Zitkala-Sa, a South Dakota Sioux born in 1876, the year of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, was an educator, musician, writer, and activist. She served as the secretary and treasurer of the Society of American Indians and as editor of its American Indian Magazine. Old Indian Legends introduces Sioux traditions, including Iktomi (a trickster who often takes the form of a spider), Iya the glutton (able to consume whole villages), and the characters of the Sioux world-coyotes, ducks, the terrifying Red Eagle and the stranger who slays it, turtles, toads, mice, bears, badgers, and more. While at first these traditions and stories may strike the outsider as different and alien, to some extent they can evoke some European fairy tale traditions.
An amusing collection of Dakota-Sioux fables, often featuring the vain and mischievous imp, Iktomi.
Fables such as these were told to Dakota-Sioux children for entertainment; but often, also, to teach through negative example, the importance of honor, modesty, manners, and other aspects of a noble Indian lifestyle.
CONTENTS:
* Iktomi and the Ducks
* Iktomi's Blanket
* Iktomi and the Muskrat
* Iktomi and the Coyote
* Iktomi and the Fawn
* The Badger and the Bear
* The Tree-Bound
* Shooting of the Red Eagle
* Iktomi and the Turtle
* Dance in a Buffalo Skull
* The Toad and the Boy
* Iya, the Camp-Eater
* Manstin, the Rabbit
* The Warlike Seven
A letter from Helen Keller
Based on the life of the author and members of her tribe, these stories provide a revealing glimpse into the world of the Dakota-Sioux at the turn of the last century.
""There is no great; there is no small; in the mind that causeth all."" -- Zitkala-Sa
The audiobook consists of several distinct parts. Part One is based on the experiences of the author, and describes a young girl growing up in a changing environment. Part Two consists of revealing stories about other members of her tribe. In the Outro, the author decries the handling of America's Indian problem.
CONTENTS:
Part One:
* Impressions of an Indian Childhood
* The School Days of an Indian Girl
* An Indian Teacher Among Indians
* The Great Spirit
Part Two:
* The Soft-Hearted Sioux
* The Trial Path
* A Warrior's Daughter
* A Dream of Her Grandfather
* The Widespread Enigma Concerning Blue-Star Woman
Outro:
+ America's Indian Problem
