[Introduction] ix 1. ADVENTURE [Little Rabbit Discovers a Secret of Strength, Pueblo] 3 [Atagahi—The Secret Lake, Cherokee] 10 [Quarter Moon and Little Elk, Iroquois] 13 [A Kitten Brings a Boy His Feather, Nez Percé] 20 [Little Thunder Finds a Friend, Wyandot] 23 [How Not to Catch a Fish, Bella Coola] 29 [Little Fire Cloud’s Dream, Delaware] 33 [The Cry of the Horned Owl, Cayuga] 38 [The Dream That Led to Victory, Apache] 42 2. HUNTING AND FISHING [Grey Calf Learns to Hunt Buffalo, Crow] 53 [Little Fox and the Golden Eagle, Apache] 60 [How Long Moose Became a Brave, Powhatan] 65 [How a Fishing Trip Taught Loyalty to a Boy, Iroquois] 71 [Little Bear’s First Hunt, Apache] 79 [Crying Eagle Sees a Great Battle, Iroquois] 84 [Spotted Tail and the Ghost Wolf, Mohawk] 89 3. CUSTOMS [The Tribes Gather, Cree] 99 [Singing Eagle’s First Clothes, Huron] 105 [The New Tepee, Blackfoot] 108 [Little Dove Learns to Weave, Winnebago] 112 [Red Cloud’s Dream, Algonquin] 117 [Broken Tooth and the War Bonnet, Apache] 127 [Grey Squirrel Hears His Name, Oneida] 129 4. HEROISM [Little Fawn and the Wolves, Choctaw] 139 [The Island, Iroquois] 144 [A New Bow for Tani, Cherokee] 149 [Singing Waters and the Medicine Well, Teton-Dakota] 153 [The War That Should Not Have Happened, Comanche] 160 [Little Horse and the Painted Arrow, Delaware] 174 [Falling Water Earns a Feather, Dakota-Sioux] 192 [The Race with Death, Apache] 197 [The Storm, Algonquin] 210 5. CHARACTER [Sleeping Bear Makes a Mistake, Montagnais] 217 [The Lesson of the Elm Tree, Cherokee] 220 [The Race, Oneida] 225 [Little Thunderbird Tells the Truth, Blackfoot] 241 [The Prize No One Could See, Kickapoo] 247 [The Mysterious Pony Raiders, Blackfoot] 253 [The Canoe Race, Ottawa] 263 [Standing Fawn Makes a Doll, Shawnee] 269 [Black Cloud Remembers, Seneca] 274 [The Miracle of the Pine Grove, Iroquois] 281 [Crooked Arrow Finds a Friend, Shawnee] 286 [The Boy and the Warrior Chief, Seneca] 300

INTRODUCTION

This is a collection of American Indian tales for pre-teen boys and girls, a fact that does not obviate the possibility of their interest to parents and youth leaders, as well. All have been tested by the author-compiler with youngsters in many settings—in homes, in church, Scout and Y groups, by the campfire, in meeting rooms, and even in buses.

Those stories which the author has created are based upon Indian lore and customs. Many of the traditional stories were related to him by his Indian friends, descendants of the braves who first recounted them many generations ago. Both the original and the traditional tales are set down within the general context of Indian history, but without any pretense that the events actually took place.

Authenticity, however, in the life, customs, and moral standards of the Indians has been striven for in each story. Throughout, an attempt has been made to impart, without “preaching” at youngsters, three major ethical values common to all American Indians—courage, honesty in dealing with others, and truthfulness in speech.

The tales are of varying length, but all are short to conform with the interest span of average pre-teeners—and, hopefully, to leave them eager for the next story session.

It will be noted that both Indian boys and girls play leading roles. The author has found that the appeal of each story has been equal for both sexes irrespective of whether it has a young hero or heroine.

Parents and youth leaders will observe, too, that stress is placed in several stories upon the close father-son and mother-daughter relationship—completely true in Indian culture, and as much coveted in the formative pre-teen years of our own children today.

Whether read to children, or adapted and retold to them, or read by children themselves, it is hoped that these stories will be cherished as much by them as by the hundreds of boys and girls who helped, unwittingly, to select them for this book.

Theodore Whitson Ressler