Description
Salish Myths and Legends: Our People's Stories is a selection of 48 traditional and historical oral accounts and stories collected from the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest and Plateau regions of the west coast. These accounts represent speakers from 23 of the 24 Salishan languages. The editors have organized the collection around several themes such as origins or epic stories; Basket Ogress stories; why things are the way they are; trickster stories; historical stories; when the animals were people accounts; the whiteman as other stories; oratory; humour; songs; modern poems and a story-poem; and journeys to other worlds stories. Each account offers readers background information about the storyteller, the translator, and the cultural context. This detail provides readers with some context for understanding the story that was once told in a Salish language and is now retold in English. The editors point out that while much is lost during the translation process, these stories can explain some of the cultural worldview of the storytellers. The book contains several detailed maps as well as a bibliography and index.