Legends of the Northern Paiute
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"Legends of the Northern Paiute shares and preserves twenty-one original and previously unpublished Northern Paiute legends, as told by Wilson Wewa, a spiritual leader and oral historian of the Warm Springs Paiute. These legends were originally told around the fires of Paiute camps and villages during the 'story-telling season' of winter in the Great Basin of the American West. They were shared with Paiute communities as a way to pass on tribal visions of the 'animal people' and the 'human people, ' their origins and values, their spiritual and natural environment, and their culture and daily lives. The legends in this volume were recorded, transcribed, reviewed, and edited by Wilson Wewa and James Gardner. Each legend was recorded, then read and edited out loud, to respect the creativity, warmth, and flow of Paiute storytelling. The stories selected for inclusion include familiar characters from native legends, such as Coyote, as well as intriguing characters unique to the Northern Paiute, such as the creature embodied in the Smith Rock pinnacle, now known as Monkey Face, but known to the Paiutes in Central Oregon as Nuwuzoho the Cannibal. Wewa's apprenticeship to Northern Paiute culture began when he was about six years old. These legends were passed on to him by his grandmother and other tribal elders. They are now made available to future generations of tribal members, and to students, scholars, and readers interested in Wewa's fresh and authentic voice. These legends are best read and appreciated as they were told--out loud, shared with others, and delivered with all of the verve, cadence, creativity, and humor of original Paiute storytellers on those clear, cold winter nights in the high desert."--Provided by publisher |
| Author(s): | Wilson Wewa , James A. Gardner (Compiler, Editor) |
| Document: | Book · Paperback · CIRC [ 0 ] |
| Edition: | 1st Edition |
| Published: | 2017 |
| Physical Description: | xliv, 127 pages : portrait ; 23 cm |
| Genre: | Folklore |
| Contents: | Foreword and personal history / by Wilson Wewa Legends of the Northern Paiute Legend 1. The creation story and the Malheur Cave Legend 2. The creation of the human people Legend 3. The bridge of the gods, the great floods, and the human people Legend 4. How the seasons came to be Legend 5. When the animals were still people and starvation hit the land Legend 6. "Animal village," Lady Big Horn Sheep, and a mother turned into stone Legend 7. The epic battle of the giant Numuzo'ho and Coyote : Fort Rock and Monkey Face Legend 8. A story of hunting and the patience of the hunter Legend 9. Old Lady Jack Rabbit, Little Fat Jack Rabbit Girl, and the ants Legend 10. Why the badger has long claws and digs Legend 11. A big dance in the village; The vanity of Coyote and why Badger is flat and mean Legend 12. How the stars got their twinkle, Why Coyote howls to the sky Legend 13. Why porcupines eat willows and cottonwood saplings Legend 14. Black Bear's gift of roots and medicine Legend 15. Coyote and the escape of Mouse Legend 16. Why the rat's tail has no hair Legend 17. The deer and the antelope as brothers Legend 18. Obsidian and rock, Deer and Coyote Legend 19. First Woman travels in search of her husband ... and is followed by a skull and bones Legend 20. A legend of darker and lighter skinned children; and prophecies of white people coming out of the East Comments on rock art; "Coyote writing" and "spiritual writing" in Paiute Country Glossary |
| Subjects: | FICTION Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, Folklore, Folklore Grand Bassin, Folklore Great Basin, Grand Bassin Mœurs et coutumes, Great Basin Social life and customs, Legends, Legends Great Basin, Légendes Grand Bassin, Manners and customs, Northern Paiute Indians, Northern Paiute Indians Folklore, United States Great Basin |
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Last updated: 2025-02-06