This book collects and discusses 31 of the most important Native American folktales.Folktales are at the heart of Native American culture and this book conveniently collects and comments on 31 of the most important of these folktales. They are drawn from the major Native American cultural and geographical areas and reflect the environment, cultural adaptations, and prevailing concerns of the regions from which they are taken.The tales are grouped in broad thematic sections on origins; heroes, heroines, villains, and fools; society and conflict; and the supernatural. Among the tales are: The Hopi Creation of the World; How the Snakes Acquired Their Poison; Blood Clot Boy; Montezuma and the Salt Woman; The Deserted Children; Raven; The Bad Wife; The Youth Who Joined the Deer; The Medicine Pipe; and, A Visit to the Land of the Skeletons.Each tale is introduced by a brief explanatory headnote, and the volume closes with a selected bibliography.