Charles Fletcher Lummis

Pueblo Indian Folk-Stories Charles Fletcher Lummis

Author, journalist and campaigner for Native American rights Charles Fletcher Lummis reveals a series of folktales and legends from the Pueblo peoples who have historically resided in the southwestern United States.

An excellent compendium of tales passed down through generations, this book contains about thirty distinct stories. In addition to these, we find an explanation of how these tales were told by tribal elders as a way of both entertaining and imbuing others with wisdom. In his introduction Lummis, for whom Pueblo causes were of great importance, praises the peoples for their rich and abundant folklore and oral tradition.

Many of the Puebloan stories relate to the animal kingdom, and how the behaviors of creatures affected the tribes who lived in villages nearby. In other stories, the animals speak among themselves. Frequently, we hear Puebloan expressions and slang - many of the author's annotations clarify such words and terms. While many of these folktales carry a moral lesson, all of them offer at least a grain of wisdom or a glimpse into the sophisticated Pueblo culture.

Charles Fletcher Lummis spent decades campaigning for better treatment and respect of the Puebloans and other Native American groups. A talented writer and publisher, Lummis headed a magazine which advocated for rights for disenfranchised or marginalized tribes. Later in life, Lummis worked as a librarian and ceased to author books and articles. On perishing in 1928, he left behind an astonishing legacy of documentation and photos pertaining to the Native Americans.