I liked this story a lot. It's always cool to me when stories like this one use characters (like the storm god and Hurakan) to explain natural phenomena like hurricanes and thunderstorms. Also, they explained the formation of islands off of the Gulf of Mexico, which was a cool bonus.
I could see a story written in a similar format but used to explain a different natural phenomenon.
How the North Wind Lost His Hair
Again, this story has another great characterization of natural occurrences.
The Plant That Grows in Trees
Short and sweet! I wonder if there's any factual backing to this story? Probably not, but it makes for a nice tale.
Why the Woodpecker Pecks
Woah, that was quite the twist at the end. Also, this story makes for good anti-peyote propaganda. Story idea: write a similar folksy tale but that warns against the dangers of another drug, like heroin or marijuana.
The Woodpecker's Stumpy Tail
For some reason it didn't occur to me to think of birds as having tails. After doing a quick Google search, I can confirm that the Woodpecker has a strange, jagged one.
Old Woolly Bird's Sacrifice
The story never goes into how long the rest of the tribe lasts because of the elders' great sacrifice, but I guess we are to assume that they were "saved" by the actions of Old Woolly? I could see some sort of survival story (maybe post-apocalyptic?) ending with the elderly people sacrificing themselves for the younger ones for the good of the whole.
A Tribe That Left Its Shoes
I really like how these stories are written. I found it a little curious that the stories refer to all of these tribes as "Indians", but I guess there might not be a better word for the translation? Or maybe the specific tribe or tribes that were involved have been lost over the years?
Anyway, here's another survival story that gave me the idea to write an account of a family escaping a volcanic eruption! Would be kind of cool.
The Cloud That Was Lost
The cloud being drunk by the flowers provided a nice visual.
The Swift Blue One
"Horse language" stuck out to me in this story. What else can be communicated by horses? Can they talk to humans, or can humans just give commands?
Grandmother River's Trick
Illustration of the Woodpecker
via the UnTextbook
Bibliography: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends by Florence Stratton. Source.
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