The stories and legends of the Lushootseed-speaking people of Puget Sound represent an important part of the oral tradition by which one generation hands down beliefs, values, and customs to another. Vi Hilbert grew up when many of the old social patterns survived and everyone spoke the ancestral language.

Haboo, Hilbert's collection of thirty-three stories, features tales mostly set in the Myth Age, before the world transformed. Animals, plants, trees, and even rocks had human attributes. Prominent characters like Wolf, Salmon, and Changer and tricksters like Mink, Raven, and Coyote populate humorous, earthy stories that reflect foibles of human nature, convey serious moral instruction, and comically detail the unfortunate, even disastrous consequences of breaking taboos.

Beautifully redesigned and with a new foreword by Jill La Pointe, Haboo offers a vivid and invaluable resource for linguists, anthropologists, folklorists, future generations of Lushootseed-speaking people, and others interested in Native languages and cultures.

An essential look at the ways California's Native nations are resisting colonialism today, from education reform to protests against environmental injustice and beyond.

Collecting over twenty-five essays written by more than twenty California Indian authors, Know We Are Here surveys many of the ways California's Indigenous communities are resisting the legacies of genocide. Focusing on the particular histories, challenges, and dynamics of life in Native California--which are often very different from elsewhere in the United States--the book collects essays from writers across the state. It encompasses the perspectives of both elders and the rising generation, and the contributors include activists, academics, students, memoirists, and tribal leaders. The collection examines histories of resistance to colonialism in California, the reclaiming of cultures and languages, the connection of place and nature to wellness in tribal communities, efforts to overhaul the racist presentation of California Indians in classrooms and popular culture, and the meanings of solidarity in Native California. Unifying the book is an introduction by Terria Smith (Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians), editor of the renowned and long-running magazine News from Native California. This book is an indispensable resource for California Indian readers, educators of all levels in California, and students in Native studies courses nationally.

Beth Piatote's luminous debut collection opens with a feast, grounding its stories in the landscapes and lifeworlds of the Native Northwest, exploring the inventive and unforgettable pattern of Native American life in the contemporary world

Told with humor, subtlety, and spareness, the mixed-genre works of Beth Piatote's first collection find unifying themes in the strength of kinship, the pulse of longing, and the language of return.

A woman teaches her niece to make a pair of beaded earrings while ruminating on a fractured relationship. An eleven-year-old girl narrates the unfolding of the Fish Wars in the 1960s as her family is propelled to its front lines. In 1890, as tensions escalate at Wounded Knee, two young men at college--one French and the other Lakota--each contemplate a death in the family. In the final, haunting piece, a Nez Perce-Cayuse family is torn apart as they debate the fate of ancestral remains in a moving revision of the Greek tragedy Antigone.

Formally inventive and filled with vibrant characters, The Beadworkers draws on Indigenous aesthetics and forms to offer a powerful, sustaining vision of Native life.

2022 Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award Winner

The Diné Reader: An Anthology of Navajo Literature is unprecedented. It showcases the breadth, depth, and diversity of Diné creative artists and their poetry, fiction, and nonfiction prose.This wide-ranging anthology brings together writers who offer perspectives that span generations and perspectives on life and Diné history. The collected works display a rich variety of and creativity in themes: home and history; contemporary concerns about identity, historical trauma, and loss of language; and economic and environmental inequalities.

The Diné Reader developed as a way to demonstrate both the power of Diné literary artistry and the persistence of the Navajo people. The volume opens with a foreword by poet Sherwin Bitsui, who offers insight into the importance of writing to the Navajo people. The editors then introduce the volume by detailing the literary history of the Diné people, establishing the context for the tremendous diversity of the works that follow, which includes free verse, sestinas, limericks, haiku, prose poems, creative nonfiction, mixed genres, and oral traditions reshaped into the written word.

This volume combines an array of literature with illuminating interviews, biographies, and photographs of the featured Diné writers and artists. A valuable resource to educators, literature enthusiasts, and beyond, this anthology is a much-needed showcase of Diné writers and their compelling work. The volume also includes a chronology of important dates in Diné history by Jennifer Nez Denetdale, as well as resources for teachers, students, and general readers by Michael Thompson. The Diné Reader is an exciting convergence of Navajo writers and artists with scholars and educators.

