Myth-Folklore Unit: Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes

Overview. This unit contains stories from Judson's anthology of Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes. The land of the Great Lakes is represented by many stories from the Menomini people, along with Ojibwa and other tribes, while the Mississippi Valley is represented by stories from the Biloxi, Choctaw and Chitimacha peoples. You will find stories here of the trickster-hero Manabozho, including his battle with the evil manitous who had killed his wolf-brother. From the Biloxi people, there are many Rabbit tales including a story of Rabbit and the tar-baby. There are creation stories about the beginnings of the earth, along with sky stories about the sun and moon, the star creatures, and the Northern Lights. You will also read the famous legend of Mondamin, an Ojibwa story of how the people first found corn.

Language. Judson's book is an anthology of stories takes from various anthropological sources, written in a variety of styles. Some of the stories are told in a more traditional oral style, while other stories are edited in a style more like literary prose.

Story Length. Most of the stories here are on the short side, and all of them are single-page stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.




READING A:
  1. The Earth-Maker
  2. Creation
  3. The Great Flood
  4. The Thunderers
  5. The Gifts of the Sky God
  6. Mondamin
  7. The Origin of Winnebago
  8. Tobacco and Maple Sugar
  9. Manabush and His Brother
  10. Manabozho and West
  11. Manabush and the Great Fish
  12. How the Hunter Destroyed the Snow
  13. The Tar Baby
READING B:
  1. Two More Rabbit Stories
  2. Why Deer Never Eat Men
  3. The Hare and the Lynx
  4. The Tiny Frog
  5. The Hunter and the Alligator
  6. Two Opossum Stories
  7. The Porcupine and the Two Sisters
  8. Turtle
  9. The Worship of the Sun
  10. Tashka and Walo
  11. Sky Stories
  12. The Lone Lightning
  13. Why the Oaks and Sumachs Redden