2 h 3 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 2 h 3 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a hungry trickster meets creatures whose wits are sharper than he expects?
In Old Indian Legends, Zitkala-Sa brings together Dakota tales she hears from elders in childhood. At their heart is Iktomi, the spider trickster: clever, vain, and always hungry. He sees a chance to get what he wants and sets his schemes in motion. But animals have plans of their own, and confidence offers no protection from being fooled.
The collection includes Iktomi’s encounters with the Ducks and the Muskrat, alongside stories of human characters and other beings. Animals speak, quarrel, and boast; some tales bring laughter, while others take a more serious turn. Zitkala-Sa’s plain, direct words keep the action close, with a firm sense of right and wrong and careful attention to land, sky, and creatures.
What you’ll discover
- A trickster worth watching Follow Iktomi’s eager schemes and discover how easily cleverness can trip over greed.
- Animals with their own wits Meet ducks, muskrats, rabbits, and bears who speak, argue, boast, and make plans.
- Stories rooted in listening Enter a Dakota storytelling tradition in which elders share tales aloud with younger listeners.
- Humour with a serious edge Find laughter beside lessons about right and wrong, without leaving the story behind.
- One tale at a time Enjoy short, self-contained stories whose clear images keep the natural world close.
Who will love it
For readers who love folktales, trickster stories and oral storytelling, and anyone drawn to Native American voices from the early twentieth century. These Dakota tales bring together talking animals, mischievous schemes, humour and respect for the natural world.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Tales made for winter evenings
- Iktomi is clever, greedy and often fooled
- Schemes that turn on the schemer
- Animals as neighbours with their own wits
- Other beings, other dangers, other lessons
- Plain words and the weight beneath them
Who’s who
- IktomiThe spider trickster of Dakota tales, clever, vain and always hungry, who schemes to get what he wants and is often outwitted.
- The DucksBirds who meet Iktomi in one tale and are drawn into his plan for a meal.
- The MuskratA water creature who meets Iktomi in another tale and proves harder to fool than the spider expects.
- Zitkala-SaThe author and storyteller, who recalls the tales from her childhood and speaks warmly to her readers.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 2 h 3 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Alte Indianerlegenden
by Zitkala-Sa · 1901
Iktomi the hungry spider schemes for a meal in a Dakota world where animals have wits of their own.
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In short
Old Indian Legends is a collection of Dakota tales, retold in English by Zitkala-Sa and published in 1901. She was a Yankton Dakota writer and musician, and later a campaigner for Native American rights.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Tales made for winter evenings
Old Indian Legends belongs to a long oral tradition. Among the Dakota, stories were told aloud by older people, often in the evening, and often to children. The tales were not meant to be silent reading. They were meant to be spoken, with pauses, sound and laughter, and with the listeners joining in.
Zitkala-Sa knew this world from the inside. She was born on the Yankton reservation in South Dakota and later took the pen name Zitkala-Sa, which means Red Bird in the Lakota language. In her preface she recalls the stories as part of her own childhood, and she writes as someone who loved them, not as an outside collector.
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What is Old Indian Legends about?
It is a collection of traditional Dakota tales retold in English by Zitkala-Sa. Many feature Iktomi, a spider trickster, along with talking animals and other beings, and the stories teach about greed, pride and respect.
Who is Iktomi?
Iktomi is a trickster figure in Dakota tradition. His name means spider. He is clever and greedy, and his schemes often go wrong, which makes him both funny and a warning.
Who was Zitkala-Sa?
Zitkala-Sa was the pen name of Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, a Yankton Dakota writer, musician and activist. She wrote down stories she had heard as a child and later campaigned for Native American rights.
The author
Zitkala-Sa
1876–1938 · Yankton Dakota writer
Zitkala-Sa (1876–1938) was a Yankton Dakota writer, also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. She was born on the Yankton Indian Reservation in South Dakota and died in Washington, D.C. She published Old Indian Legends in 1901 and American Indian Stories in 1921. She also worked for Native American rights.
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