The Long-Tailed Bear and Other Indian Legends

by Natalia Maree Belting, Louis F. Cary (Illustrator)

Belting presents twenty-two Native American folktales, from diverse peoples and cultures. Selections include: How the Long-Tailed Bear Lost His Tail (Loucheux) / How the Animals Made Wings for Bat and Flying Squirrel (Creek/Cherokee) / Why Crane's Feathers Are Brown and Otter Doesn't Feel the Cold (Assiniboin) / Why Dogs Carry Their Tails Over Their Backs (Lipan Apache) / Why Groundhog's Tail Is Short (Cherokee) / How Frogs Lost Their Tails (Wintu) / How the Birds Came to Have Their Many Colors (Tahltan) / Why Ducks Have Flat Feet (Chuckchansi Yokut) / How the Beaver Came to Build Their Homes in the Water (Pawnee) / How Possum Got His Tail (Creek) / Why Mole's Front Paws Are Bent (Achomawi) / How Terrapin's Shell Was Cracked (Creek) / How Deer Gotr His Horns (Cherokee) / How the Whales Reached the Sea (Bellabella) / How the Cardinal Got His Red Feathers (Cherokee)/ How Crane Got His Long Legs (Cree) / How the Wildcat Got His Spots (Shawnee) / How Duck Got His Bill (Sahaptian) / Why Animals Are Afraid of Fire (Karok) / How Beaver Got His Fine Fur (Cree) / Why the Animals Live Where The Do (Tahltan) / How Turkey Got His White Tail Feathers (Tewa) / Why the Tip of Fox's Tail is White (Acoma).

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of twenty-two folktales, taken from the diverse traditions of seventeen Native American peoples, Natalia Belting's The Long-Tailed Bear and Other Indian Legends focuses on the animal tale - stories which explain how our furred and feathered friends came to be the way they are. Published in 1961, when many collectors of Native American folklore were not especially meticulous, in attributing tales to their specific cultures of origin (one still sees this today, unfortunately), Belting's work lists the background for each tale, and although I wish she would have provided her source material, I was generally quite pleased with her presentation. She even distinguishes between the Tewa and Acoma peoples, rather than using the more generic "Pueblo." Whether the tales themselves are faithful to the "originals," I had no way of determining, but I did enjoy reading them.

From the opening selection, How the Long-Tailed Bear Lost His Tail, from the Loucheux people of the Mackenzie River - which reminded me of a similar fable from Aesop, as well as the Seneca tale, How Chief Bear Lost His Tail, found in Arthur C. Parker's collection, Skunny Wundy: Seneca Indian Tales - to the concluding Why the Tip of Fox's Tail is White, from the Acoma, these tales explain why the animals look as they do. Some, like How the Animals Made Wings for Bat and Flying Squirrel, from the Creek and Cherokee peoples, were already familiar to me, through picture-book retellings like The Great Ball Game of the Birds and Animals . Others, like How the Whales Reached the Sea, from the BellaBella (or Heiltsuk) people, were completely unknown to me.

I found the mix of familiar and unfamiliar refreshing, the stories themselves entertaining. Thematic folklore collections don't always hold together very well, but this one did. I also enjoyed Louis F. Cary's black and white illustrations. A little dated, but all in all, a very appealing collection, sure to please animal-story lovers.