AMERICAN INDIAN FAIRY TALES

by Margaret Compton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 2, 1971

The insubstantial introduction and rugged drawings apart, this is as it first appeared in 1895 -- with the Author's Note referring vaguely to government reports and the folklore collections of School-craft, Copway and Catlin as the sources; a purported ""storyteller of the Indians"" whose tales of 'fairies, giants, dwarfs, witches and magicians' are ""written down for the little Palefaces""; and only sporadic internal identification of the stories with particular tribes. Today, of course, we eschew the coverall 'Indian' and distinguish among cultures; moreover we are careful to separate Indian folklore and legends from the fanciful literary tradition of fairy tales. Thus, although many of these stories have considerable plot-interest (less inheres in the telling), they represent nothing so much as the first great wave of dissemination; with the second upon us, much more sophisticated work is being done both in repackaging pioneers like Schoolcraft and in assembling and presenting the tales of various peoples.

Pub Date: Feb. 2, 1971

ISBN: 0554395312

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dodd, Mead

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION