Book Review
Handbook of Native American Mythology
Kelsey Brown
October 5, 2011
APA Entry:
#1131
Native American Mythology, Dawn Bastian & Judy K. Mitchell
ISBN #9780195342321 Adult Education/Teacher Resource
Subject: ELA
Themes: beliefs, mythology
I chose this book because I’ve always been interested in mythology, especially that of
other cultures. I think that myths are a good way to introduce cultures to students, because myths
are so integral to a people. Myths explain the beliefs, values, and religion of a people through
story. I picked this book to examine mostly because of the title. The word “handbook” suggests
that this book doesn’t simply present the myths, but explains about them as well. Because of this I
thought this book would be an excellent teacher resource, as well as learning resource for
students.
Summary:
The first section of this book contains an explanation of myth. The authors explain the
functions of myth and the different types of myth. At the end of the introduction myth is
discussed as it relates to Native American culture. The sources of Native American myth and the
importance of myths in this culture close the introduction.
Also in the introduction is some information on North American and the tribes that
peopled it before Europeans arrived. The sections of this information are as follows: the
geography and climate of North America, the history of the first people to settle on the continent,
the major tribal groups and some background on them, and patterns that are evident in the
mythology between these tribal groups.
The next chapter of the book deals with the concept of time. The authors describe the
difference in the way Europeans view time, and the traditional way Aboriginals viewed time.
They also explain how time functions in mythology. Another major difference that is explained is
mythic time versus historical time.
The last and biggest section is where the actual myths are recorded. Various deities,
themes, and concepts evident in Native American mythology are organized alphabetically. These
subjects are explained, and at least one myth involving the subject follows.
Quotes:
 “We have considered as myth any story that bears the imprint of a specific Native
American culture, or of Native American cultures in general”
(page 2, lines 14-15)
 “Myth has two primary functions. The first is to provide an explanation of facts, whether
natural or cultural…the second primary function of myth is to justify, validate, or explain
the existence of a social system and traditional rites and customs.” (page 2, lines 19 –20
and 31-32)
 “Many types of creation stories are part of Plains mythology. Culture hero tales, trickster
stories, and myths that feature mediators between gods and humans are also common”
(page 20, lines 38-40)
Grade: 7-12
Subject: ELA
GLO 1. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to explore thoughts, ideas,
feelings, and experiences.
Ie. Students will read about myths and the myths themselves to explore a culture they
may not be familiar with.
GLO 2. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to comprehend and respond
personally and critically to oral, print, and other media texts.
Ie. Students will discuss and comprehend the meaning/purpose of the myths.
GLO 3. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to manage ideas and
information.
Ie. Students will create a myth of their own, or create a visual representation of a myth
from the book.
GLO 5. Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to celebrate and build
community.
Ie. Students will share their myth or visual representation in groups.
Thoughts:
I really like the set-up and content of this resource. The information at the beginning was
very useful in understanding the elements of myth. I really liked that the authors included a brief
history on the various tribes in North America, and what their myths were characterized by.
I also thought that alphabetizing the myths was a great idea. That section of the book is
like an index of sorts, you can look up the topic you are interested in and find the exact page it is
on. The authors have collected an impressive amount of myths in this one book.
One thing that I felt was missing from the selection of myths was the medicine wheel.
There are also no myths included about dance, or drums. These are three important parts of
Native American culture; were there no myths about them?
Transformed Thoughts:
I think this book is a great resource for teachers. The extensive introduction explains
many concepts that are crucial to understanding myths, and especially myths from Native
American cultures. I wouldn’t suggest giving students the introduction to read, I think that the
information could be better specified by the teacher for the particular lesson. It would be pointless
to make students read all of that information when they may only use part of it.
Myth is a great way to interest students in different cultures. When I was in high school
my classes always enjoyed units on myths because they were short, interesting, and explained a
culture different from ours. For Aboriginal students these myths could help them get in touch
with their own culture, especially since the book gives history on each major tribal group.
Because of the wide variety of myths in the book, students may even be able to choose a myth for
themselves. This would help them pick one that actually interest them, and involve the students
more closely with their own learning.
I would highly recommend this book.