Dictionary of Native American Mythology - by Sam D Gill (Hardcover)

About the Book

Dictionary of Native American Mythology includes over 1,000 colorful, sometimes earthy, and always intriguing entries. Using the carefully chosen cross references, readers can quickly access the meanings of hundreds of elements of lore--from names, phrases, and symbols to images, motifs, and themes.

Ten territory maps, which pinpoint exact locations of the tribes mentioned in the text, and a tribal index enhance this volume's usefulness. The bibliography is the most extensive ever compiled on the subject. A delight to the casual browser, and indispensable for anyone interested in the study of Native American cultures.

• Extensive cross references enable readers to quickly access the meanings of hundreds of elements of lore
• Ten territory maps pinpoint exact locations of the tribes mentioned in the text
• Provides the most extensive bibliography ever compiled on the subject

Book Synopsis

Dictionary of Native American Mythology includes over 1,000 colorful, sometimes earthy, and always intriguing entries. Using the carefully chosen cross references, readers can quickly access the meanings of hundreds of elements of lore--from names, phrases, and symbols to images, motifs, and themes.

Ten territory maps, which pinpoint exact locations of the tribes mentioned in the text, and a tribal index enhance this volume's usefulness. The bibliography is the most extensive ever compiled on the subject. A delight to the casual browser, and indispensable for anyone interested in the study of Native American cultures.

From the Back Cover

Many people see an image of a coyote, a sand painting, or a sweat lodge and vaguely associate it with Native Americans from the southwestern United States. Schoolchildren make crude replicas of totem poles when they study northwestern tribal peoples. But in Dictionary of Native American Mythology we learn that Coyote is a cultural hero and trickster figure with vast numbers of stories from many tribes. Totem poles, while artistically beautiful, represent the animal lineage from which a human family has descended. And sand paintings are created as a part of an eight-day Navajo healing ceremony. These are just some of the more familiar of the more than 1,300 richly worded and illustrated entries. The importance of ritual and myth in creating meaning is nowhere more evident than in Native American traditions. Dictionary of Native American Mythology is a careful selection of the distinctive stories, characters, themes, symbols, and motifs that interweave the traditions of over 100 different Native American cultures. The alphabetically arranged entries are rigorously cross-referenced, allowing the reader to pursue in depth a particular path of inquiry. Each entry cites tribal origin and the corresponding geographic region. These regions in turn are keyed to ten tribal territory maps that pinpoint exact tribe locations. The massive bibliography and tribal index complete this work so that it is not only an indispensable resource for students and scholars, but also a delight to the casual browser. Dictionary of Native American Mythology is a monumental contribution to the study of Native American myth and ritual, both past and present.

Review Quotes

"A comprehensive bibliography and index by tribe complete this excellent reference work." --Library Journal

"An important new work ... Recommended for all Native American, religion, and folklore collections." --Choice

About the Author

Sam D. Gill is professor of religious studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO.

Irene F. Sullivan has lived and worked extensively among native peoples of Alaska and northern Canada.da.