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American Indian Fairy Tales

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Iagoo, the story-teller knew the fairy tales and wonder stories told him by his grandfather. Where did robin get his red breast? How did fire find its way into the wood? Why was Coyote more clever that the other animals? Iagoo would answer these questions with his stories. Adapted from legends collected by noted ethnologist Henry R. Schoolcraft in the Lake Superior region in 1839, this charming collection of seven stories will delight youngsters and lovers of Native American myth and legend.

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1920

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William Trowbridge Larned

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98 (36%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for Afaf Ammar.
986 reviews577 followers
December 23, 2019
عندما تتساقط ندف الثلج الرقيقة الكريستالية وتغطي وجه الأرض، ويشرق القمر البارد في السماء، يكون الشتاء قد آتى...
ولأن الشتاء أوان الحكايات، وحكايات الشتاء لا تُمل، يجلس راوي الحكايات العجوز، الشيخ الهندي لاغو، في خيمته ويجمع الأطفال الصغار حوله، وحول النار المتوهجة بالحطبات المشتعلة، فيستدفئوا بها وتزيدهم دفئًا فروة الدب الدافئة التي تفرش الأرض تحتهم، في جو مفعم بالدفء والبهجة.
ويبدأ الشيخ لاغو بقص الحكايات العجيبة التي سمعها من جده، وجده سمعها من جده، وهكذا إلى الزمن الذي كان السحر فيه يملأ الدنيا، وتضيع الحدود بين الواقع والخيال.
يحكي ويحكي للأطفال عن الصبي والبنت في الغيوم، وابن نجم السماء، والفتى الذي نصب شركًا للشمس، وعن عروس الجنّ، الصبية الجميلة، وأحيانًا يصمت الشيخ لاغو، ويسرح في النار المصطلية كأنه يحلم بزمن بعيد، فيقطع شروده، الطفلة الصغيرة، نجمة الصباح، بسؤال من أسئلتها التي لا تمل من طرحها، فنجمة الصباح لا تمل من شيء أبدًا قدر مللها من طول الشتاء، ويستبد بها الشوق للدفء من بداية الشتاء، ولا تكاد تكون صبورة أبدًا على عودة الربيع والصيف.
تتنهد نجمة الصباح ،وتسأل الشيخ لاغو :
"ألن يعود طائر أبو الحنّاء ثانية؟"
فيحيبها لاغو:
"تحلّي بالصبر يا نجمة الصباح، عما قريب سترين الإوزة البرية، تطير عاليًا في السماء، في طريقها إلى الشمال، أحيانًا نشعر أن الصيف قد تأخر، لكنه دائمًا يأتي. حين تسمعينه ينادي، ستجدين عندئذ طائر أبو الحنّاء، يمضي وراءه."
💕

22.12.2019
Profile Image for إيمان عبد المنعم.
469 reviews461 followers
October 17, 2017
ما أجمل حكاياتهم المغرقة في الخيال !
حيث يصادق البشر الحيوانات والنجوم والأقمار و والشجر!
ألمح فيها ظلا باهتا لقصص دينية تحرفت وتشوهت
Profile Image for Mohamed Bayomi.
234 reviews165 followers
September 4, 2018
لو عشت في القرن الثامن عشر
لكنت من المؤكد انتمي للرومانسيين القوميين
Profile Image for Yomna.
169 reviews45 followers
May 20, 2024
حكايات ترد للهنود الحمر، تثبت أن الإنسان لو لم يجد تفسيرًا لظاهرة، فسيخلق لها قصة!
ليست نوعي المفضل من الكتب و لا طريقة السرد المحببة، و لكن صنعة القصص واضحة لا شك.
Profile Image for Thom Swennes.
1,822 reviews58 followers
June 29, 2013
It is remarkable how similar these American Indian tales are to traditional European fairy tales. Many of them could be brought under the category of fable, allegory or parable as many have a moral or lesson to live by. Many are extremely perfervid and leave a marked impression on the reader. Right and good always defeat the peccant wrongdoer. This book, though relatively short (100 pages) it relates ten myths explaining everything from the creation of mountains to the changing of the seasons. Animals are often given both speech and personalities as demure vessels to relate a story. I enjoyed the reading of this book and think that many other readers will feel the same.
Profile Image for ميقات الراجحي.
Author 6 books2,334 followers
February 4, 2017
من ترجمات هيئة أبوظبي للثقافة والتراث
هذه القصص التي تمثل لنا تلاحم الهنود الحمر مع كل ما هو كائن حي وغير حي بالنسبة لهم
زعجبتني تسمياتهم للأشياء

