Table of Contents
Editor's Introduction James A. Gardner vii
Acknowledgments and Dedication xiii
Preface and Personal History xvii
Legends of the Northern Paiute
1 The Creation Story and the Malheur Cave 3
2 The Creation of the Human People 9
3 The Bridge of the Gods, the Great Floods, and the Human People 11
4 How the Seasons Came to Be 13
5 When the Animals Were Still People and Starvation Hit the Land 19
6 Wolf Makes Pine Nut Trees 25
7 "Animal Village," Lady Bighorn Sheep, and a Mother Turned into Stone 27
8 The Epic Battle of the Giant Nuwuzo'ho and Coyote - Fort Rock and Monkey Face 33
9 A Story of Hunting and the Patience of the Hunter 43
10 Old Lady Jackrabbit, Little Fat Jackrabbit Girl, and the Ants 49
11 Why the Badger Has Long Claws and Digs 57
12 A Big Dance in the Village -the Vanity of Coyote and Why Badger Is Flat and Mean 61
13 How the Stars Got Their Twinkle and Why Coyote Howls to the Sky 67
14 Why Porcupines Fat Willows and Cottonwood Saplings 73
15 Black Bear's Gift of Roots and Medicine 81
16 Coyote and the Escape of Mouse 85
17 Why the Rat's Tail Has No Hair 89
18 The Deer and the Antelope as Brothers 95
19 Obsidian and Rock, Deer and Coyote 101
20 First Woman Travels in Search of Her Husband … and Is Followed by a Skull and Bones 105
21 A Legend of Darker- and Lighter-Skinned Children - and Prophecies of White People Coming Out of the East 113
Comments on Rock Art - "Coyote Writing" and "Spiritual Writing" in Paiute Country 117
Glossary 123
Recommended Reading 125