Legends of the Northern Paiute / as told by Wilson Wewa ; compiled and edited and with an introduction by James A. Gardner.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wewa, Wilson, author.

Contributor:

Gardner, James A., compiler, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Northern Paiute Indians--Folklore.

Northern Paiute Indians.

Legends--Great Basin.

Legends.

Folklore--Great Basin.

Folklore.

Great Basin--Social life and customs.

Great Basin.

Manners and customs.

United States--Great Basin.

Genre:

Folklore.

Physical Description:

xliv, 127 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Corvallis : Oregon State University Press, 2017.

Summary:

"Legends of the Northern Paiute shares and preserves twenty-one original and previously unpublished Northern Paiute legends, as told by Wilson Wewa, a spiritual leader and oral historian of the Warm Springs Paiute.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.

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.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9780870719004

0870719009

OCLC:

983824495