Myths and Tales of the Jicarilla Apache Indians

by Morris Edward Opler, Scott Rushforth (Introduction)

The publication of Myths and Tales of the Jicarilla Apache Indians by the American Folk-Lore Society in 1938 illustrated the richness of the material on the tribes of the Southwest. Still a treasure-house of information, it appears with a new introduction and for the first time in paperback. Morris Edward Opler based his pioneering work on the accounts of Jicarilla men and women born in the nineteenth century. In a preface he explains that the stories, sacred and profane, were meant to be told on winter nights. The book takes up the creation of the universe, the birth of Killer-of-Enemies and Child-of-the-Water, the slaying of monsters, and the Hactcin ceremony. Other myths center on games and artifacts, hunting rituals and encounters with supernatural animals, and the trickster Coyote. There are also vivid, earthy stories of foolishness, unfaithfulness, and perversion; mon-strous enemies; and Dirty Boy's winning of a wife.

Genres: Mythology, Short Stories, Nonfiction

407 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1974

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb and fascinating collection of Jicarilla myths and legends by a prominent ethnographer and folklorist, superbly collected and presented in clear, easy-to-follow language that remains close to the oral sources. This is an indispensable reference for anyone interested in the Apache, or, more generally, in the cultures of the desert southwest.

Many parallels will be found by neighboring Pueblo cultures, and with the Athapascan cousins of the Apache, the Navajo. The Apache share important features of cosmology, such as belief in a human origin from underneath the ground. The principle culture heroes, Slayer-of-Monsters and Child-of-the-Waters, are also common to the region.

Very excellent volume.