Ah, I love the simplicity of this story to explain something about our world! I'm a firm "believer" in science, but it's also so cool to hear non-scientific explanations, like these, for why animals do certain things.
The Maiden Who Loved a Star
It's interesting how the Indians in these stories don't seem to care much about their physical form so long as they can attain some sort of spiritual end.
Old Quanah's Gift
How Sickness Entered the World
Don't mess with snakes. But seriously, snakes are usually portrayed of evil creatures in stories, so it's a very understandable mistake the two young Indians made.
Why the Irises Hold Hands
It sounds like the Great Spirit has some flaws. Just like gods in other stories can get angry, it seems like this god acts much like a human as well. I wonder what other flaws could be written into the Great Spirit? Could it be a jealous god as well? What would the Great Spirit be jealous of?
The Pecan Tree's Best Friend
I wonder if pecan trees and orioles are actually related today. I wonder what other relationships I could trace create a story out of. I might need to do some research on plants/animals for this story.
How the Rainbow Was Torn
It's interesting to me how most of the stories involved nature, and mostly use people the help explain something in nature. I would think there would be more lessons/teaching in the form of humans taking action and running into problems, but I guess that says a lot about the Tejas people.
Paisano, the Hater of the Rattlesnake
Competition is often very cutthroat, as this story showed. The actions by both of the characters are understandable, so there's not really a right or wrong here, in my opinion.
Maidens Who Broke a Drought
I really like the few common themes / motifs present in this one. The first is the idea of a great drought, which I am sure happened a lot back then, and the second is the willingness of the members of the tribe to sacrifice themselves for the good of the whole. Though some might view it as a form of brainwashing that is done to the young Indians, I view it more as something that is valued within the tribe and if it had been the elders, or the men, or the mothers, I think they all would have done the same.
The Cottonwood Remembers
Poor owl...
Why the Dog's Ears Flap
Dang, the last few stories were so sad! Poor doggies..
Rainbow drawing
via the UnTextbook
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