Handbook of Native American Mythology (Handbooks of World Mythology)

This revealing work introduces readers to the mythologies of Native Americans from the United States to the Arctic Circle-a rich, complex, and diverse body of lore, which remains less widely known than mythologies of other peoples and places. In thematic chapters and encyclopedia-style entries, Handbook of Native American Mythology examines the characters and deities, rituals, sacred locations and objects, concepts, and stories that define mythological cultures of various indigenous peoples. By tracing the traditions as far back as possible and following their evolution from generation to generation, Handbook of Native American Mythology offers a unique perspective on Native American history, culture, and values. It also shows how central these traditions are to contemporary Native American life, including the continuing struggle for land rights, economic parity, and repatriation of cultural property. With more than 40 photographs, illustrations, and maps, here is the most comprehensive and accessible introduction to the mythological heritage of Native North Americans available in one volume. Librarians Bastian (Colorado State U.-Fort Collins) and Mitchell (Hawkeye Community College, Iowa) present stories from some of the many native peoples of North America within the context of deities, themes, and concepts. They also survey the major cultural areas of the continent, the first Native Americans, the geography and climate, and the function and types of myth. One section is devoted to time, exploring such topics as cyclical aspects of time, mythic time, the time of transformers and animal people, and myths and historical time. Readers are expected to be non-specialists, and references and suggestions for further reading are provided