5 h 0 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 0 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Enter a world where animals hold councils, families gather in Plains camps, and a clever trickster invites trouble.
In Myths and Legends of the Sioux, Marie L. McLaughlin gathers tales she learns as a child from Dakota elders in her family and community. The collection includes stories of Iktomi the spider trickster, animals who speak and act like people, and families whose lives unfold in the camps of the northern Plains.
Iktomi is clever, vain and greedy, always ready to fool others for his own gain. Around him, animal families hold councils and quarrel, while stories of hunters, wives, children and elders explore the bonds between people. These tales teach, warn and entertain: generosity earns praise, while selfishness brings trouble.
What you’ll discover
- Meet Iktomi the trickster Follow a clever spider whose vanity and greed turn his mistakes into lessons.
- Animals with lives together Discover tales where animals have families, hold councils, and quarrel much as people do.
- Life in Plains camps Meet hunters, wives, children and elders through legends of family bonds and camp life.
- Generosity against selfishness Explore stories that praise giving and show the trouble selfish choices can bring.
- Tales passed between generations Read stories McLaughlin learns from elders, where teaching and entertainment share the same fire.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy folktales, trickster stories, animal fables, and the customs, beliefs and daily life of the Plains peoples, told in short pieces you can enjoy one at a time.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Stories told at a mother's knee
- Small tales teach care and honest work
- Rabbit schemes and stumbles with his grandmother
- Unktomi the spider cheats and is cheated
- Love and friendship call for sacrifice
- Grief, kindness and wisdom in family life
- Holy places, sacred gifts and strange powers
Who’s who
- RabbitA mischievous young trickster who lives with his grandmother, tries to provide for her, and often gets into scrapes.
- UnktomiThe spider, a greedy and deceitful trickster who claims kinship with everyone and brings trouble to those who trust him.
- White PlumeA young marksman, son of Dead Shot, sent to free a starving nation from three evil spirits.
- Stone BoyA boy born from a white pebble who sets out to find his missing uncles.
- ChaskeThe rich war chief's son who chooses an orphan as his sworn friend and gives up the girl he loves.
- HakeAn orphan raised in rags, chosen as Chaske's brother, who must prove himself on the warpath.
- Big EagleA brave Sioux scout who falls in love with a young Crow woman and must choose between two peoples.
- Pretty Feathered ForeheadA young man born with colored feathers on his brow who marries women from the Buffalo and Elk nations.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 5 h 0 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 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.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Mythes et légendes des Sioux in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Mythes et légendes des Sioux
by Marie L. McLaughlin · 1916
An ear of corn cries out as an Arikara woman leaves the field with her harvest.
Easy read5–10 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
What would you do if a little ear of corn begged you not to leave it behind? Marie L.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Stories told at a mother's knee
The collection opens with a preface by Marie L. McLaughlin. She says she is one quarter Sioux. Her Scottish grandfather, Captain Duncan Graham, settled at Mendota in Minnesota and married a woman of the Medawakanton band. She was born at Wabasha, learned the Sioux language as a child, and later lived on reservations with her husband, an Indian agent.
Most of the tales came from her mother, Mary Graham Buisson, and from elders who spoke while she took careful notes. She wanted them saved before they were lost. She compares the feeling of a people's stories to the timbre of music, the texture that tells you who is singing.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Mythes et légendes des Sioux
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Myths and Legends of the Sioux about?
It is a collection of thirty-eight Sioux tales gathered by Marie L. McLaughlin. They include animal fables, trickster stories, tales of love and friendship, stories of grief, and legends that explain sacred places and customs.
Who is Unktomi in Sioux stories?
Unktomi is the spider, a trickster who is hungry, deceitful and sly. He claims to be related to everyone, tricks the trusting, and is often punished. Calling someone a descendant of Unktomi means they are deceitful.
Who collected these stories and where did they come from?
Marie L. McLaughlin, who was one quarter Sioux, wrote down tales told by older Sioux men and women, many first heard from her mother. She lived on Sioux reservations in Dakota country.
The author
Marie L. McLaughlin
1842–1924 · American Sioux folklore collector
Marie L. McLaughlin (1842–1924) was an American writer. She was born in Wabasha, in what is now Minnesota, and lived in the United States. She wrote Myths and Legends of the Sioux, published in 1916. She was married to James McLaughlin, who worked as an Indian agent.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
