Linguists have long marveled at the extraordinary beauty and suppleness of the Karuk Indian language. This bilingual collection includes both literal and free translations. The stories selected are truest to Karuk tone, tempo, and coloration—yet are accessible to outside readers. They get the reader as close as an outsider can get to experiencing Indian literature at its finest.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Folklorist Lang, himself a Karuk Indian, has packed more than a tantalizing collection of myths into this slim volume. In his introduction, he also provides the history of the tribe, a description of its way of life and details of its religion--all of which help the reader understand the stories that follow. For the Karuk, their stories, like everything in their universe, were living entities with power all their own. An account of why the yellowjacket wasp stings humans doubles as a healing story, helping children forget the pain of the injury as they listen. Another tale explains the origins of angelica root, the tribe's most powerful medicine, which was ordained to help people get over the grief of loss and death. The final piece records the ruminations of Karuk elders early in this century as they ponder what will become of their people and their ways. According to Lang, this myth still asks a pertinent question: ``What does it mean to be a traditional Indian in the last decade of the 20th century?'' One drawback here is the line-by-line presentation of Karuk with literal and modern English translations, a layout that is sometimes hard to read. Several archival photographs of Karuk life add to the volume's allure.
Copyright 1994 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Folklorist Lang... has packed more than a tantalizing collection of myths into this slim volume..." -- Publishers Weekly
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I'm part Karuk and I'm glad that I could learn some of my la,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ararapikva: Traditional Karuk Indian Literature from Northwestern California (Literatures of Native California) (Paperback)
This is an excellent book and the aouthor is fantastic. My favorite creation story was A Trip to Indian Heaven.
4.0 out of 5 stars
TALES OF THE KALAMATH,
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This review is from: Ararapikva: Traditional Karuk Indian Literature from Northwestern California (Literatures of Native California) (Paperback)
I AM PLEASED WITH THE SUBJECTS OF THIS BOOK - IT IS VERY REWARDING TO FIND A BOOK WRITTEN FOR THE NATIVE AMERICANS. THEY HAVE A CULTURE THAt RICH IN HISTORY,CULTURE, LANGUAGE AND TRIBAL BLIEFS. THIS BOOK GIVES US AN INSIGHT iNTO PART OF WHAT WAS THEIR WAY OF KNOWLEDGE ANDN PHILOSOPHY "THE PEOPLE OF THE OLD DAYS" - I AM PROUD OF THE KARUK--THEY ARE RETURNING TO THEIR ORIGINAL LANGUAGE-- AND USING IT IN EVERY DAY DITUATIONS. IT IS OPENING UP A GREAT HISTORICSL INSIGHT TO A GREAT PEOPLE.(araar)
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