This is a collection of Alaska Native folklore and mythology. All the various regions and tribal groups are represented in this collection. The collector is John Smelcer who is a writer, poet, and folklorist and who is himself a member of an Alaska Native tribe. Several of the stories are accompanied by illustrations by Larry Vienneau. This work was originally published in Alaska in 1992. This is the second, revised and expanded edition.

An expanded collection of foundational Yakama stories

Central to the Yakama oral tradition, storytelling enables Tribal Elders to share lessons, values, and customs with younger generations across the Columbia River plateau and the Pacific Northwest. Drawn from a time before the coming of human beings when animals were like people, the stories present characters and motifs that paint a bigger picture of the world as Yakama ancestors knew it.

The original edition of Anakú Iwachá featured stories that Yakama Tribal Elders recorded in several dialects of the Ichishkíin language that were collected and translated into English by renowned linguist and scholar Virginia Beavert. This new edition adds a preface from the Yakama Nation and essays on the history of the project and on Ichishkíin-language education. It includes four additional legends in Ichishkíin and English, annotations, an updated glossary, and more artwork by Tribal artists, helping readers, teachers, and students engage with the legends as teaching and learning tools and as a precious gift to current and future Yakama generations.

Just as a basket's purpose determines its materials, weave, and shape, so too is the purpose of the essay related to its material, weave, and shape. Editors Elissa Washuta and Theresa Warburton ground this anthology of essays by Native writers in the formal art of basket weaving. Using weaving techniques such as coiling and plaiting as organizing themes, the editors have curated an exciting collection of imaginative, world-making lyric essays by twenty-seven contemporary Native writers from tribal nations across Turtle Island into a well-crafted basket.

Shapes of Native Nonfiction features a dynamic combination of established and emerging Native writers, including Stephen Graham Jones, Deborah Miranda, Terese Marie Mailhot, Billy-Ray Belcourt, Eden Robinson, and Kim TallBear. Their ambitious, creative, and visionary work with genre and form demonstrate the slippery, shape-changing possibilities of Native stories. Considered together, they offer responses to broader questions of materiality, orality, spatiality, and temporality that continue to animate the study and practice of distinct Native literary traditions in North America.

Stories of indigenous lifeways from kisisk ciwan territory

This groundbreaking anthology from territory that is now Saskatchewan, kisisk ciwan, includes rich oral narratives from Cree, Saulteaux, Nakoda, Dakota, Dene, and Metis cultures; early writings from Cree missionaries; speeches and letters by Treaty Chiefs; stories from elders; archival discoveries; and contemporary literary works in all genres.

Historically and culturally comprehensive, voices include Big Bear, Thunderchild, Louis Riel, Gabriel Dumont, Edward Ahenakew, Maria Campbell, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Rita Bouvier, Harold Johnson, Gregory Scofield, Warren Cariou, Louise Halfe, and many more.

The Lenape tribe, also known as the Delaware Nation, lived for centuries on the land that English colonists later called New Jersey. But once America gained its independence, they were forced to move further west: to Indiana, then Missouri, and finally to the territory that became Oklahoma. These reluctant migrants were not able to carry much from their ancestral homeland, but they managed to preserve the stories that had been passed down for generations.

On the Turtle's Back is the first collection of Lenape folklore, originally compiled by anthropologist M. R. Harrington over a century ago but never published until now. In it, the Delaware share their cherished tales about the world's creation, epic heroes, and ordinary human foibles. It features stories told to Harrington by two Lenape couples, Julius and Minnie Fouts and Charles and Susan Elkhair, who sought to officially record their legends before their language and cultural traditions died out. More recent interviews with Lenape elders are also included, as their reflections on hearing these stories as children speak to the status of the tribe and its culture today. Together, they welcome you into their rich and wondrous imaginative world.

Words to Sing the World Alive celebrates First Nations languages from across the continent. Forty First Nation writers and thinkers, journalists and lawyers, artists and astronomers come together to reveal their favourite and significant words. Words that evoke the power of childhood and the wonder of Country; that explore the essence of mother, of fire, of time. Words that are imbued with family and belonging, and that surprise with their connections. Join contributors including Kim Scott, Tara June Winch, Daniel Browning, Terri Janke, Jeanine Leane, Nardi Simpson, Dan Bourchier, Ellen van Neerven, Alice Skye, Bruce Pascoe, Anita Heiss, Thomas Mayo, Evelyn Araluen, Claire G Coleman and Mykaela Saunders as they share their words to sing the world alive.

