Synopses & Reviews
Native American Stories is a collection of myths drawn from the native cultures of North Americafrom the Inuit in the north to the Zuni, Hopi and Cherokee in the south. A common thread throughout these stories is the native view of the world as familyEarth as our Mother, Sun as our Father and the animals as our brother and sisters. The stories foster an ethic of stewardship by clearly showing that we are entrusted with a very special missonto maintain the natural balance, to take care of our Mother, to be Keepers of the Earth. Each story is beautifully illustrated by Mohawk artist John Kaionhes Fadden.
The stories in this collection, which come from Keepers of the Eartha book that unites western scientific methods and Native AMerican traditional storiescan be called "lesson stories." All come from native oral traditions. They have been chosen because the lessons they teach are relatively easy for nonnative people to understand. Some of these stories have more than one lesson to teach. As Joseph Campbell explains in The Power of Myth, the same stories mean different things to us at different times in our lives, and as we grow, those stories grow with us. The story of Gluscabi and the game animals is one such story. While using this story in workshops, my coauthor Michael Caduto and I have asked people ho many lessons are taught by this one tale. No group ever comes up with fewer than a dozen. Joseph Bruchac, from the introduction
About the Author
Michael J. Caduto is an award-winning author, master storyteller, poet, musician, educator, and ecologist. He has received numerous awards, including the New York State Outdoor Education Association's Art and Literary Award, New England's Regional Award for Excellence in Environmental Education, the American Booksellers' "Pick of the List" Award, and the Association of Children's Booksellers' Choice Award, among others. Joseph Bruchac, coauthor of The Keepers of the Earth series, is a nationally acclaimed Native American storyteller and writer who has authored more than 70 books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for adults and children. He lives in upstate New York.