories I was most interested in. I love indigenous creation stories (especially when they involve the sun, moon and stars), animal stories and the mythological creatures.

This book is also so pretty!

[Bob Marcacci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of stories from tribes stretching from Canada to Mexico. Interesting how many stories have evolved over time to incorporate contemporary (at least at the time of their recording) details. Compendium of tribes included at the end.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read in community college for a history class on Early American History. Reread as a book club selection in honor of National Native American Heritage Month.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been reading at night with kids. So great!

[Dave Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A year of Native American immersion

There was no plan that found me taking a deep dive into Native American works this year. But, as my youngest daughter gifted me three indigenous history books and my recently departed mother-in-law had relished the #waltlongmire series, I found myself tackling a dozen books, about 25% of the books I read in 2022.

There is no mystery as to the subject matter. #americanindianmythsandlegends is an exhaustive collection of Native American tales by indigenous scholars and activists #richarderdoes and #alfonsoortiz , both now deceased but committed to preserving the stories of America's native people's lore. Grouped into eight categorical topics, I must admit that the disjointed and repetitious nature of many of the tales were initially a bit tedious. I consider this an editing faux pas as the reader literally has to hang in for the tales within the last quarter of the book, specifically those dwelling in Ghosts and the Spirit World and Visions of the End to find the very best and compelling stories.

Taken in total, this work was beautiful and the intent of the authors heartfelt to present a cross section of tales from numerous tribes scattered across all geographic regions of North America. The final appendix of tribal groups was one of the best I have encountered and a real treat for those curious about the language and cultural distribution and overlap. As the last work I complete reading for 2022, I am left with a sense of the great loss our nation would have experienced if the stories and legends of its first people would have gone undocumented. We tend to forget that America didn't begin with the arrival of the first few European ships who accident encountered two continents of thriving culture on their way to someplace else. This collision of cultures provided untold wealth for Europe and incalculable death and destruction for the native people who somehow survived despite all that was thrown at them. Their survival enriched not only the bank accounts but the culinary and linguistic wealth of those who intended to conquer them. Their resilience is reflected in their stories and beliefs reported throughout this excellent book.

#americanhistory #nativeamericanhistory #readtheworld #readtheworldchallenge #globalreadingchallenge #americanindianhistory

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

After dipping into this book for many years, I surprised myself last night by finishing the last 30 pages in one swoop. My feelings about the book are complicated. On the one hand, it's clearly the result of interpolation and interpretation by its white editors - I'd like to find versions of these stories that come more directly from Native American writers and speakers. On the other hand, it was obviously compiled with great care and respect, including many entries that are ostensibly transcriptions of oral accounts provided by then-living members of the tribes themselves.

While I don't have enough of a frame of reference to determine the true authenticity of what's in the book, I do feel that, as a casual white reader, the stories provide a window - however cracked or distorted - onto the rich diversity of cultures and people that have populated the North American continent. The book is full of universal human emotion, adventure, comedy and heartbreak, and yet the storytelling often refuses to bow to European-based models of narrative and pacing. There's great value to be gained from reading each story and questioning why it was told that way, and not the way that most contemporary American readers might be led to expect. It's a treasury of alternate ways of looking at the world, and I greatly appreciate it for that.

[Paula Baron · Rating 4 out of 5]

American Indian Myths and Legends edited by Richard Erdoes is an interesting collection of stories from Native American Cultures. The book includes myths from many different tribes, showing their unique beliefs, values, and traditions. Each story has its own lessons and meaning to those specific lessons. One of the most interesting is the Obijwa Creation Myth, which explains how humans and nature are connected. The book also includes stories about trickster figures , like Coyote, who is both funny and wise, teaching lessons about greed and selfishness. What I enjoyed most about this book is how it blends humor and serious lessons, making it fun to read while still offering deep insights and not superficial meaning. Some of the stories might be a little hard to understand at first, but the introductions to each tribes culture and beliefs help explain them. This made the book not only and enjoyable read but also a good way to learn more about Native american history and traditions. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history and stories that are full of wise experiences passed down through generations. I would review this book a 4.5/5 stars because it is fun, humorous, but still teaching wisley about life lessons.