They dance in the sky : Native American star myths / compiled by Jean Guard Monroe and Ray A. Williamson ; illustrations by Edgar Stewart

Object Details

compiler

Monroe, Jean Guard

Williamson, Ray A. 1938-

illustrator

Stewart, Edgar 1959-

NMAI copy 39088019778430 gift of Rayna green.

Contents

Seven dancing stars : legends of the Pleiades. Bright Shining Old Man (Onondaga) -- Raccoon's children and baby coyote (Shasta) -- Wild Onion Woman (Monache) -- Baakil and his wives (Tachi Yokut). Celestial bear : stories of the Big Dipper. The celestial bear (Micmac) -- Grizzly bear brother-in-law (Coeur d'Alene) -- How Coyote arranged the sky (Wasco) -- The elk hunters (Snohomish). Coyote scatters the stars : myths from the Southwest. Black God and his stars (Navajo) -- The little girl who scatters the stars (Pueblo) -- Coyote scatters the stars (Cochiti) -- The dove maidens (Picuris). When stars fell to earth : legends of the Pawnee. Stone God (Skidi Pawnee) -- The Pawnee constellations -- The seventh star (Skidi Pawnee) -- Basket Woman, mother of the stars (Skidi Pawnee) -- White Elk, the bear man (Pitahawirata). Morning star : legends of the Plains Indians. The fixed star (Blackfoot) -- The sacred star (Omaha) -- The sun dance wheel (Arapaho) -- The seven stars (Assiniboin). They live in the sky : stories of the California Indians. The land of the dead (Gabrielino) -- Sky Coyote (Chumash) -- How Rattlesnake had his revenge (Luiseño) -- The seven boys-turned-geese (Chumash) -- Eight wise men (Chumash) -- The seven sisters (Luiseño) -- The wolf and the crane (Tachi Yokut) -- Journey of the piñon gatherers (Chumash). Chinook wind : stories from the Northwest coast. The elkskin (Quileute) -- Coyote loves a star (Klamath) -- Chinook Wind wrestles Cold Wind (Wasco). Star beings : tales from the Southeast. The door through the sky (Cherokee) -- What the stars are like (Cherokee) -- The celestial canoe (Alabama) -- Anitsutsa, the boys (Cherokee) -- Where the dog ran (Cherokee)

Summary

A collection of legends about the stars from various North American Indian cultures, including explanations of the Milky Way and constellations such as the Big Dipper.

1987

Type

Folklore

Literature

Physical description

xii, 130 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place

North America

Smithsonian Libraries

Topic

Indian mythology

Stars

Indians of North America--Folklore

Stars--Folklore

Record ID

siris_sil_562925

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0