Douglas R Parks All Books: Arikara Narratives sku-1738472

Douglas R Parks's Traditional Narratives of the Arikara Indians is listed under All Books as sku-1738472. The Arikaras lived along the Missouri River for centuries, first in present-day South Dakota and later in North Dakota. Until the late eighteenth century, they were among the largest and most influential Indigenous groups on the northern plains.

Today they share North Dakota's Fort Berthold Indian Reservation with the Mandans and Hidatsas. Although their postcontact history and parts of their culture were already documented, this work is described as the first comprehensive attempt to record their language and literary traditions.

Volumes 1 and 2 contain Arikara transcriptions of 156 oral narratives with literal interlinear English translations. Volumes 3 and 4 give free English translations, making a broad, representative collection of these traditions available to readers, including anthropologists and folklorists. The Arikaras classify their stories as true stories or tales.

The collection includes ancient myths, legends of bestowed power, historical accounts, mysterious incidents concerning supernatural power, tales of Coyote and the risque Stuwi, and stories about other animals. It also includes prayers and accounts of name bestowal and the origin of the Death Feast.