First Nations & Native American
Myths & Legends

First Nations and Native American Myths and Legends

• Attack of the Mammoth
  A mammoth attacks and kills a hunter and stalks his wife and child. (Kaska First Nation)

• The Bloody Knife
  Many and many a year ago, two Micmac warriors from rival villages got into a terrible argument. Harsh words were exchanged, and then knives were pulled.

• Coyote and the Columbia
  The origins of the Colombia River. (Washington)

• Coyote and Wishpoosh
  How the Northwest coastal tribes were formed.

• Crow Brings the Daylight
  Crow flys to the south, seeking to bring daylight to the Inuit, who live in darkness all year long. (Inuit)

• The First Tears
  Inuit tale about the origins of tears. (Alaska)

• The Guardian of Yosemite
  The beautiful spirit of Yosemite falls in love with a great chief.

• The Heron and the Hummingbird
  Why Herons eat fish and Hummingbirds drink nectar.

• How Selfishness was Rewarded
  A young girl refuses to share food with her starving family in this Tlingit myth from Alaska.

• The King of Sharks
  The King of the Sharks has a mischievious son. (Hawaii)

• The Maid of the Mist
  The tale of the maiden who lived behind Niagara Falls and the origin of the famous horseshoe falls.
• Rabbit Plays Tug-of-War
  Rabbit tricks two water Snakes into playing tug-of-war.

• Rainbow Crow
  The snow has come to Earth and all the animals are freezing. Can Rainbow Crow save them?

• The Spirit Lodge
  A great chief returns after his death to guard his people.
• The Trickster Tricked
  (In which Terrapin the Turtle outwits the Trickster Rabbit)
  Turtle and Rabbit decide to run a race. Guess who wins?

• The White Horse
  Mounted on a white horse, a new bride flees for her life from a rejected suitor.

• Who Calls?
  A Cree warrior journeying to the home of his beloved hears her voice calling his name in the night.

• Why Opossum Has a Bare Tail
  Opossum wants to make pretty rings on his tail, just like Raccoon.

• Why Opossum Has a Pouch
  Big Bat steals Opossum's babies and she must find someone to steal them back.

• Windigo
  A starving warrior comes face to face with a cannibalistic monster called a Windigo.

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© S.E. Schlosser 1997 - 2006.

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