Seneca Myths and Folk Tales [Paperback]

Arthur C. Parker (Author), William N. Fenton (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1989

"On the Cattaraugus reservation, it was part of a child's initial training to learn why the bear lost its tail, why the chipmunk has a striped back, and why meteors flash in the sky," writes Arthur C. Parker at the beginning of Seneca Myths and Folk Tales. His blood ties to the Senecas and early familiarity with their culture led to a distinguished career as an archaeologist and to the publication in 1923 of this pioneeering work. Parker recreates the milieu in which the Seneca legends and folktales were told and discusses their basic themes and components before going on to relate more than seventy of them that he heard as a boy. Here is the magical Senecan world populated by unseen good and evil spirits, ghosts, and beings capable of transformation. Included are creation myths; folktales involving contests between mortal youths and assorted powers; tales of love and marriage; and stories about cannibals, talking animals, pygmies, giants, monsters, vampires, and witches.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In a new introduction to this edition, William N. Fenton, an emeritus professor of anthropology at SUNY-Albany, writes about Parker's unparalleled contribution to the preservation of Iroquoian folklore.

Product Details

• Paperback: 465 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803287232
• ISBN-13: 978-0803287235
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,510,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important, original work..., June 8, 2000

By 

steven h. abbott - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seneca Myths and Folk Tales (Hardcover)

This is something of keynote work in traditional Seneca stories. The author -- Arthur C. Parker -- was a Seneca author from New York State who became a well-known ehtnologist, and contributed a great deal based on his first-hand perspective of his own People. (He was the nephew of Ely S. Parker, Seneca Sachem and Union Aide to Ulysses S Grant). The language, indicative of scholarship of the time, can be somewhat stiff and formalized, but the Stories and their relevance are critically important.

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, Scholarly Resource for Seneca / Iroquois Folk Tales, June 9, 2009

By 

Melissa Sandfort "There are a thousand paths ... (Chicago IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seneca Myths and Folk Tales (Paperback)

I'm part Seneca, so I was thrilled to find this book. Like the other reviewer commented, it has somewhat formal language, so it might not appeal to someone casually looking for Native American folk tales. However, for someone specifically interested in Seneca folk tales, this is a detailed, scholarly book, with pictures, illustrations, a lengthy appendix and index. My favorite story is "Origin of the Chestnut Tree" featuring Dadjedondji, who remarks about obstacles on his journey: "All these things are strange. They are not right, neither are they according with the ways I know about, and, therefore, I can conquer all these obstacles." Words to live by!