ILLUSTRATED EDITION If you look around more closely, you will definitely see that you don't need to invent anything: the most amazing tales come from Mother Nature. And Iroquois have always remained her own children. Therefore, nature was for them not only the foundation of all life, but also an inexhaustible source of amazing, sometimes fairy stories. The simplest people became heroes, and their adventures were kept for a long, long time in the memory of storytellers and in the evenings they came to life again and again at the burning fires. CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGMENT 6 FOREWORD 8 HOW THE STORIES CAME TO BE 10 WHY I WAS CALLED THE STORY-TELLER 11 THE LITTLE PEOPLE 13 STORY-TELLING TIME 15 HOW THE IROQUOIS GIVE THANKS 17 A FIREMAKER AND A PEACEMAKER 20 IROQUOIS WONDER STORIES 25 HOW THE WHITE MAN CAME 25 WHY THE EAGLE DEFENDS AMERICANS 27 HOW THE TURKEY BUZZARD GOT HIS SUIT 33 WHY THE PARTRIDGE DRUMS 36 HOW THE INDIANS LEARNED TO HEAL 37 WHY DOGS CHASE FOXES 41 WHY HERMIT THRUSH IS SO SHY 43 HOW GOOD AND EVIL CAME TO BE 46 HOW A BOY WAS CURED OF BOASTING 48 WHY THE CUCKOO IS SO LAZY 51 HOW THE COON OUTWITTED THE FOX 53 WHY THE GOLDFINCHES LOOK LIKE THE SUN 55 WHAT THE ASH AND THE MAPLE LEARNED 57 HOW THE WOMAN OVERCAME THE BEAR 60 WHY THE WOODPECKER BORES FOR ITS FOOD 61 WHY THE ICE ROOF FELL 63 WHY THE CHIPMUNK HAS BLACK STRIPES 64 HOW TWO INDIAN BOYS SETTLED A QUARREL 66 HOW MICE OVERCAME THE WARRIORS 69 WHY CROWS ARE POOR 71 WHY THE INDIAN LOVES HIS DOG 73 GREEDY FAWN AND THE PORRIDGE 76 WHY HOUNDS OUTRUN OTHER ANIMALS 80 WHY INDIANS NEVER SHOOT PIGEONS 82 HOW OLD MAN WINTER WAS DRIVEN BACK 84 WHY LIGHTNING SOMETIMES STRIKES 88 WHY THE HARE HAS A SPLIT LIP AND SHORT TAIL 92 CORN PLUME AND BEAN MAIDEN 94 HOW THE ROBIN BURNED HIS BREAST 98 IROQUOIS FAIRY STORIES 100 HOW MORNING STAR LOST HER FISH 100 HOW LITTLE SHOOTER LOST HIS LUCK 103 HOW AN INDIAN BOY WON HIS NAME 105 HOW THE FAIRIES WORKED MAGIC 108 FOOTNOTE 110