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Nebraska
Press Series 2
| Myths
and Traditions of the Arikara Indians
Douglas R. Parks, Cloth: 1996,xix,406,CIP.LC
95-43855,0-8032-3712-X Paper: 1996,xix,406,CIP.LC
95-43855,0-8032-8742-9
Sources of American Indian Oral Literature
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When trappers and fur traders first
encountered the Arikara Indians, they saw a settled
and well-organized people who could be firm friends
or fearsome enemies. Until the late eighteenth century
the Arikaras, close relatives of the Pawnees, were one
of the largest and most powerful tribes on the northern
plains. For centuries Arikaras lived along the middle
Missouri River. Today, they reside on the Fort Berthold
Reservation in North Dakota. Though much has been written
about the Arikaras, their own accounts of themselves
and the world as they see it have been available only
in limited scholarly editions. This collection is the
first to make Arikara myths, tales, and stories widely
accessible. The book presents voices of the Arikara
past closely translated into idiomatic English. The
narratives include myths of ancient times, legends of
supernatural power bestowed on selected individuals,
historical accounts, and anecdotes of mysterious incidents.
Also included in the collection are tales, stories the
Arikaras consider fiction, that tell of the adventures
and foibles of Coyote, Stuwi, and of a host of other
characters. Myths and Traditions of the Arikara Indians
offers a selection of narratives from Douglas R. Parks's
four-volume work, Traditional Narratives of the Arikara
Indians. The introduction situates the Arikaras in historical
context, describes the recording and translation of
the narratives, and discusses the distinctive features
of the narratives. For each story, cross references
are given to variant forms recorded among other Plains
tribes. Douglas R. Parks is a professor of anthropology
and associate director of the American Indian Studies
Research Institute at Indiana University. His publications
include an edition of James R. Murie's Ceremonies of
the Pawnee (Nebraska 1989).
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