Pacific Northwest: Styles Brainstorm

Topic: My Storybook will be about the myths and legends of the Pacific Northwest. My goal is to find four different stories from four different tribes that lived in the region. One story that I would like to include is Falls of the Willamette. Another story that I would be interested in working with would be The Memaloose Islands. I chose these to to start with because they appeal to different aspects of life in the region, and I would like for my Storybook to hit a variety of topics in the lives of different tribes. I don’t think finding material online should be a problem, since just the UN-Textbook offers plenty of material.

Bibliography:

1. Falls of the Willamette, from Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest, especially of Washington and Oregon, by Katharine Berry Judson (1910).
2. The Memaloose Islands, from Myths and Legends of the Pacific Northwest, especially of Washington and Oregon, by Katharine Berry Judson (1910).

Possible Styles:

Storytelling from the animals’ point of view: Native American tales typically rely heavily on animals and nature, so it would make sense that a legend about salmon could be retold by the salmon, for example. Another way to incorporate animals would be to take an eagle and tell it from the point of view of him sitting on a high perch and observing the goings-on below.

The point of view of those not native to the land: Native American stories sometimes talk about the presence and actions of the white man, or just someone not native to the land, so it would be interesting to tell the story from that point of view. Since those that aren’t native aren’t usually as familiar with the landscape and customs, it would present a different perspective on already developed stories.

The Sun/Moon: The Sun and moon see everything during their respective times, so this could be good in terms of detail and things that maybe were supposed to be kept a secret. This could also be used to contrast good versus evil in stories. For example, the good parts of a story could be told by the sun, whereas the bad or evil parts of the story could be told by the moon.

Spirits of people or animals: The spiritual life is a very important element in Native American legends, so it’s important to not overlook that aspect when retelling the tales. Telling the story from the angle of a ghost would be one way to acknowledge this important storytelling element.

(Memaloose Island)