Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians

By John R. Swanton

[1929]

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Contents Start Reading

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This collection of stories from the Southeastern Native American region covers mythology and folklore from the Creek, Hitchiti, Alabama, Kosati, and Natchez. The Creek (including the Alabama, Hitichi and Kosati) originally lived in northern Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. The Natchez resided in Louisiana.

The Southeast tribes once had a sophisticated culture, including a stable federal form of government. They built huge earthworks, the largest indigenous buildings north of Mexico. Decimated by smallpox and contact with the Europeans, the inhabitants of this region were forcibly relocated to the Oklahoma area in the 19th century, alongside the better-known Cherokee.

These stories were collected from survivors in the early twentieth century. At this time, their folklore had been influenced for centuries by both European and (particularly) African sources. The tales included here include such 'modern' elements as guns and dry-goods stores, and obvious post-relocation wildlife such as Buffalo. However, the original stories are visible in strong relief, including the trickster (in this area, a very rascally Rabbit), the Corn-mother, and many tales that are similar to the Cherokee and other tribes farther afield.

This collection has numerous duplicates and variations, so reading it in a linear fashion may prove repetitious. However, this is invaluable data for the study of comparative folklore. The chapter on Comparison of Myths will be of particular interest in this regard.

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Creek Stories
Hitchiti Stories
Alabama Stories
Koasati Stories
Natchez Stories
Comparison of Myths

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Title Page
Contents
Introduction

Creek Stories

1. How Day And Night Were Divided
2. Bead-Spitter And Thrown-Away
3. The Orphan
4. Thunder Helper
5. The Origin of Corn
6. The Orphan and the Origin of Corn
7. The Orphan and the Origin of Corn (Second Version)
8. The Orphan and the Origin of Corn (Second Version)
9. The Only Son and Rabbit
10. The Origin of Tobacco
11. The Origin of Tobacco (Second Version)
12. The Origin of Tobacco (Third Version)
13. Man-eater and the Little Girl
14. The Water Panther (Leopard)
15. How the Alligator's Nose Was Broken
16. Story of the Bat
17. The Friendly Dogs
18. The Hunter and His Dogs
19. The Monster Lizard
20. The Hunter, the Monster Lizard, and the Panther
21. The Hunter, the Monster Lizard, and the Panther (Second Version)
22. The Racing Snake
23. The Man Who Became A Snake
24. The Man Who Became A Snake (Second Version)
25. The Man Who Became A Snake (Third Version)
26. The Man Who Became A Snake (Fourth Version)
27. The Man Who Became A Snake (Fifth Version)
28. The King of the Tie-Snakes
29. The Story of the Turkey
30. The Monster Turtle
31. The Monster Turtle (Second Version)
32. The Big Rock Man
33. The Woman and the Monster Earthworm
34. The Fawn, the Wolves, and the Terrapin
35. How the Terrapin's Back Came to be in Checks
36. How the Terrapin's Back Came to be in Checks (Second Version)
37. Why the Opossum Has No Hair On His Tail
38. Why the Opossum Has No Hair On His Tail (Second Story)
39. The Race Between the Crane and the Humming Bird
40. Rabbit Gets Man-eater Over to the Other Side of the Ocean
41. Rabbit Gets Man-eater Over to the Other Side of the Ocean (Second Version)
42. Rabbit Gets Man-eater Over to the Other Side of the Ocean (Third Version)
43. Rabbit Gets Man-eater Over to the Other Side of the Ocean (Fourth Version)
44. Rabbit Steals Fire
45. Rabbit Tries a Game of Scratch With Wildcat
46. Rabbit Gets a Turkey For Wildcat
47. Rabbit Gets a Turkey For Wildcat
48. Raccoon Gets a Deer For Panther
49. Rabbit Engineers a Tug of War Between Two Tie-Snakes
50. Rabbit Engineers a Tug of War Between Two Tie-Snakes (Second Version)
51. Rabbit Engineers a Tug of War Between Two Tie-Snakes (Third Version)
52. Rabbit Engineers a Tug of War Between Tie-Snake And Man-eater
53. Rabbit Engineers a Tug of War Between Two Bison
54. Rabbit Fools Alligator
55. Rabbit Fools Alligator (Second Version)
56. Terrapin Races
57. Terrapin Races (Second Version)
58. Terrapin Races (Third Version)
59. Terrapin Races (Fourth Version)
60. Terrapin Races (Fifth Version)
61. The Bungling Host
62. How Rabbit Won His Wife's Sister For His Second Wife
63. Turkey, Turtle, And Rattlesnake
64. The Tasks of Rabbit
65. The Tasks of Rabbit (Second Version)
66. The Tasks Of Rabbit (Third Version)
67. Why the Rabbit Steals
68. Why the Opossum Looks Ashamed
69. How Rabbit Got the Widow's Daughter
70. How Rabbit Got the Widow's Daughter (Second Version)
71. Rabbit Fools Coyote
72. Rabbit Rides Wolf
73. Rabbit Rides Wolf (Second Version)
74. Rabbit Rides Wolf (Third Version)
75. The Tar Baby
76. Rabbit Deceives the Other Animals
77. Rabbit Escapes From the Box
78. Rabbit's Imposition is Detected
79. The Flight to the Tree
80. Cow and Dog are Discontented
81. The Language of Animals
82. The Origin of Races
83. The Origin of Races (Second Version)
84. The Ordering of Field Work
85. The Devil's Tasks
86. The Boy and the Lion
87. The Animal Helpers
88. A Bear Drive
89. A Legend Recorded By Bartram
90. The Creation of the Earth
91. The Monkey Girl

