Native American Stories of the Sacred: Annotated & Explained
The wisdom from these stories can become a companion on your own spiritual journey.
Native American Stories of the Sacred are intended for more than entertainment: they are teaching tales containing elegantly simple illustrations of time-honored truths. From tales of Creation to "Why?" stories that help explain the natural world around us, these stories highlight the sacredness of all life and affirm that we are each an integral part of all that is holy.
Drawn from tribes across North America, these are careful retellings of traditional stories such as Son of Light's quest to win back his captured wife from the monstrous Man-Eagle; humble Muskrat’s noble self-sacrifice to establish solid land so other beings might live; Water Spider’s creative solution for retrieving fire for all the animals; and White Buffalo Calf Woman’s profound gift of the sacred pipe to the people. Each of the compelling stories in this collection illustrates principles that can guide you on your own spiritual quest.
Now you can experience the wisdom of these teaching tales even if you have no previous knowledge of Native American traditions. SkyLight Illuminations provides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that explains the cultural and spiritual significance of the seemingly mundane objects found in these stories—tobacco, gambling, even the exploits of mischievous tricksters such as Coyote and Weasel—while gracefully drawing comparisons to Christian, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions, among others. Whatever your spiritual heritage, these Native American stories of the sacred are sure to delight and inspire you with the sacredness of all Creation, and remind you that the earth does not belong to us—we belong to the earth.
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Book details
- Author
- Evan Pritchard
- Imprint
- SkyLight Paths, an imprint of Turner Publishing Company
- Published
- Formats
- Paperback, Hardcover
- Subjects
- Religion › Spirituality
History › Indigenous - Topics
- Native American traditions · indigenous spirituality · sacred stories · creation myths · oral tradition · nature and the sacred · annotated mythology
- ISBN-13
- 9781594731129 (Paperback)9781683362180 (Hardcover)
About the author
EVAN T. PRITCHARD is the founder and director of the Center for Algonquin Culture, based in Woodstock, New York, and a descendant of the Mi'kmaq people of the Algonquin nations. His books include Native New Yorkers: The Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York, Bird Medicine: The Sacred Power of Bird Shamanism and Henry Hudson and the Algonquins of New York.
Pritchard has served as a professor of Native American studies, history, ethics, and philosophy at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, as well as at Vassar College and Pace University. He has appeared on the History Channel, MSNBC, and NPR.
When he’s not writing, Pritchard works as a musician, storyteller, and lecturer. Much of his work draws on Algonquin history, culture, and spiritual traditions.