Native Languages of the Americas: Kalapuya Indian Legends
This is our collection of links to Kalapuya folktales and traditional stories that can be read online.
We have indexed our Native American legends section
by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same
legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to
each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Kalapuyas, the traditional stories of
related tribes like the Takelma and
Chinook tribes are very similar.
Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Kalapuya legend for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please contact us and let us know.
˜Amhuluk. This is a Kalapuya sea monster responsible for
drowning humans in the lakes.
˜Ptchiza (also spelled Ptciza, Pchiza, Petchiza, and other ways.)
This is a Kalapuya version of the French Canadian folk hero Petit-Jean or Ti-Jean. Like his counterparts in European fairytales, Ptchiza usually features in
Kalapuya tales as a resourceful young orphan boy who succeeds at various trials and becomes a chief.