Classic study of myths relating to creation, agriculture and rain, hunting rituals, coyote cycle, monstrous enemy stories, many more.

This evenhanded history of the Jicarilla Apache tribe of New Mexico highlights their long history of cultural adaptation and change--both to new environments and cultural traits. Concentrating on the modern era, 1846-1970, Veronica Tiller, herself a Jicarilla Apache, tells of the tribe's economic adaptations and relations with the United States government. Originally published in 1983, this revised edition updates the account of the Jicarilla experience, documenting the significant economic, political, and cultural changes that have occurred as the tribe has exercised ever greater autonomy in recent years.

“We are dealing here with a living literature,” wrote Morris Edward Opler in his preface to Myths and Tales of the Chiricahua Apache Indians. First published in 1942, this is another classic study by the author of Myths and Tales of the Jicarilla Apache Indians. Opler conducted field work among the Chiricahuas in the American Southwest, as he had earlier among the Jicarillas. The result is a definitive collection of their myths. They range from an account of the world destroyed by water to descriptions of puberty rites and wonderful contests. The exploits of culture heroes involve the slaying of monsters and the assistance of Coyote. A large part of the book is devoted to the irrepressible Coyote, whose antics make cautionary tales for the young, tales that also allow harmless expression of the taboo. Other striking stories present supernatural beings and “foolish people.”