Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest

by Judson, Katharine Berry

• ISBN13: 9780803275959
• ISBN10: 0803275951
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-05-01
• Publisher: Univ of Nebraska Pr

Summary

These collected myths and tales of the Indians of the Pacific Northwestthe Klamath, Nez Perce, Tillamook, Modoc, Shastan, Chinook, Flathead, Clatsop, and other tribeswere first published in 1910. Here are their stories concerning the creation of the universe, the theft of fire and daylight, the death and rebirth of salmon, and especially, the formation of such geographical features as The Dalles, the Columbia River, the Yukon River, and Mounts Shasta, Hood, Rainier, Baker, and Adams. Katharine Berry Judson began with native oral tradition in retelling these stories. They represent, as Jay Miller says, "a distillation of tribal memory and a personification of environmental wisdom." Some legends"Duration of Life," "Old Grizzly and Old Antelope," and "Robe of Kemush"are almost literal translations, recorded by government ethnologists. Animating the beautifully wrought tales are entities like Coyote, Old Man Above, Owl and Raven and other Animal People, and Chinook Ghosts.

Author Biography

Katharine Berry Judson was a professor of history at the University of Washington. She compiled and edited four collections of native myths and tales, including Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest, also available as a Bison Book. Jay Miller, formerly assistant director and editor at the D’Arcy McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian at the Newberry Library, is an independent scholar and writer teaching the grammar of Tsimshian in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. He is the author of Tsimshian Culture (Nebraska 1997) and editor of Mourning Dove: A Salishan Autobiography (Nebraska 1990).

Table of Contents

The Origin of Daylight Nanaimo	19	(2)
How Silver-Fox created the World Hat Creek (Atsugewi)	21	(4)
How Kemush created the World Klamath	25	(3)
The Robe of Kemush Klamath	28	(2)
How Qawaneca created the World	30	(3)
How Old Man Above created the World Sbastan	33	(2)
Old Man Above and the Grizzlies Sbastan	35	(3)
Duration of Life Klamath	38	(2)
How Coyote stole Fire	40	(2)
How Beaver stole Fire Nez Perce	42	(2)
How Dog stole Fire Pit River (Acbomawi)	44	(3)
The Bridge of the Gods	47	(3)
The Dalles	50	(1)
The Story of Ashish Klamath	51	(4)
Creation of Mankind Pit River (Acbomawi)	55	(1)
As-ai-yahal Tillamook	56	(3)
The Golden Age Tinne	59	(1)
The First Totem Pole Kwakiutl	60	(4)
Spirit of Snow	64	(1)
Owl and Raven Eskimo	65	(1)
Cradle Song Modoc	66	(1)
Woodrat and Rabbits Modoc	67	(2)
Quarrel of Sun and Moon Siouan	69	(1)
Chinook Wind Yakima	70	(4)
The Miser of Takhoma Cowlitz	74	(5)
Why there are no Snakes on Takhoma	79	(2)
Cry-because-he-had-no-wife Nez Perce	81	(4)
How Coyote got his cunning Shastan	85	(1)
The Naming of Creation Nez Perce	86	(1)
The Bird Chief	87	(1)
The Spell of the Laughing Raven Klamath	88	(1)
Origin of the Thunder Bird	89	(2)
Mount Edgecomb, Alaska	91	(1)
An Indian's Vow to the Thunder Gods	92	(3)
Chinook Ghosts Chinook	95	(3)
The Memaloose Islands Klickitat	98	(2)
A Visiting Ghost Teton	100	(2)
Origin of the Tribes Chinook	102	(3)
How the Okanogans became Red Okanogan	105	(2)
The Copper Canoe Nootka	107	(1)
Origin of Mineral Springs	108	(1)
How the Ermine got its Necklace Athabascan	109	(5)
Coyote and Grizzly Nez Perce	114	(2)
Coyote and the Dragon	116	(2)
Origin of Spokane Falls Flatbead	118	(1)
Coyote in the Buffalo Country Flatbead	119	(4)
Coyote and the Salmon Klamath	123	(2)
Falls of the Willamette	125	(2)
Tallapus and the Cedar Clatsop	127	(4)
How Coyote was Killed	131	(2)
Old Grizzly and Old Antelope Klamath	133	(8)
Legend of the Klickitat Basket Klickitat	141	(2)
The Northern Lights Wabanski	143