Melia Dayley’s Reviews > Wyoming Folklore: Reminiscences, Folktales, Beliefs, Customs, and Folk Speech > Status Update

The last part of the book was my least favorite, but still caught some of my interest. I loved reading words and phrases that I use in my life and what they meant to the people back then. You can start to pick up on how the word has evolved from its original meaning to the present day meaning.

I found myself actually chuckling at some of the good/bad luck omens. They seemed so out of the ordinary and bizarre, but then I think of some of the superstitious things I do and I correct my thoughts. The medical remedies fascinated me. Who thought to try putting the ashes of chicken droppings on eye-lids to make them less swollen. I prefer our modern medicine.

In the second half of the Indian tales, it's clear to see the influence the recorders had on the stories told to them. The stories about Devil's Tower have a disclaimers in the beginning and sometimes even in the story itself.

Part 3 is quickly becoming my favorite. The stories about Indian traditions and particularly their religious beliefs are very interesting. You can start to see connections between the Indian religions and the white man's Christianity, whether the stories evolved that way or the writers interpreted that way is the real question though.

I loved the first part of this book. Such great stories and such great insights into the past.

The stories in this part of the book provide personal perspectives on the identity of the western rancher/cowboy/settler in ways that a textbook or research paper couldn't achieve. Through the language and slang the narrators use, you can see some of the stereotypes, biases, morals, and values that these people had. The parts of the stories they stress also show what they valued and how life was back then.

The introduction of this book gives a great context and background of the folktales. The quick history sets up a time period for each story that'll be found in the book. I loved how a questionnaire was included to show how all the folklore was obtained and the personal opinions of people who worked on the project. Both really allow you to better understand how these stories came about and then into this book.