American Indian Myths and Legends by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz - Book Report/Review Example

American Indian Myths and Legends by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz is a compilation of 160 stories from the rich native repertoire of Native American legends and myths. It is a masterful collection, with Ortiz’s anthropological studies being recounted masterfully by Erdoes. Myths are the soul of a culture and in this compilation, the authors maintain the oral tradition and provide us with native explanations for the natural and living experiences of our daily lives.” (Gerencser, Marcial)Raweno was giving the rabbit some of the specific features he wanted, but the owl, impatient for his chance, disturbed him, and in a fit of anger Raweno smacked him in the eyes which made them very large and punished him, saying henceforth he would stay awake in the nights.

“Butterflies”, In this story, the myth behind the creation of butterflies is shown. They were made by the Creator when he wanted to preserve the beauty of the fall colors and so he put all the colors together in a bag and gave it to the children playing there, who upon opening it, released the butterflies into the air. “The Great Race,” tells how men became more powerful than beasts. A race decided the fate of animals, where the mighty buffalo was pitted against four birds, fielded by humans instead of them to take part in the race.

The defeat of the buffalo by the humble magpie made animals the food of humans and since then buffaloes have been hunted.