Folk-Lore and Legends: North American Indian

About this book

This volume is a collection of North‑American Indian folklore assembled by an unnamed compiler who seeks to showcase the “primitive character and beliefs” of the peoples through their tales. The book opens with a reflective preface that praises the beauty of the language, imagination, and moral sentiment found in these stories, then presents a contents list of over thirty narratives ranging from “Moowis” and “The Girl who Married the Pine‑tree” to “Manabozho the Wolf.” The first story, “Moowis,” introduces a winter hunting camp, a proud young warrior, and a supernatural “Dirt‑and‑Rag Man” fashioned from discarded clothing and animal parts, setting a tone of vivid mythic action and cultural insight.

The prose is characteristic of late‑19th‑ to early‑20th‑century ethnographic compilations, blending a scholarly voice with a romantic admiration for indigenous oral tradition. The language is formal yet descriptive, preserving the original storytelling cadence while occasionally inserting the compiler’s commentary. Readers interested in early anthropological literature, comparative mythology, or the rich narrative world of Native American legends will find this work rewarding, as it offers both entertaining tales and a window into the values and imagination of the cultures from which they arise.