Hafen has done a great service to the study of American Indian literature by collecting in one book several published and unpublished pieces. . . . A wonderful and enlightening collection.--Choice

Dawnland Voices calls attention to the little-known but extraordinarily rich literary traditions of New England's Native Americans. This pathbreaking anthology includes both classic and contemporary literary works from ten New England indigenous nations: the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Mohegan, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Schaghticoke, and Wampanoag.

Through literary collaboration and recovery, Siobhan Senier and Native tribal historians and scholars have crafted a unique volume covering a variety of genres and historical periods. From the earliest petroglyphs and petitions to contemporary stories and hip-hop poetry, this volume highlights the diversity and strength of New England Native literary traditions.

Dawnland Voices introduces readers to the compelling and unique literary heritage in New England, banishing the misconception that real Indians and their traditions vanished from that region centuries ago.

In this deeply moving collection of short stories and essays, Gordon Lee Johnson (Cupe o/Cahuilla) cements his voice not only as a wry commentator on American Indian reservation life but also as a master of fiction writing. In Johnson's stories, all of which are set on the fictional San Ignacio reservation in Southern California, we meet unforgettable characters like Plato Pena, the Stanford-bound geek who reads Kahlil Gibran during intertribal softball games; hardboiled investigator Roddy Foo; and Etta, whose motto is early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise, as they face down circumstances by turns ordinary and devastating. From the noir-tinged mystery of Unholy Wine to the gripping intensity of Tukwut, Johnson effortlessly switches genre, perspective, and tense, vividly evoking people and places that are fictional but profoundly true to life. The nonfiction featured in Bird Songs Don't Lie is equally revelatory in its exploration of complex connections between past and present. Whether examining his own conflicted feelings toward the missions as a source of both cultural damage and identity, sharing advice for cooking for eight dozen cowboys and -girls, or recounting an influx of New Age seekers of enlightenment in the Pushcart-nominated 100 White Women, Johnson plumbs the comedy, catastrophe, and beauty of his life on the Pala Reservation to thunderous effect.

Now in paperback: a gently powerful memoir about deepening your relationship with your homeland.

A fascinating and evocative memoir in essays.--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Tribal chairman and celebrated storyteller Greg Sarris--whose novels are esteemed alongside those of Louise Erdrich and Stephen Graham Jones--invites us into intimate and contemplative scenes from his own life in Becoming Story. With this memoir-in-essays he asks: What does it mean to be truly connected to the place you call home--to walk where innumerable generations of your ancestors have walked? And what does it mean when you dedicate your life to making that connection even deeper?

Moving between his childhood and the present day, Sarris creates a kaleidoscopic narrative about the forces that shaped his early years and his eventual work as a tribal leader. He considers the fathomless past, historical traumas, and possible futures of his homeland. His acclaimed storytelling skills are in top form here, and he charts his journey in prose that is humorous, searching, and profound. Described as jewellike by the San Francisco Chronicle, Becoming Story is also a gently powerful guide in the art of belonging to the place where you live.

Inmerso en la tradición y sabiduría maya, este libro profundamente conmovedor narra el diálogo de un niño con su abuelo, encarnando la eterna sabiduría Maya de su ancestral linaje. A través de la encantadora narrativa, cada pregunta sobre la naturaleza, el cosmos y la auto-identidad desvela la profunda interconexión central de las cosmovisiones mayas, que entrelazan armoniosamente a los humanos, la naturaleza y el ámbito espiritual. Este indispensable libro no solo ilumina las invaluables enseñanzas de una cultura milenaria, sino que también subraya su relevancia universal para la búsqueda de la humanidad, de la coexistencia, el entendimiento y la iluminación.

Before their forced removal to Oklahoma in the 1830s, the Euchee people lived in Georgia and other southeastern territories. Today the Euchees are enrolled members of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, but they possess their own language, culture, and traditions. This unique collection by Euchee citizen Gregory H. Bigler combines traditional di'ile (Euchee tales), personal recollections, and contemporary stories to portray a way of life often hidden from view.

Written in an engaging, down-to-earth style, the stories in this book immerse the reader in the everyday experiences of the Euchee community. With his gift for storytelling, Bigler welcomes readers into the lives and culture of the people whose stories he has heard or observed throughout his life and career as a lawyer and judge. Unforgettable characters appear or reappear in various settings, and these figures, whether animal or human, are bound to bring forth a chuckle or leave the reader wanting to learn more about their history. Some of the tales address serious legal injustices, while others poke gentle fun at lofty academic constructs. In the title story, for example, the mischievous character Shajwane (Rabbit), resolves to decolonize the forest, to strip away its false narrative, by literally removing all new growth from the trees.