Hitchiti Stories

1. Bear, Tiger, Rattlesnake, And Fire
2. The Origin of Tobacco
3. The Origin of Wolves
4. The Boy and the Wizards
5. The Man-eating Bird
6. The Visit to the Nest of the Monster Bird
7. A Strange Turkey Catches People and Carries Them Up to the Sky
8. The Deer Women
9. The Hunter and His Dogs
10. The Hunter And His Dogs (Second Version)
11. The Man and the Owl
12. The Orphan And The Owl
13. The Alligator That Stole a Man
14. Story of the Lizard
15. The Monster Lizard
16. The Hunter and the Tie-Snake
17. The Man Who Became a Snake
18. The Water People
19. A Rip Van Winkle Story
20. The Wolves and the Dogs
21. The Deer Kills Himself Against a Tree
22. Terrapin Races
23. Heron and Humming Bird
24. The Theft of Fire
25. The Theft of Fire (Second Version)
26. The Tasks of Rabbit
27. Tie-Snake and Rabbit
28. Rabbit Rides Wolf
29. Rabbit and Wolf
30. Rabbit and Wildcat
31. Rabbit and Wildcat
32. Rabbit and Wildcat
33. The Tar Baby
34. The Tar Baby (Second Version)
35. The Bungling Host
36. Rabbit Is Sent With Medicine
37. Man and Rabbit
38. Man And Rabbit
39. Rabbit and the Old Man
40. A War Story
41. Walnut-Cracker
42. The Unfaithful Wife
Stories 43-45

Alabama Stories

1. Origin of the Indians
2. Origin of the Alabama Indians
3. The Flood
4. The Swinging Grapevines
5. Fire
6. Another Fire Story
7. The Rescue of the Sun
8. How Water Was Lost and Recovered
9. Thunder
10. The Monster Deer
11. The Deer Taboos
12. Bead-spitter
13. Big Man-eater and the Persimmon Tree
14. The Obstacle Flight
15. The Obstacle Flight (Second Version)
16. Lodge Boy and Thrown-Away
17. The Orphan
18. The Orphan (Second Version)
19. The Celestial Skiff
20. The Men Who Went to the Sky
21. The Men Who Went to the Sky (Second Version)
22. The Men Who Went to the Sky (Third Version)
23. The Friends
24. The Dead Wife
25. The Hunter and His Ghostly Visitants
26. The Ghost
27. The Owl Wives
28. The Man and the Ghost
29. Adventures With Supernatural Beings
30. The Sapia
31. The Pygmies
32. The Bear People
33. The Bear People (Second Version)
34. The Bear's Revenge
35. The Alligator Benefactor
36. The Alligator Benefactor (Second Version)
37. The Man and the Alligator
38. The Owl and the Hawk
39. The Owl and the Hawk (Second Version)
40. The Big Lizard (Hanabia Tcoba)
41. The Black Snake
42. The Woman Who Turned Into a Snake
43. The Eagle's Nest
44. The Man Who Rescued His Wife By Strategy
45. A Fight Between the Alabama and the Choctaw
46. The Girl Captives
47. The Alabama and Choctaw Wars
48. A War Between the Alabama and the Choctaw
49. The Captive Alabama
50. Crane and Hummingbird Race
51. Terrapin Races
52. Opossum
53. Terrapin And The Wolves
54. Rabbit And Big Man-eater
55. Rabbit And Big Man-eater (Second Version)
56. Rabbit Kills Big Man-eater
57. The Tar Baby
58. Rabbit and the Box
59. The Bungling Host
60. The Flight to the Tree
61. Money-Spitter
62. The Monster
63. Story of the Mule's Return
64. Some Short Stories

