No claim whatever is made for original work. Indeed, original work of any kind in a compilation such as this would impair the authenticity of the myths, and therefore destroy the value of this work. Nor has any effort been made towards “style.” The only style worth having in telling an Indian legend is that of the Indian himself.

K. B. J.

Seattle, Washington.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE
The CreationOsage[19]
How the World was MadeCherokee[22]
The Flood and the RainbowLenni-Lenapi (Delaware)[26]
The First FireCherokee[28]
The Ancestors of PeopleOsage[31]
Origin of StrawberriesCherokee[32]
Sacred LegendOmaha[34]
The Legend of the Peace PipesOmaha[38]
A Tradition of the CalumetLenni-Lenapi (Delaware)[41]
The Sacred PoleOmaha[43]
Ikto and the ThundersTeton[46]
The Thunder BirdComanche[47]
The Thunder BirdAssiniboin[48]
Song to the Thunder GodsOmaha[49]
Songs of the Buffalo HuntSioux[50]
Origin of the BuffaloTeton[53]
The Buffalo BeingTeton[55]
The Youth and the Underground PeopleOmaha[57]
The Buffalo and the Grizzly BearOmaha[68]
My First Buffalo HuntOmaha[71]
Bird OmensSioux[73]
The Bird ChiefOmaha[74]
Song of the BirdsPawnee[75]
Song of Kawas, the EaglePawnee[77]
The Eagle’s RevengeCherokee[78]
The Race between Humming Bird and CraneCherokee[80]
Rabbit and the TurkeysOmaha[82]
Unktomi and the Bad SongsDakota[84]
How the Pheasant Beat CornCherokee[88]
Why Turkey GobblesCherokee[89]
Omaha BeliefsOmaha[90]
Pawnee BeliefsPawnee[92]
A Song of HospitalitySioux[95]
A Song of the MarchSioux[96]
Song of the Prairie BreezeKiowa[97]
Old-Woman-Who-Never-DiesMandan[98]
Legend of the CornArikara[101]
Tradition of the Finding of HorsesPonca[105]
Dakota Beliefs and CustomsDakota[108]
Why the Tetons Bury on ScaffoldsTeton[110]
The Ghost’s ResentmentDakota[111]
The Forked RoadsOmaha[116]
Tattooed GhostsDakota[117]
A Ghost StoryPonca[118]
The Ghost and the TravelerTeton[119]
The Man who Shot a GhostTeton[120]
The Indian Who Wrestled with a GhostTeton[122]
The Wakanda, or Water GodYankton[126]
The Spirit LandArapahoe[129]
Waziya, the Weather SpiritTeton[131]
Kansas BlizzardsKansa[132]
Ikto and the SnowstormTeton[133]
The Southern BrideCherokee[135]
The Fallen StarDakota[136]
Quarrel of Sun and MoonOmaha[147]
Why the Possum Plays DeadCherokee[148]
Bog MythDakota[150]
Coyote and SnakeOmaha[151]
Why the Wolves Help in WarDakota[153]
How Rabbit Escaped from the WolvesCherokee[155]
How Rabbit Lost His FatOmaha[157]
How Flint Visited RabbitCherokee[158]
How Rabbit Caught the Sun in a TrapOmaha[161]
How Rabbit Killed the GiantOmaha[163]
How Deer Got His HornsCherokee[167]
Why the Deer has Blunt TeethCherokee[169]
Legend of the Head of GoldDakota[171]
The Milky WayCherokee[175]
Coyote and Gray FoxPonca[176]
Ictinike and TurtleOmaha[178]
Ictinike and the CreatorsOmaha[181]
How Big Turtle Went on the War PathOmaha[186]

ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE
Bianki’s Vision[Frontispiece]
Woman’s Costume[32]
An Elderly Omaha Beau[33]
Tattooing, Showing Conventional Design of the Peace Pipe[42]
Bull Boat[43]
German Knights and Indian Warriors[56]
Rivalry over the Buffalo[70]
Capture of a Wandering Buffalo[71]
Five Chiefs of the Ogalla Sioux[84]
Old Horse[85]
Siouan Tents[96]
An Arapahoe Bed[97]
Indian Scaffold Cemetery on the Missouri River[110]
An Omaha Village, Showing Earth Lodge and Conical Tepees[111]
Black Coyote[122]
Ornamentation on the Reverse of an Arapahoe “ghost-dance” Shirt[123]
“Killed two Arikara chiefs”[132]
Many Tongues, or Loud Talker[133]
Petroglyph in Nebraska[144]
Plains Indians Dragging Brush for a Medicine Lodge[156]
An Earth Lodge[157]
Kansa Chief[168]
Big Goose[169]
Omaha Assault on a Dakota Village[186]
“Killed ten men and three women”[187]