These stories bring to life Euchee traditions that include family ties, the stomp dance, and communal cooking and feasting. Woven throughout is the sacred element of spirit. As Bigler explains in his introduction, the spiritual for Euchees signifies not a Western quest for peace or centeredness but a world filled with animate spirits that interact with all of us--as we see them, feel them, or seek them out.

The Euchee people are unknown to most Americans. They inhabit a small area southwest of Tulsa and have yet to receive federal recognition. Yet even in their modern-day lives--as these stories capture so beautifully--the Euchee people remain fiercely determined to show they are still here.

An agent of chaos and deceit, the trickster has been a favorite character spanning thousands of years and multiple peoples. From legends belonging to Native Americans such as the Creek, Natchez, Seminole and Catawba, to tales borrowed from Africa and Europe, this work discusses 73 trickster tales.

Beginning with Creek tales, this book continues with a blend of Native American and African American folktales, organized according to the indigenous people who told them. These stories include the American Southeast's most notorious trickster, Rabbit; his gullible victims such as Alligator, Wildcat and Wolf; and other tricksters such as Buzzard, Pig, Possum and more.

This is an overview of the Ojibwe style Moccasin Game for learners, new and old, who want to play. The game is best learned by playing it and participating with men who already know how to play this beautiful game. The purpose of this book is to assist those men and young men who are learning the game and to ensure this game is gifted to the next generation of players. Ojibwe style moccasin game is still played on the Red Lake, Mille Lacs, Nett Lake, White Earth, Leech Lake, Roseau River, and Lac La Croix Reservations. Moccasin Game tournaments are conducted during the pow-wows and celebrations of their reservations. Makwa gave this oldest game to the Ojibwe.

If you could provide a message to the younger version of yourself to get through school, life, and challenging circumstances, what would you say? This book includes a compilation of poetry, short stories, and visual art from First Nations, Metis and Inuit Women. The submissions aim to inspire youth in overcoming challenges with themes around passion, independent voice, and joy. The project is dedicated to Indigenous high school students who are part of the TakingITGlobal's Connected North program by featuring the power of creativity through different role models and promoting mental health.

Let me say at the outset that this book is not about Bear (he would be spoken of in the singular and masculine, capitalized and without an article), or it is only incidentally about him. I am less interested in defining the being of Bear than in trying to understand something about the spirit of wilderness, of which Bear is a very particular expression. . . . Bear is a template of the wilderness.--from the Introduction

Since receiving the Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for his novel House Made of Dawn, N. Scott Momaday has had one of the most remarkable careers in twentieth-century American letters. Here, in In the Bear's House, Momaday passionately explores themes of loneliness, sacredness, and aggression through his depiction of Bear, the one animal that has both inspired and haunted him throughout his lifetime.

With transcendent dignity and gentleness, In the Bear's House celebrates Momaday's extraordinary creative vision and his evolution as one of our most gifted artists.

Thomas King said, The truth about stories is . . . stories are all that we are. Colonization has tried to erase and eradicate Indigenous narratives for centuries. Even mainstream literature features the same kinds of stories told by the same voices. It fails to recognize the diversity of voices across Turtle Island. Stories exist and persist in diverse and divergent forms.

mihko kiskisiwin is a collection of Indigenous North American voices, from incarcerated and diversified Indigenous community members, elders, and youth to people with dis/abilities and 2SLGBTTQQIA+ people. This anthology by the Indigenous Poets Society (Saskatchewan-Ontario) showcases spoken and written poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction from emerging and established artists, writers, and performers.

Testimony is at the heart of this collection. With vulnerability and urgency, these writers illuminate the complexities of trauma, identity, and healing. By empowering diverse and divergent Indigenous voices, intersectional awareness and diversity flourish. We see how one story can't possibly encapsulate the breadth of Indigenous North American cultures and experiences.

In Cree, mihko kiskisiwin means blood memory. It's the idea that our ancestral knowledge is in our blood's memory, and calls for right relationship - cultural restoration and resilience, inter-related respectfulness, and interconnected reciprocity. This anthology is our stories in our own words - as a revolutionary act of remembering, reclamation & resurgence for future generations to come.