Koasati Stories

1. The Ordering of the Months and Seasons
2. The Pleiades
3. The Stars-In-A-Row
4. The Star Husbands
5. A Story of the Origin of Corn and Tobacco
6. Corn Woman
7. How the Water Was Lost and Recovered
8. The Submarine People
9. Sickness
10. The Six Brothers
11. The Still Crawling Sister
12. Bead-Spitter
13. The Story of an Orphan
14. The Wicked Mother-in-law
15. The Orphan Boy And Rabbit
16. The Story of Crow
17. The Obstacle Flight
18. The Obstacle Flight (Second Version)
19. Thunder And Laigatonōhona
20. Thunder
21. The Giant Elk
22. The Giant Deer (Second Version)
23. The Hero From Under the Water
24. Pigeon Hawk Brings Down the Iron
25. The Monster Black Snake
26. Story of Two Brothers Who Tried to Restore Their Sister to Life
27. A Story of the Bear Clan
28. The Orphan and the Bear
29. The Bear's Revenge
30. The Man and the Deer Women
31. The Man and the Eagle
32. The Old Dog Saves His Master
33. The Pigeon Hawk's Gift
34. The Owl Persecutors
35. The Owl Persecutors (Second Version)
36. The Monster Lizard
37. The Story of Life-Eater
38. The Man Who Treated a Ghost
39. The Owl and the Turkey
40. The Story of Owl and Little Yellow Mouse
41. The Story Of Wåhgalānoh
42. The Story of Opossum
43. The Story of Opossum (Second Version)
44. Opossum and Panther in Partnership
45. Opossum and Skunk
46. Panther and Rattlesnake
47. Tadpole and Crawfish
48. The Wolf and the Terrapin
49. Crane and Humming Bird
50. The Conceit of Tciktcinigåsi
51. Locust and Ant
52. The Dog and the Heron
53. Rabbit Obtains Fire
53. Rabbit Obtains Fire
55. Rabbit Fools Big Man-eater
56. Rabbit and Big Man-eater Swap
57. Rabbit Plays Pranks On Big Man-eater
58. Rabbit and the Ducks
59. The Tar Baby
60. Rabbit and the Turkeys
61. The Bungling Host
62. Rabbit and Buzzard
63. Rabbit Fools Wildcat
64. The Flight to the Tree
65. Money-Spitter

Natchez Stories

1. The Flood
2. The Rolling Head
3. The Cannibal's Seven Sons
4. The Cannibal Woman
5. Lodge Boy And Thrown-Away
6. Lodge Boy and Thrown-Away
7. The Origin of Corn
8. Corn-Woman's Son
9. The Panther Child
10. Thunder
11. Adoption of the Human Race
12. Adoption of the Human Race (Second Version)
13. The Cannibal
14. The Pleiades
15. The Hunter and His Dogs
16. Adventure With a Tie-Snake
17. The Ukteni
18. The Tlānuwâ
19. The Pygmies
20. The Frog That Lost His Wife
21. The Panther and the Crane
22. The Opossum
23. The Wolves and the Fawn
24. Terrapin and Deer
25. The Fox and the Crawfish
26. The Crane and the Humming Bird
27. The Owl and the Perch
28. The Turtle
29. Turkey and Wildcat
30. The Bungling Host
31. Rabbit and Alligator
32. The Wolf and the Rabbit
33. The Tar Baby
34. Rabbit and Wildcat
35. Rabbit and Man-eater
36. Story of a Bison
37. The Bison Helper
38. The Mosquito
39. The Indian Munchausen
40. The Twelve Irishmen
41. The Two Irishmen
42. Jack and the Beanstalk
43. The Simpleton

Comparison of Myths

Comparison of Myths