American Indians - Tribes & History
 The way of life of the many Indian nations was well illustrated by their legends and folk tales, which often reveal the habitat, habits, and principal occupations of the tribes which told them. They also reveal some of the inner workings of the Indian mind, their beliefs, hopes, fears, and what they lived, fought, and died for. Because of their beliefs in mystery, magic, signs, and omens, Indians lived in a fascinating world of their own until it was shattered by the invasion of the white man, whose actions and influence, coupled with diseases formerly unknown in this hemisphere, proved the most devastating, disruptive, and debasing happening in the long history of the American Indians.
Prior to the arrival of the white man, the Indians, “spartans of the plains and forests; lived happy, healthy, and adventurous lives. They were brave, stoic, simple and complex, warlike and peaceful, loyal, and self-sacrificing for family and friends. The code of the Great Confederation of the Iroquois, followed by the hundreds of their chiefs, was to be brave, truthful, patient, unselfish, chivalrous, generous to a fault, helpful to their people in every way without accepting anything in return, and to work united for peace and in all things, calling upon the Creator to help them in their undertakings. American Indian storytellers and their tales date from the time that the Indian was able to communicate intelligibly and intelligently. Many of the “modern” retellings of these legends, myths, and folk tales date from 1600 to 1760, when they were collected by the Jesuits. Since the early seventeenth century, legends have also been gathered by English, French, Dutch, and Spanish explorers and travelers, and set down as told by native storytellers. The tales have not materially changed, in reliable retellings, up to the twentieth century. This is remarkable, since setting down legends accurately was often difficult, chiefly because reliable interpreters were scarce. The early chroniclers had to be wary of would-be interpreters who ignored objectivity and sometimes embellished the tales passed down by the ancient storytellers or tried to build into them some of their own personality or beliefs. In translations made by white men who had insufficient knowledge of the Indian language, some legends lost authenticity, meaning, and Indian flavor. Fortunately, the majority of such misleading tales have been discredited through study and comparison with legends set down in the Annual Reports of the Bureau of American Ethnology and other anthropological and scientific sources. An amusing instance of taking liberties with translation occurred when the editor of this volume set down the legend of “The First Blackfish” for his book, Talking Stick Tales. The old Tlingit chief relating the tale said that the hunter rode on a sea lion’s back. Having previously heard the legend from a well-known Haida storyteller, the author suggested that it was not a sea lion but a gull. The Tlingit reluctantly replied: “What you heard about sea gull may be right; but because you write story for white people, maybe they believe it more if you say hunter went on back of sea lion-he much stronger than sea gull:’ American folklorists are greatly indebted to Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, a pioneer in the field, who collected many tales and legends during his thirty years’ stay with the Indians. His first book of Indian legends was published in 1839. Several of his best stories appear in this book. But it was probably Longfellow’s lengthy narrative poem (of rather un-Indian tempo), The Song of Hiawatha (1855), that first aroused public interest in the Indians of North America. The authentic records of unlettered peoples are usually short-lived, reaching back only in the memories of their oldest men. Among the Indian tribes, traditions and folklore were handed down orally and entrusted to those who showed a special aptitude in remembering them. Regarded as tribal historians, these men in turn instructed the boys. The Indians evinced little or no interest in recording unvarnished historical facts, hence they were often embellished by fantasy or embroidered with the supernatural, so that it was almost impossible to separate fancy from reality. The differences and distortions apparent in legend variants were often due to reinterpretations. Many long, detailed, verbal accounts of legendary lore have been almost entirely lost because only certain chiefs, medicine men, and storytellers were privileged to recite and explain some classes of traditions, especially sacred ones. Tribal rites, customs, songs, and dances were often based on such legends and myths. Some folklore was preserved in the form of songs adapted for use on suitable occasions. The primary myths, regarded as having sacred association and significance, were highly respected and were usually told in hushed voices, after dark, by specially appointed story-tellers, many of whom embellished their tales with prayer, song, dance, and wonderful mimicry. Some legends are of the classical type and display real literary art in their composition. |