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Native Languages of the Americas:
Karok Indian Legends

This is our collection of links to Karok 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 Karoks, the traditional stories of related tribes like the Shasta and Yurok tribes are very similar.

Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Karok legend for this page or think one of the ones on here should be removed, please contact us and let us know.

Karok Indian Folklore

*Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest:
    Online book about Southwest and California Indian mythology.
*Karuk History and Creation Story:
    Karuk legend about the origin of the world.
*Coyote Steals Fire * The Fire Race * Fable of the Animals * The Theft of Fire * How Coyote Brought Fire:
    Karok legends about the origin of fire.
*The Devil Who Died Laughing:
    Legend in the Karuk language, with English translation.
*The Greedy Father:
    Karuk legend about a man transformed into a waterbird for being a bad provider.
*How Coyote Got His Cunning:
    Karuk story about the origin of Coyote.

Additional Resources

 Karok religion and expressive culture
 Karuk Rituals and Beliefs
 The Religion of the Indians of California
 Books of Native American legends
 Native religions
 Karuk words
 California native tribes
 California cultural area
 Hokan languages



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