Margot Edmonds

This is another of the collections of Native American legends authored or coauthored by Ella Elizabeth Clark. I've had this book since the late nineties, among others, collecting all I could find. Ella E. Clark's books are the most prized by me, being as she went to great lengths in pursuit of authenticity. Many are long out of print, but can be found in used books outlets.

Where other of Clark's books are more regionalized, this is a broad spectrum covering tribes of the Northwest, Southwest, Great Plains, Central Region, Southeast, and Northeast regions of North America.

So what's the big deal about Native American legends? Besides reviving memories of legends heard in my youth, and employing some, or the ideas of, in my writing, I've long wondered how Native Americans came by some of the legends. Legends that may have been collected and recorded in the last couple hundred years, but are supposedly many thousands of years old, passed down orally. Some are for entertaining youth, many more are moral/ethics lessons, and others are about ancient history, some uncannily accurate in their essence.

For example, (from Ella E. Clark's Indian Legends from the Northern Rockies, Shoshone and Bannock's section) the earth was first fire, then water, then Turtle Island was formed, with the story enhanced of course. How would primitives imagine this?

Another example (in this book) is titled The flood on Superstition Mountain which bears a resemblance to the Noah's Arc Bible story, but likely has its origins in a time before the Bible, certainly before Native Americans were aware of the Bible.

In other words, this book and others by Ella E. Clark, can stir up a lot of thoughts and questions. They can even bring to mind moral issues that we've trampled on.

At the same time, I would caution readers about the many versions of Native American legends that are to be found in today's 'information world.' Many are our own versions misinterpreted or twisted for our own purposes.… (meer)