Reproduction of the original: Zuni Folk Tales by Frank Hamilton Cushing

The twenty-five myths offered here were recorded for a 1891 Bureau of American Ethnology report. They have been edited and annotated to present Zuni thought on cosmology, ethics and social order.

Zuni Folktales is a collection of traditional stories from the Zuni, a Native American people who live in the American southwest, mainly in the modern states of New Mexico and Arizona. These stories are a part of larger group of oral tradition. As such, there are no “definitive” versions of these tales, and the ones in this book are simply one possible version of the stories. Like traditional stories from other cultures, the tales from this collection often seek to teach something to the listener: how to behave, a moral lesson, or an explanation of natural phenomena. Frank Hamilton Cushing was an anthropologist who went on an expedition to collection data and artifacts from Native American cultures, which led him to do significant work on the Zuni people. The tales that he collected in this volume were told to him by Zuni natives. This book is part of the Standard Ebooks project, which produces free public domain ebooks.

The clever, beautiful maiden Sunflower promises to marry the man who can rid her fields of the wild animals that are eating the beans and corn.

Over one hundred stories showcasing the wisdom and artistry of one the world’s richest folktale traditions—the first panoramic anthology of Hispano-American folk narratives in any language. Gathered from twenty countries and combining the lore of medieval Europe, the ancient Near East, and pre-Columbian America, the stories brought together here represent a core collection of classic Latin American folktales. Among the essential characters are the quiet man's wife who knew the Devil's secrets, the three daughters who robbed their father's grave, and the wife in disguise who married her own husband—not to mention the Bear's son, the tricksters Fox and Monkey, the two compadres, and the classic rogue Pedro de Urdemalas. Featuring black-and-white illustrations throughout, this Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library edition is unprecedented in size and scope, including riddles, folk prayers, and fables never before translated into English.

A collection of folktales from around thewrld.

Now back in print after more than thirty years, The Zunis: Self-Portrayals offers forty-six stories of myth, prophecy, and history from the great oral literature of the Zuni Indians of New Mexico. Selected by the Zuni people themselves, the tales told here preserve their cultural traditions—from the Zuni creation myth and the rituals of masked dances to farming and hunting practices and battles with Navajos and Apaches. There are tales about ghosts and personified animals, and fables told to discipline children or to warn them against foolhardy bravery and braggadocio. Some of the stories are moral fables, and some are intended as entertainment pure and simple, tales told by a skillful narrator to pass a long evening.

As interest in folklore increases, the folktale acquires greater significance for students and teachers of literature. The material is massive and scattered; thus, few students or teachers have accessibility to other than small segments or singular tales or material they find buried in archives. Stith Thompson has divided his book into four sections which permit both the novice and the teacher to examine oral tradition and its manifestation in folklore. The introductory section discusses the nature and forms of the folktale. A comprehensive second part traces the folktale geographically from Ireland to India, giving culturally diverse examples of the forms presented in the first part. The examples are followed by the analysis of several themes in such tales from North American Indian cultures. The concluding section treats theories of the folktale, the collection and classification of folk narrative, and then analyzes the living folklore process. This work will appeal to students of the sociology of literature, professors of comparative literature, and general readers interested in folklore.

Sixty-one tales narrated by Yaquis reflect this people's sense of the sacred and material value of their territory.

A collection of folktales from the African-American oral tradition, presented as they have been told by professional black storytellers from Rhode Island to Oklahoma.