"I am humbled studying these thoughts of my sisters. Theirs is not a knowledge that changes with the whims of society but a wisdom that will forever move with the contents of the universe." Darryl Babe Wilson, author of The Morning the Sun Went Down

Animal stories have been handed down through the rich oral traditions of over five hundred distinct American Indian languages and cultures, offering understanding about and guidance to the natural and social worlds. The fiction and poetry gathered in this collection honor these traditions, retelling and reshaping traditional narratives, by recalling their ancient wisdom and renewing their spirit in new contexts.

Contributors

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Elizabeth C. Ali, Paula Gunn Allen, Salli M. Kawennotakie Benedict, Gloria Bird, Linda Boyden, Beth Brant, Carmen Buchanan, Ella Cara Deloria, Carolyn Dunn, Anita Endrezze, Louise Erdrich,

Lynda Martinez Foley, Janice Gould, Joy Harjo, Inéeacute;s Hernáaacute;ndez-Ávila, Roberta Hill, Linda Hogan, Monelle Boyett Holley, LeAnne Howe, Mary Ike, Shaunna McCovey, Judith Minty, Deborah Miranda, MariJo Moore, Mourning Dove, Jody Nokwisa Peiffer-Willett, Georgia Orcutt, Dawn Karima Pettigrew, Suzanne Rancourt, Catherine Ruiz

Cheryl Savageau, Stephanie Sellers, Leslie Marmon Silko, Griselda Suárez, Mary TallMountain, Luci Tapahonso

Georgiana Valoyce-Sanchez, Lela Northcross Wakely