Legends of the Delaware Indians and Picture Writing (Iroquois & Their Neighbors) [Hardcover]

Richard C. Adams (Author), Deborah Nichols (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Originally published in 1905, this enlarged, comprehensive reprint edition contains some newly translated stories and four that have been retranslated into the Delaware language by some Native speakers. Adams, a historian and legal representative for the Delaware Indians before his death in 1921, attempted to preserve the culture and traditions of his people through the written word and photography. Editor Nichols is a Delaware tribal member who has written many articles on Delaware history. These 22 tales are vital because they show the importance of the natural world in Native American religion, the social customs of the Delaware, and their reverence for issues of integrity and spiritual values. These stories can also show us how certain qualities such as civility, promise keeping, and humility can enrich our sense of community. The illustrations and photographs nicely reflect the history of the Delaware during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Recommended for general readers.?Vicki Toy Smith, Univ. of Nevada, Reno
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815604874
• ISBN-13: 978-0815604877
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,886,301 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A seminal contribution to Native American studies., August 7, 2000

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Legends of the Delaware Indians and Picture Writing (Iroquois & Their Neighbors) (Paperback)

Legends of the Delaware Indians and Picture Writing is beautifully amplified by Deborah Nichol's introduction and brief biography of Richard C. Adams(1864-1921), a self educated Delaware (Lenape) Indian who devoted 25 years of his life to the furtherance of causes of the many trialed Delaware tribe. The Legends are part of his scholarly and historical legacy. The tales teach homilies on desirable attributes such as pride, courage, promise-keeping, modesty and courtesy as well as courting customs, gambling games, and other pastimes. The picture writing and photographs enrich and complement the text as do the appendices of Lenape translations of several of the legends by Lucy Parks Blalock and Nora Thompson Deane. Legends Of The Delaware Indians And Picture Writing is a very valuable text both because of the enriched script of the tales but also because of the complex, condensed history of the persecutions suffered by the Delawares detailed in the introduction. The cover illustration gracing Legends of the Delaware Indians is a color painting reproduction of Delaware Women by Ruth Blalock Jones.

Nancy Lorraine, Reviewer