Description

Pp. xvii 190, b/w illustrations, as new, “Folklorist Van Deusen has assembled 25 legends from the oral tradition of the Chukkchi and Yupik cultures in eastern Siberia. Over centuries, native elders have captured their history, beliefs, perspectives, and morals in verbally transmitted stories handed down through generations. Like signposts, these traditional tales contain treasured truths of the past. Composed of brief vignettes, sections include stories about a young boy seeking a wife, Raven the Trickster and his merry pranks, shamanic pronouncements, and mythical fantasies. There is an implicit wisdom conveyed about living in harmony. This general anthology is a rare glimpse of varied tales from a most remote area.” Signed and inscribed by the author on title page