Old Indian Legends (1901) is a collection of traditional stories from
Yankton Dakota writer Zitkála-Sá. Published while Zitkála-Sá was just
beginning her career as an artist and activist, Old Indian Legends
collects fourteen traditional legends and stories passed down through
Sioux oral tradition. Intending to keep the stories or her people alive,
Zitkála-Sá popularized and protected these cultural treasures for
generations to come.
In "Iktomi and the Ducks," spider-trickster spirit Iktomi befriends a
group of ducks by playing them music to dance to. Gaining their trust,
he sends them into a dancing frenzy causing them to break their necks,
after which he takes them to his teepee to cook a meal. When a tree
branch snaps outside, distracting Iktomi, a pack of wolves moves in for
a feast of their own. In "Iktomi's Blanket," a starving Iktomi prays to
Inyan for a blessing of food. Stumbling across a deer carcass, he
believes his prayers have been answered and prepares a fire to roast the
deer meat over. Feeling a chill, however, he goes to his teepee for a
blanket, leaving the fire unattended. Throughout her collection,
Zitkála-Sá faithfully and respectfully retells the stories of her
people. Old Indian Legends is a charming compilation from one of the
leading American Indian writers of her generation, a committed activist
and true voice for change who saw through her own eyes the lives and
experiences of countless others.
With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript,
this edition of Zitkála-Sá's Old Indian Legends is a classic of
American Indian literature reimagined for modern readers.