ليس كما تصورهم كتب تاريخ المحتل الإمريكي عندما قضوا عليهم وعلى ثقافتهم وفلكلورهم
مجرد 9 قصص شعبية ويوجد كذلك في مجموعة أخرى
حكايات قبيلة الشيروكي

اعجبتني
الصبي والبنت في الغيوم
كيف جاء الصيف
الساحر ميش أو شا
Profile Image for Ashley.
1,689 reviews148 followers
April 9, 2010
I love fairy tales. Always have. It was great to be able to take a look at the fairy tales of another culture. They felt more like folk tales than fairy tales, but oh well. Some of them had moments of each, and I enjoyed the stories. It was an impulse buy, and I'm really glad that I picked it up.
Profile Image for حسناء.
Author 2 books195 followers
February 6, 2017
يا روح أوراق الشجر الضاحكة
أيها الجني في غابة الصنوبر
اصغي إلي الفتاة التتي تتوق لأرض السعادة تلك
من مثواك في مجاز الغابة الصيفي
سارع بالمجئ إلي فتاتك الحزينة
......
من أفضل كتب المجموعة حتي الآن
قصص الهنود الحمر ممتعة وملئية بال .. الحيوانات
Profile Image for Yani Daniele.
555 reviews40 followers
July 31, 2021
Me faltaban leer los dos últimos cuentos y hoy por fin lo he terminado luego de dejarlo de lado tanto tiempo.
Son pequeños cuentos cortitos, ideal para niños que narran distintas historias relacionadas con espíritus de la naturaleza como el viento del norte.
No puedo decir mucho porque estaría contando la esencia de cada uno pero si les gusta este tipo de cuentos deben darles una oportunidad.
Profile Image for Aziza Almaamri.
17 reviews8 followers
April 7, 2023
لدى الحكايات الشعبية القدرة الهائلة على حشد المعتقدات السائدة وجوانب مهمة من ثقافة الشعب في لغة بسيطة وسلسة. كتاب يحوي ثمان من قصص الهنود الحمر على لسان الراوي "لاغو". فيه الكثير من ارتباط الهنود بالبيئة والكائنات حولهم؛ ممتع
Profile Image for Heather.
557 reviews5 followers
August 29, 2019
Not really fairytales, but a nice collection of fables.
Profile Image for Liz.
823 reviews8 followers
November 2, 2020
There are some stories that don't feel suspect, but some feel really processed. The author took some collected works from a former Indian Agent who married into the Lakota culture. The original geologist and ethnologist who listened to and collected the original stories seemed to have some respect for the culture.

This collection . . . Eh, not so much. It feels like it has been cleaned up for a white audience to interest them. That's pretty clear in the sloppy sourcing in the introduction. The editor site more than one book and certainly not primarily the volume indicated. Additionally, there is a tale that is indicated to not be from the original tale collector --but they don't tell you which one. That's sort of frustrating.

