Sunday, October 23, 2016

Reading Notes: California and the Old Southwest, Part B

Origin of the Sierra Nevadas

Poor duck! Being sacrificed like that is unfortunate.

Again, a lot of these stories focus on animal-creators rather than human creators. Could the Native Americans not imagine a creator that was human-like and thus replaced the traditional "god" model by animal creators?

Tu-Tok-A-Nu'-La (El Capitan)

"measuring worm"?

The Children of Cloud

That was a cool story. If I were to write a story like this one, I think the best approach would be to pick some sort of natural landmark and make up some characters with mystical powers that interact in some way to produce the desired land form.

Sounds hard though.

The Boy Who Became a God

Good story, the curious boy manages to experience a whole lot of things but his elders don't believe him. In the end, he is rewarded for not being discouraged by the other members of his tribe.

Origin of the Raven and the Macaw

Coyote and the Hare; Coyote and Fawns


"I am very very stupid." - I feel like this coyote is me sometimes!

Ah, what a great modern message we have here about body image. Beauty isn't worth hurting yourself over!

Coyote and the Quails

How horrifying. How did the coyote not notice his own flesh missing?

Okay, that coyote is really dumb. What makes him think that the quails would tell the truth, leading them to their own demise?

How the Bluebird Got Its Color

Man, the Pima people really don't like the coyote.

Couldn't coyote just jump in the water to get the dirt off? He shouldn't be scared of the water anymore.

Coyote's Eyes

I guess the moral of the story is to not ask for too much! Coyote should have been content with his shinier eyes the first time around.

Coyote as a Hunter

I was surprised that this story didn't end up with the coyote being sprayed by the skunk.This story does a good job of showing the duality of the coyote: the ever-scheming trickster and the greedy creature who always desires for more.

File:Scarlet-Macaw.jpg

Scarlet macaw, via Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson. Source.

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