Choctaw Tales [Paperback]

Tom Mould (Editor), Chief Phillip Martin (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2004

Including stories from the 1700s to today, Choctaw Tales showcases the mythic, the legendary and supernatural, the prophecies and histories, the animal fables and jokes that make up the rich and lively Choctaw storytelling tradition. The stories display intelligence, artistry, and creativity as Choctaw narrators, past and present, express and struggle with beliefs, values, humor, and life experiences. Photographs of the storytellers complement the text. For sixteen tales, the Choctaw-language version appears in addition to the English translation.

Many of these stories, passed down through generations, address the Choctaw sense of isolation and tension as storytellers confront eternal, historical, and personal questions about the world and its inhabitants. Choctaw Tales, the first book to collect these stories, creates a comprehensive gathering of oral traditions from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Each story brings to life the complex and colorful world of the Choctaw tribe and its legend and lore. The shukha anumpa include tall tales, jokes, and stories of rabbit and turtle and bear. The stories of the elders are populated by spirits that bring warnings and messages to the people. As a whole, these tales provide a spectrum of legend and a glimpse of a vibrant, thriving legacy.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The stories in this landmark volume were collected from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, one of eight Choctaw bands in the state, by Mould, a professor of folklore, and his fieldworkers. Teachers, health workers, counselors at a Choctaw language camp, artists, basket makers, and elders--some speaking only Choctaw--contributed stories that have been passed on for centuries. These include two creation stories, one telling of the tribe's migration to Mississippi from the west, the other telling of its emergence from a sacred mound, led by divine providence. Then there are the shukha anumpa ("hog talk"), humorous stories that are either exaggerations of human foibles, often with a Christian moral, or animal stories, where cleverness is rewarded and pride punished. There are supernatural stories revolving around the devil, historical legends recounting the Choctaw removal to Oklahoma in 1830, and prophetic tales telling of coming disasters. Included are short biographies of all the storytellers and 16 tales transcribed in Choctaw as well as English--making them especially valuable for future scholars. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

A treasury of tribal lore told by past and present Choctaw storytellers

Features traditional tales of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians

Uses tales from living storytellers in the tribe and includes the storyteller's photograph and a brief biography

Combines excellent folklore fieldwork with entertaining and enlightening stories

Receives the tribe's endorsement via a foreword by Chief Phillip Martin --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi; First Edition, 1st Printing edition (September 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578066832
• ISBN-13: 978-1578066834
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #400,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great compilation of stories, August 8, 2006

By 

grasshopper4 (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Choctaw Tales (Paperback)

The book begins with a rich descriptions of the various settings in which the stories of the Choctaw people continue to be told. Mould provides vivid accounts of a range of storytelling sessions and clearly shows that it isn't accurate to view this tradition as a lost art. He then provides a useful description of salient aspects of Choctaw history and culture to contextualize the stories. His discussions of the various narrative genres and the various spiritual and supernatural beings are especially intriguing. The book then consists of a well-organized and highly readable presentation of fascinating stories. Some of them were compiled from previous collections while others are stories that he collected with the assistance of people within the Choctaw community. The stories are interesting reading and provide an important documentation of a vibrant storytelling tradition. It is especially interesting to read these stories while thinking about the continuity of contemporary tales with the older stories of the past.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Basic Folklore Collection, November 7, 2004

By 

P. Nagy "revreader" (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Choctaw Tales (Paperback)

Choctaw Tales by Tom Mould, Phillip (University Press of Mississippi) Including stories from the 1700s to today, Choctaw Tales showcases the myths, legends, supernatural tales, prophecies, histories, animal tales and jokes that make up the rich and lively Choctaw storytelling tradition. The stories display intelligence, artistry, and creativity as the Choctaw narrators, past and present, express and struggle with beliefs, values, humor, and life experiences. Photographs of the storytellers complement the text. For sixteen tales, the Choctaw-language version appears in addition to the English translation.
Many of these stories, passed down through generations, address the Choctaw sense of isolation and tension as storytellers confront eternal, historical, and personal questions about the world and its inhabitants. Choctaw Tales, the first book to collect these stories, creates a comprehensive gathering of oral traditions from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
"Choctaw Tales is an admirable piece of work, in its care, its sense of responsibility, and its value to a larger community. Mould's account of his relations with the Choctaw people is impressive and his book can stand as a model of how to pre-sent traditional Native American narratives. Clearly the book will be of great value to Choctaw people and of equal value as an example to Native American people elsewhere?' -DELL H Y M E S, author of "In Vain I Tried to Tell You": Essays in Native American Ethnopoetics and Now I Know Only So Far: Essays in Ethnopoetics

TOM MOULD is a professor of folklore at Elon University and is the author of Choctaw Prophecy: A Legacy of the Future.