Nebraska Folklore

by Louise Pound, Roger Welsch (Introduction)

A distinguished scholar and writer who, in the words of H. L. Mencken, “put the study of American English on its legs,” Louise Pound (1872–1958) was always intensely interested in the folklore of her home state. Nebraska Folklore , first published in 1959, collects her best work in that rich vein. Included are cave legends, snake superstitions, weather lore, tales of strong men who rival Paul Bunyan, stories of Indian lovers' leaps, hoaxes of a petrified man and a land-locked sea monster, and the legends of Weeping Water and Lincoln Salt Basin. A section on old Nebraska folk customs provides a wealth of information about holiday observances, literary and debating societies, political rallies, spelling contests, and various social traditions. Going beyond Nebraska, the book ends with studies of the origins of American cowboy and folk songs and of the use of dialect in folklore. Its wit and honesty will appeal to readers everywhere. Roger Welsch provides an introduction to this new Bison Books edition.

244 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1989

About the author

1872-1958

Reviews

[Nonie Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nebraska Folklore is a collection of well researched folklore and tales of different places in Nebraska. This short anthology covers everything from immigrant tales, to cowboys as one would expect to hear about in western culture, as well as Native American folklore explaining the geography as well as the way that things are referred to. Pieced together in the 1950s after Pound's death this collection is an important piece for anyone interested in the state of Nebraska, the history of the American West, readers of folklore, and fans of the oral tradition. There is a clear organization throughout the text that leads one set of lore into another very well. My one comeuppance with the book is that I wished it was more of a full story, but if one goes into the book knowing that it is more of a collection it shouldn't be an issue. Pound is a big figure in Nebraska, but what I appreciate most about this book that one wouldn't find in Cather, the great Nebraska writer is the rich Native American history that is found here, Pound highlights this making it clear that there was life before white homesteaders came along.

[Stu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nebraska Folklore is a fine selection of a great folklorist’s work. This compilation of Louise Pound’s articles and national presentations provides a thorough dissection and contextualization of Nebraska tall tales. She examines the background of legendary characters like Bunyanesque Antoine Barada and rainmaker Clayton Jewell, details flights of fancy linking John Brown to the caves of Nebraska’s southeast, and lovingly critiques blatant hoaxes by newsmen like John Maher. Other chapters show Pound’s erudition as a linguist and collector, including pieces on English dialects, traditional ballads, and folk customs. If there is a weakness in the collection, it is that Pound’s analysis is removed from the source material. If the reader is expecting entertaining stories of Febold Feboldson and other Nebraska folk legends, they will be disappointed — and it is a shame that the editors at Bison Books did not include some examples from Pound’s citations for this edition, especially those that are now in the public domain. That said, the strongest points of the book have little to do with Nebraska at all. Pound’s 1951 address on the current state of folklore scholarship reveals a candor that one rarely sees in today’s chronically equivocating postmodern scholars; she boldly lays out the mission of the folklorist of her time with a bluntness that is often lacking in academic leadership today. Along the same lines, Pound’s successor as the sage of Nebraska folklore, the Bard of Dannebrog Roger Welsch, provides a fine essay on Pound’s life and times, revealing much about the subjective character of this woman whose efforts to be objective make this book such a fine piece of work.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining & interesting.