Monday is Indigenous People's Day. A great way to celebrate is to learn more about indigenous cultures. Today we are sharing three fun books that share indigenous stories and reading them is a wonderful way to learn about the cultures as well as celebrate. They are great for any time of the year and also for people who want to celebrate in November, Native American Heritage Month. I get really excited about Native American stories and always have and these three are no different. The first book is First Fire: An Algonkian Story retold by Joseph Bruchac and James Bruchac and illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Publisher's Summary:
Imagine a time when humans huddled together to keep from freezing in the winters. A time without fire. Fire is one of the most basic needs for survival.Ancient stories of how it came to us can be found in virtually every human society and the indigenous cultures of North America are no exception.
However, unlike the stories of other continents, Native American traditional tales almost always seek to both entertain and teach. Also, a holistic relationship between humans and the natural world is stressed in many ways. The wisdom and the assistance of the animals are often crucial.
Such is the case in this Algonkian story of how a boy, with the aid of Fox, stole fire from the deadly monsters who selfishly kept it for themselves. Be ready to both enjoy and learn as you read this vibrantly illustrated telling of First Fire.
From Me:
In this folktale we learn the legend of how people got fire. The Algonkian People are from the Northern United States and Canada regions, so they had cold winters. As one might imagine not having fire would mean very cold winters. The people knew about fire, but four monsters guarded it and anyone who tried to get it got killed. One day a boy traps a fox, and the fox tells the boy she will show him how to get fire if he lets her live. He agrees. He follows what she tells him, and they are able to trap fire in the trees. She then tells him how to start a fire with two sticks.
The book is interesting. The monsters are a mother and her three daughters. The boy trusts the fox even though in some cultures foxes are supposed to be cunning. The fox helps the people have fire and it tells us how fire is always available in the wood. It is a fun story to read to learn more about the Algonkian cultures. For more about the Algonkian cultures (there are many) check out these posts.
The next book is a book that explains why things are a certain way. It is Rabbit Shoots the Sun: A Hopi Folktale retold by Terri Fields and illustrated by Gerald Dawavendewa. It is also recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Publisher's Summary:
How is it that rabbits became frightened of noise? Why does the sun rise slowly? Before science explained it all, a Hopi legend revealed some reasons. In this delightful retelling of an ancient fable by award-winning author Terri Fields, Rabbit sets out to teach Sun some manners about being too hot, but Sun isn’t really interested in changing. The two engage in a battle that forever changes both the sun and the rabbit. With charming illustrations by Hopi artist Gerald Dawavendewa, young readers will be enchanted by this timeless folktale.
From Me:
The Hopi People live in a desert area. They tell this tale to learn why rabbits are not fierce and why the desert blooms are yellow. In this tale, it is so hot because the sun is just always there. Rabbit can't take it anymore and gets his bow and heads to the place the sun always rises and is ready to shoot the sun. The sun however rises in a different spot and keeps changing it. Then one day the sun lets the Rabbit shoot it and by shooting it the sun gives off flames that chase Rabbit. Rabbit tries to hide under different trees and plants, but they all worry about catching fire and burning down except the desert bush. The bush protects Rabbit but it turned from green to yellow.
I always love this kind of folktale. The folktales that explain why things are the way they are. I find it so interesting to see what cultures have come up with and what mattered to them to come up with the stories. Obviously, the sun, rabbit and desert bush are/were important to the Hopi People. They were important enough to create a story about why they are the way they are. The Hopi are surrounded by Navajo Nation. For some information about the Navajo check out these posts.
Our next book is a creation story. It is Song of the Raven: An Inuit Tale of Harmony with Nature by Amanda Hall. It is also recommended for ages 4 to 8.
Publisher's Summary:
Raven has flown down from his world above the sky and has filled the Earth with creatures. But when he sees that the people have forgotten to respect what he has created, Raven angrily rips the shining sun from its place in the sky, leaving the Earth to freeze with just the moon for light. Life becomes hard for the people below. Little Darkness is an ordinary Inuit boy, except that he has been born with a special gift. But he will only discover it when he finds a strange object on the ice and hears the haunting lullaby his mother sang to him when he was a little baby. In deciding to pick up the object, his adventure will begin, taking him into a vast world beyond imagining. His journey will change him, the Earth, and all its inhabitants forever. Song of the Raven offers an Inuit message of hope and healing for children, parents, teachers, and anyone who wants to cherish and sustain our beautiful Earth.
From Me:
Ravens are important in many indigenous cultures. Perhaps because they are so smart. In this book the Earth and Raven world were separated but there was a hole Raven could travel through between them. Raven created the other animals and people and taught the people a song to remind them to care for their world and all the creatures. However, as most civilizations seem to go the people got greedy and fought and stopped caring. Raven got upset and returned to the Raven world and wanted nothing to do with the people. Raven took the sun away from the people. However, one woman swallowed a small feather when drinking water and had a child later on. She sang to the child the Raven's song. The child finds a raven mask and puts it on and grows wings. He flies and flies until he finds the hole to enter the Raven's world. This child helps heal the divide and gets Raven to bring back the sun.
This is an Inuit tale. Inuit live in the north--Alaska, Canada, Greenland, etc. They experience long dark winters, and I could see this story being about that time of darkness. I find it interesting to see how Raven is the creator as well as controls the sun. It is interesting again to see what was important to them to create such a story. The overall message is to care for the world and all the creatures. People need to live in harmony with nature. There are many Inuit cultures but to learn more about some of them check out these posts.
As you enter the long weekend and think about your plans, I hope you will consider doing something to learn about an indigenous culture and think about the people who were here before the Europeans "discovered" it.
