Gracie

The People of the Ravens In the deep forrest of the Alaskan mountains lived the people of the Ravens. These people were brought to life through the wisdom and magic the ravens provided. They were sprouted from the ground, first growing like roots and branches, then forming into people. The people found their living through the land. For shelter, they started hiding under trees. The protection was enough to keep them alive, but they wanted more. The people explored the forrest, looking for something that could be better than the simple branch of a tree. After days of looking without any luck, they decided that the tree was a good start, and they must find ways to make the tree better. They found sharp rocks near the rivers, perfectly edged by the rapid currents. With these rocks they cut off the branches, and tied them together with vines, creating huts and homes that provided better protection than the tree alone. When the people were hungry, they ate roots and berries found in the ...

The Flood This story from the Alaskan section was quite interesting. It seems the Raven had planned to keep the tide as low as possible so the people could feast. The story was a little hard to follow, but overall I really liked it. Another interesting tidbit was the prevalence of ravens throughout the entire Alaskan section. Every story either had a raven in the title, or was based on the raven. I wonder where that sparked from... Myths and Legends of Alaska , edited by Katharine Berry Judson (1911). story & image link

Great Plains: Sacred Legend   Myths and Legends of the Great Plains  by Katharine Berry Judson (1913). This story tells how the native people came about and how they started using tools of the land for survival. Each method was improved, and the people made adjustments so they could be more satisfied with their livings. If I were to rewrite this story, I would base it in Alaska, and tell how the people came out of the ice and wondered into the mainland. I would describe what the people use to live and how they discovered it. I would also describe how the people made each item better My version would mimic the original, but contain a different setting and different items used to live in that area at that time. My story will feature bears, snow, roots, and trees taller than the sky. Each item found in nature will be used to benefit the native people in some way. faithful native american family  picture link