In this Book
- Voices from Four Directions: Contemporary Translations of the Native Literatures of North America
- Book
- 2004
- Published by: University of Nebraska Press
- Series: Native Literatures of the Americas
summary
Storytelling and singing continue to be a vital part of community life for Native peoples today. Voices from Four Directions gathers stories and songs from thirty-one Native groups in North America—including the Iñupiaqs in the frigid North, the Lushootseeds along the forested coastline of the far West, the Catawbas in the humid South, and the Maliseets of the rugged woods of the East. Vivid stories of cosmological origins and transformation, historical events remembered and retold, as well as legendary fables can be found in these pages. Well-known Trickster figures like Raven, Rabbit, and Coyote figure prominently in several tales as do heroes of local fame such as Tom Laporte of the Maliseets. The stories and songs entertain, instruct, and recall rich legacies as well as obligations. Many are retellings and reinventions of classic narratives, while others are more recent creations.
Award-winning poet and critic Brian Swann has gathered some of the richest and most diverse literatures of Native North America and provides an introduction to the volume. In addition, each story is introduced and newly translated.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Introduction
- pp. xiii-xxii
- Part 1. North
- Raven Tales from Kamchatka
- pp. 3-24
- Raven Stories
- pp. 25-41
- The Young Woman Who Disappeared
- pp. 42-50
- Two Children Adrift
- pp. 52-79
- Part 2. West
- The Sea Lion Hunter
- pp. 105-120
- Prophecy at Lytton
- pp. 134-170
- Coyote and His Son
- pp. 171-194
- Two Tales of Power
- pp. 209-225
- How Coyote Remade the World
- pp. 226-239
- Old Lady Sanyu·xáv
- pp. 268-280
- Part 3. South
- He Became an Eagle
- pp. 283-201
- The Flight of Dzilyi neeyáni
- pp. 303-316
- Coyote Stories
- pp. 317-326
- The Oekuu Shadeh of Ohkay Owingeh
- pp. 327-339
- Whirlwind Songs
- pp. 340-349
- The Red Wolf Story
- pp. 350-356
- Thunder and the Ukten
- pp. 357-367
- Trickster Tales
- pp. 368-382
- Four Fables
- pp. 383-394
- Part 4. East
- Double-Face Tricks a Girl
- pp. 397-407
- Rabbit Frees the People from Muskrat
- pp. 408-422
- Two Winter Stories
- pp. 423-467
- The Birth of Nenabozho
- pp. 486-514
- Creation Story
- pp. 515-531
- The Origins of Man
- pp. 532-545
- The Legendary Tom Laporte
- pp. 546-560
- Three Stories
- pp. 561-571
- Contributors
- pp. 591-602
Additional Information
ISBN
9780803204003
MARC Record
OCLC
54669630
Pages
619
Launched on MUSE
2012-06-08
Language
English
Open Access
No