Heroes and Heroines: Tlingit-Haida Legend

by Mary Giraudo Beck, Nancy DeWitt (Illustrations)

"Mary Beck’s collection of legends from Tlingit and Haida folklore provides an excellent look at not only the mythology but the value and culture of these Southeast Alaska Natives." - Jan O’Meara  Homer News Over uncounted generations the Tlingits and Haidas of Southeast Alaska developed a spoken literature as robust and distinctive as their unique graphic art style, and passed it from the old to the young to ensure the continuity of their culture. Even today when the people gather, now under lamplight rather than the flickering glow from the central fire pit, the ancient myths and legends are told and retold, and they still reinforce the unity of the lineage, and clan and the culture.  "Mary Beck opens this collection of legends by setting the tradition ‘…It will be a time of feasting, singing, and dancing, of honoring lineages and of telling ancestral stories.’ In this small, beautifully produced volume, enhanced by the wonderful illustrations by Nancy DeWitt, Becks tells nine traditional ancient myths and legends from the oral literature that are authentic for one group or another from this region, including Fog Woman, Volcano Woman, Bear Mother and The Boy Who Fed Eagles." - Bill Hunt  Anchorage Daily News

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

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ben Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of Tlingit stories. It adds depth to my understanding of Tlingit cultural values and the connection to Greek mythology was a great touch

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book. A very interesting insight to the morals and lessons passed on in the tribes. The stories are fun, interesting and make for quick reading. As an adult I found them interesting from the life lessons point of view but they would be good to share with children.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine stories from back home. Interesting introduction to the subject.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The legends, myths and stories of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest are absolutely unique, being the product of geography, weather, ecology, culture, language and religion. These same legends, myths and stories share much with the classic literature of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Mary Beck is well poised to understand both of these truths. She is an Alaska resident, married to a Native Alaskan, who teaches at the University of Alaska branch in Ketchikan. This is a collection of stories told by Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, northern Kwakiutl, Bella Coola, southern Kwakiutl, Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka), Coast Salish, Quileute-Chimakum, Kwalhioqua, and Chinook Indians. She sets them in the context of their Greek and Roman counterparts; her Masters in Classics is from Stanford. It is not possible to understand the art of Pacific Northwest Indians without also understanding something of their culture. My interest in this art is enabled and expanded by reading these stories.

[cauldronofevil · Rating 2 out of 5]

A friend got me this book from Alaska so I thought I’d check it out.

I haven’t really much to say about it. The legends are pretty predictable and very blandly told.

Lots of respecting tradition, the special hat, not dissing the salmon or the frog, etc.

The old lady in the village who is the only one to see the destruction of the village coming because of the disrespect of the traditions, etc.

People thought it was no big whoop to ignore/mouth off about the old traditions but boy did the spirit powers showed them! And those who respected the old traditions lived happily ever after!

Though I admit the story of the Killer Whale people was pretty cool!

I’ll give this 2 stars, it’s more of a scholarly type of book with parallels to Greek and Roman mythology (which are pointed out in the book).

[Matthew Komatsu · Rating 5 out of 5]

As indigenous languages disappear, the preservation of oral histories is so important. This was a short book I read as background research, but I found it urgent, timely, and emotionally resonant. I read Edith Wharton’s Greek Mythology like everyone else who took an AP Literature class in high school, but this was the first time I read a survey of indigenous mythology, and the commonalities pointed out by Mary Beck were remarkable, and the dissimilarities telling — the absence of a binary moral structure in both, and encoded indigenous survival lessons. Can’t recommend this enough for anyone who wants to learn more about Tlingit and Haida culture.

[Lacee Bergstrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up to 5

The book was a quick read and written in a way that made it super entertaining! I loved the window it gave into other people's cultures and mythology, and the way normal and mythological parts of the story were mixed made it super easy to understand and interesting! I find it fascinating that cultures as far apart from each other as European and Tlingit-Haida groups are from each other still have so many similarities, like how both had similar traditional gender roles.
The missing .5 is because the Greek mythology comparisons were a bit iffy at times, but other than that it was an amazing book I had a lot of fun reading!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Might need a little more explanation about the Eagle-Raven moieties to really grasp the context, and the writing is a little too academic -- good for cross culture analysis (especially given the introduction to each story, with the comparison to Greek mythology), but reduces the enjoyment of the story-telling aspect, because these are really AMAZING stories.

[Jandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have owned and read a number of mythology books. Alaskan mythology had been a tremendous gap in that knowledge. I'm glad to have read this book and feel like I have only scratched the surface on this subject. It's definitely a subject to revisit later.

[Kaz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up in Alaska on a cruise there this summer. It’s a fun and neat little read on some native folklore and legend, really fascinating stories passed down through their culture. I really enjoyed learning about some of the lore, would recommend to anyone curious!

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little collection of legends around the native Alaskan Tlingit people/tribe. After having just travelled to Alaska, it was helpful to learn about the culture and deep connection to the animals and wildlife that are such an important part of who they are and how they interconnect.

[Uo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice analysis and interesting connections between the Greek myths and the Native American ones. Parallel ideals in two very different settings.

[Aurora Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork included was amazing.

[Sorcha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading legends and stories from the place I live; so much more fun to imagine and connect to than elsewhere.

[Steve J]

January 1, 2003

[Melissa Widmaier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and insightful collection of native folklore that immerses the reader into a world that is both wondrous and familiar