The Haida of the Pacific Northwest tell the story of a boy who shows no respect for the salmon, even though the salmon mean life for his people. Caught by the current while swimming one day, he drowns and is taken by the Salmon People to their village deep in the ocean. There he becomes a healer, learning about the eternal cycles of life and the interdependence of all living things, wisdom he imparts to his own people during a brief visit before he returns to the Salmon People under the sea. "Salmon Boy" is one of twenty-four tales that demonstrate the power of animals in Native American traditions and foster an appreciation for all life on earth.
The stories in this collection come from many aboriginal groups of North America,
including Mohawk, Hopi, Haida, Cree, Inuit, Cherokee, and others. Parents, teachers, and children will delight in these lovingly told tales about "our relations, the animals." The stories come to life through the magical illustrations by Mohawk artists John Kahionhes Fadden and David Fadden.
Foreword by Vine Deloria, Jr.
Reviews for the Keepers of Life series:
"Caduto and Bruchac brilliantly link traditional native myths to lessons in nature."
-- Books in Canada
"One of the most exciting, useful and beautiful environmental teaching tools available for both middle readers and the adults who work with them."
-- Wilson Library Bulletin
"Schools with Native American units-- i.e. all schools-- will be interested in the stories and activities this book provides for kids to enjoy."
-- Booklist
Michael J. Caduto is an internationally known storyteller, ecologist, educator, and musician. He has received the New England Award for Excellence in Environmental Education, holds an M.S. in Natural Resources/Environmental Education from the University of Michigan, and is a Senior Education Fellow with the Atlantic Center for the Environment. Caduto lives in Vermont and travels extensively, presenting environmental and cultural programs for adults and children.
Joseph Bruchac is a well-known Native writer and storyteller. His highly acclaimed writing includes poetry, short stories, traditional legends, children's books, and a novel. Among the awards he has received are an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, a PEN syndicated Fiction Award, an American Book Award, and the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Foundation for Children's Books. He lives with his family in Greenfield Center, New York.
John Kahionhes Fadden was born into the Turtle Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne on December 26, 1938. He attended the St. Regis Mohawk School, and other schools adjacent to the St. Lawrence River and the Canadian border in northern New York. John graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 1961, then taught art at Saranac Central School District for 32 1/2 years. Fadden's art has appeared in more than 60 publications, various posters, cover designs, calendars, films/videos, and his paintings have been exhibited from Akwesasne Mohawk Territory to Rotterdam, Holland. For 46 years, he and his family have operated the Six Nations Indian Museum in Onchiota New York, which is located within the pine & spruce forest of the northeastern Adirondack Mountains where he and four generations of his family presently live.
Vine Deloria, Jr. was born in Martin, South Dakota, and was first educated at reservation schools. Deloria earned a law degree from the University of Colorado in 1970. In 1969, Deloria published his first of more than twenty books, entitled Custer Died for Your Sins: An Indian Manifesto. This book became one of Deloria's most famous works. In it, Deloria addressed Indian stereotypes and challenged white audiences to take a new look at the history of American western expansionism. Deloria wrote and edited many subsequent books, focusing on many issues as they relate to Native Americans, such as education and religion. In 1999, he received the Wordcraft Circle Writer of the Year Award in the category of prose and personal/critical essays for his work Spirit and Reason. He was honorably mentioned at the 2002 National Book Festival and also received the Wallace Stegner award from the Center of the American West. He was the winner of the 2003 American Indian Festival of Words Author Award.
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