THE following collection of myths of the Thompson Indians has been in my hands for quite a number of years. Their publication has been delayed because it seemed desirable, on account of the large amount of mythological material brought together by the Jesup Expedition, to devote a whole volume and a complete discussion to this subject. Unfortunately this has not been possible; and it has been necessary to scatter the material in a number of publications, and much of it remains still unpublished. For this reason the present series is given without a detailed comparison, which would have to be repeated and expanded when the references to the unpublished material should become available.
This little book is for children. The legends have been selected from various tribes. THE history of the American Indians, as we know it, begins with the history of the first Spanish, French, and English settlements in the new continent. All that we know of the race before that time is gleaned from the traditions of the Indians themselves. These traditions do not give us the actual dates and facts, which it is one function of history to record, but they do give us an idea of the fundamental racial thought, the instinctive belief, the habits, and the religion of the Indian people, and this is an equally important part of history.
Taytay's Tales were collected for a little girl with an insatiable thirst for "stories." The first ones were gotten by chance from the young Indian boy who has kindly illustrated this collection. Ann enjoyed them so thoroughly that we teased and cajoled other Indians into telling us other folktales, and so the number and our joy in them grew. We think perhaps other little children – and some grown-ups, too – may derive the same pleasure from them, so we should like to share our stories.
Wilfred (or William) Langdon Kihn (September 5, 1898 – December 12, 1957) was a portrait painter and illustrator specializing in portraits of American Indians. Motivated by a desire to document the disappearing aboriginal culture, he spent many years visiting and living with Indian tribes in the Western United States. In 1920, he was admitted to the Blackfeet tribe in Montana, under the name "Zoi-och-ka-tsai-ya," meaning "Chase Enemy in Water". His work is in the permanent collections of, among others, the McCord Museum in Montreal, Quebec, and the Davison Art Center Gallery at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut.[
Plateau Indians", from the new 10-volume set "Native America", tells the history and culture of the Plateau Indians. This book begins with a brief set introduction that discusses some of the broad history and themes found throughout the Plateau Indian culture, as well as explains the concept of culture areas to students. Narrative text of the chapters is interspersed with numerous box features that highlight important people, events, and topics, as well as sidebars. This book also includes a timeline, a list of museums and sites related to these tribes, further reading, and an index.