I am annoyed with the Iagoo character who seems to be there simply as the facilitator of the tales rather than a resemblance to anything from the original source materials. These are retellings, but they don't feel faithfully retold. They feel performed and made to be digestible to alternative palates. Compared with Indigenous own voices (from the same region cultures and time period) or even the original tales upon which this is collection is based--they feel very different. There is a feeling that they are less respectful --connecting things far to often to Eurocentric experiences and ideas like fairies (not just in the title) or even average comparisons like sizing according to common European fruits (oranges) that would have been incredibly uncommon in the wintry Great Lakes regions.
Profile Image for Abu Hasan محمد عبيد.
532 reviews183 followers
February 8, 2017
عندما بدأت بقراءة الكتاب، لم أكن أتوقع سوى كتاب خفيف أجد فيه بعض المتعة من خلال قصص خيالية تحمل طابع قوم لا أعرف عنهم شيئا إلا ما شاهدته من خلال الأفلام الهوليودية

الحقيقة، إن الكتاب رغم بساطته والطابع الخيالي الذي يطغى عليه، إلا أنه عميق جدا...

هذا الكتاب يظهر كيف يتماهى الإنسان مع الموجودات من حوله... من حيوانات وجمادات وظواهر طبيعية... كل هذه الموجودات بنظر الهندي هي كائنات عاقلة مفكرة ناظقة... لا تكتفي بوجودها وجودا جامدا وإنما تؤدي دورا في الحياة... فالهندي يتماهى مع كل ما يحيط به، حتى الريح وفصل الصيف يصبحان شخوصا عاقلة لا مجرد ظواهر...

هذه القصص تظهر الحكمة الهندية العميقة، وهي صورة بعيدة كل البعد عن كونهم مجرد أشخاص متوحشين مندهشين من كل مظهر حضاري كما يبدون في أفلام هوليود... والحكمة الهندية حكمة تستخدم كل الأدوات المتوفرة في بيئتها من أجل إحقاق الحق والعدل والخير
Profile Image for Jessica✨.
755 reviews25 followers
October 25, 2016
Partial Reading/Rating:
--
Iagoo, the Story-Teller (OKAY)
Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind (GOOD)
Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind (cont.) (GOOD)
The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds (GOOD)
The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds (cont.)(GOOD)
The Child of the Evening Star (LOVED)
The Child of the Evening Star (cont.)(LOVED)
The Child of the Evening Star (cont. again)
(LOVED)
The Child of the Evening Star (end) (LOVED)
The Boy who Snared the Sun (OKAY)
The Boy who Snared the Sun (cont.) (OKAY)
The Boy who Snared the Sun (end) (OKAY)
How the Summer Came (OKAY)
How the Summer Came (cont.) (OKAY)
How the Summer Came (end) (OKAY)
The Fairy Bride (GOOD)
The Fairy Bride (cont.) (GOOD)

Profile Image for Gillyz.
121 reviews14 followers
April 27, 2019
Native Americans living in the Lake Superior region passed their stories through generations. Henry R Schoolcraft learned their language and wrote their stories to preserve them.

I would say these stories are mostly for children, but adults can still some have fun listening to/reading them.
Profile Image for Asmaa.
55 reviews2 followers
July 5, 2021
قصص عظيمة وكنت ناوية أديها ٤ نجوم لكن استفزتني قصة الساحر ف النهاية، وانتقصت منها نجمة، قصة تافهة جدا وأعتقد لو طفل صغير يقدر يألف أحسن منها، وبقصد ب ده طبعًا الحبكة بتاعتها مش الخيال لإن كل القصص خيالية وهذا لا يعيبها في شيء..
باقي القصص جميلة، حببتني ف حضارة الهنود الحُمر، واكتشفت قد ايه كانوا شعب واعي، مش بالهمجية ولا التخلف إللي بيصوروا لينا مستعمروهم.. وخيالهم خصب، حضارة عظيمة بتجمع رونق الماضي مع وعي الحاضر.
Profile Image for Rocky Ternal.
13 reviews
October 10, 2018
If you enjoy American Indian stories, this is a nice collection. Cute, short and fun. Great to read with your children because they are fun but you can also draw some life lessons from.
Profile Image for Ida Wilcox.
1,846 reviews14 followers
January 31, 2019
I really enjoyed these stories.

Its always good to read fairy tales from other cultures.

