Synopses & Reviews
The rich storytelling tradition of the Inupiaq Eskimos of Alaska is showcased in this unique collection of over eighty stories. Meticulously compiled from six villages in Northwest Alaska between 1966 and 1987, the stories are presented as part of a living tradition, complete with biographies, photos, and introductory remarks of the Native storytellers. This collection includes a new version of the Qayaq cycle, one of the best-known legends from the region, which is told by Nora Norton. Each story provides insight into Inupiaq worldview, human-animal relationships, and the organization of family life.
The stories are accompanied by two in-depth introductory essays by Wanni W. Anderson that provide cultural and narrative background. Anderson's essays demonstrate her focus on the narrative context of storytelling, as well as her sensitivity to details such as Inupiaq exclamations, gender, age, and regional differences, and the concept of story ownership. This volume is a significant contribution to Native literature and Alaska anthropology.
Stories include:
Raven Who Brought Back the Land, by Robert Nasruk Cleveland
The Cannibal Child, by Nora Norton
The Girl Who Had No Wish to Marry, by Willie Goodwin, Sr.
The Fast Runner, by Leslie Burnett
The Raven and the Loon, by Nellie Russell
The Mouse and the Man in the Qayaq, by Minnie Gray
Synopsis
The rich storytelling tradition of the I¤upiaq Eskimos of Alaska is showcased in this remarkable collection of over eighty stories. Meticulously compiled from six villages in Northwest Alaska between 1966 and 1987, the stories are presented as part of a living tradition, complete with biographies, photos, and introductory remarks by Native storytellers. Each story provides insight into I¤upiaq worldview, human-animal relationships, and the organization of family life.
The Dall Sheep Dinner Guest includes a new version of the Qayaq cycle, one of the best-known legends from the region, as well as epics such as "The Fast Runner." A major contribution to the Native literature of Alaska, this collection includes two introductory essays by Wanni W. Anderson that provide historical background and a foundation for understanding I¤upiaq exclamations, gender, age, and regional differences, and the narrative context of storytelling.
Stories include:
The Qayaq Cycle by Nora Norton
The Last War With the Indians by Wesley Woods
The Orphan With No Clothes by Emma Skin
The Goose Maiden by Nora Norton
The Girl Who Had No Wish to Marry by Willie Goodwin, Sr.
Raven Who Brought Back the Land by Robert Cleveland
How the Caribou Lost Their Teeth by Nora Norton
About the Author
Wanni W. Anderson has a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Anthropology and Ethnic Studies Concentration, Brown University. Her teaching and research interests include ethnicity and identity, folklore, and nationalism. She has conducted extensive research on the Kobuk and Selawik Rivers in Northwest Alaska. She is a co-author of Kuuvangmiut Subsistence: Traditional Eskimo Life in the Latter Twentieth Century (1988).
Table of Contents
Stories include:
Raven Who Brought Back the Land, by Robert Nasruk Cleveland
The Cannibal Child, by Nora Norton
The Girl Who Had No Wish to Marry, by Willie Goodwin, Sr.
The Fast Runner, by Leslie Burnett
The Raven and the Loon, by Nellie Russell
The Mouse and the Man in the Qayaq, by Minnie Gray