Profile Image for Glasdow Teacosy.
Author 2 books22 followers
April 29, 2019
I've come to the end of another lovely collection of folktales. This collection was important to me because it was given to me by my grandmother almost thirty years ago. The book originally belonged to my great grandmother. She was an art fan and had enjoyed the illustrations in this edition. There were other illustrations tucked inside from another book, as well. I tracked down the book they came from, which is a story for another day. I usually left the book on the shelf because it was so old and deteriorated, but I found the book on Project Gutenberg, so I finally was able to enjoy it.

The art by John Rae was hard to discern sometimes because the color had begun to bleed from this 1921 edition, although it could also have been due to a lousy print job. Regardless, the illustrations where fanciful and matched the stories well. My favorite was the one of the last, which depicted the puk-Wudjies, or fairies. The stories were culled from an earlier publication which I have discovered is on Project Gutenberg, so I'll be reading it next to see how Westernized these tales had become in the retelling.

My favorites were the stories with characters with distinct personalities striving to overcome an enemy, often a personification of weather. The second to last story (Mish-o-sha, the Magician) could have fit well thematically with some Irish folktales I have read due to the evil magician and the three trials, but was distinct because of the way nature was depicted. At one point, Seegwun, the hero, convinced a flock of seagulls to not eat him and, instead, carry him back to the magician astride their backs as the thousands of seagulls beat their wings. Imagery like that helps Native American folklore stand out from other cultures. There is a grand majesty to their imagination that felt both old fashioned and modern. Although the book has been reprinted, I recommend looking it up on Project Gutenberg so that you can enjoy it with the original illustrations.
Profile Image for bup.
731 reviews71 followers
October 29, 2011
I'm not much of a sociologist, but these enchanting tales fascinated me. Like European fairy tales (but unlike, for instance, Japanese Fairy Tales), these tend to have clear morals, reward good, and act as cautionary tales.

Also like European mythology, the 'spirit' or 'soul' appears as a puff of white smoke when it's visible. Is that common to all of humanity - that the 'ghost in the machine' is an ethereal substance, and white?

Less surprisingly, lots of talking animals, and tales about when the world was new, and tales that personify things like "spring" and "the north wind."

Oh yeah - there are even a couple of tales where the bad guy is vulnerable only in one part of his body - the leg and foot.

These were obviously collected after Europeans had interacted with the New World*, so I don't know how much corruption had occurred to these tales (a powder horn is mentioned in one), but if there's not much, I'd love to hear theories about the commonalities of the tales from various cultures that had been out of touch for millennia.

Also, they're good - it's a short audiobook (about two hours), and the stories do have that 'magic' about them that makes for a tale that stays with you for a long time. The seductive feeling of each story lingers.

This would be a great thing for kids on a car trip, too - entertaining and world-expanding.

*originally collected by a guy in the 1830's sent by the government - sort of a Neil Lomax for the 1800's. Then this version was written in the 1920's.
Profile Image for Gale.
1,019 reviews21 followers
Read
August 26, 2013
TALES OF MAGIC AND MANITOO

NB: THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE 1993 DERRYDALE HARDCOVER EDITION.

During the 30 years during which Henry Schoolcraft lived among the Indians of the Great Lakes area, he undertook a personal mission to learn their folklore and then transcribe into English. This book offers ten Native American fairy tales on fine quality paper with excellent color illustrations by John Rae. Whether they are tales of adventure, love, or quests for glory and improvement of the tribe, they reveal basic human traits: we see our 21st century selves mirrored in recognizable behavior, from character flaws to noble sacrifice. Some tales offer explanations for natural phenomena.

These tales are recounted to rapt young listeners--hungry to learn the ways and values of their people--by old venerable Iagoo, whose tribal function is to preserve their history by means of oral tradition.
The total anthology underscores the close relationship between humans and sprits, between mankind and the animal realm, between people and
their environment (Mother Earth, Father Sky). This celebration of the interconnectedness among humans and their world reminds readers
that every action has a consequence, for which we must take the blame or shoulder the responsibility. Contemporary readers will recognize many similar traits and personality quirks, which reveal the commonality of the human experience.

(November 15, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews

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