Native American Legends and Stories About Mothers

Here is our collection of Native American legends and traditional stories about mothers.

Native American Mother Spirits

Áłtsé 'Asdzą́ą́ (Navajo)

First Mother (Wabanaki)

Mother Corn (Arikara)

Pacha Mama (Inca)

Selu (Cherokee)

Sky Woman (Iroquois)

How First Mother Saved the Penobscot

The Abenaki Emergence

Corn Mother

The Origin of Corn:
Abenaki and Penobscot legends of how First Mother sacrificed herself to save her children.

Mooin, the Bear's Child:
Mi'kmaq story about a bear mother's love for her family.

A Mashpee Ghost Story:
Mashpee Wampanoag story about a mother tested by a ghostly sailor.

The Woman and her Bear:
Legend about an Inuit woman's love for her adopted bear-child.

Tale of a Young Loon:
Algonquin Indian legend about a loon mother being reunited with her son.

The Crane and the Otter:
Assiniboine legend about a mother crane who defeats Cold to save her son.

Faith:
Oral history from a Cree elder about a mother comforted by a vision of her deceased daughter.

The Girl Who Married A Dog:
Cheyenne legend about the mother of the Pleiades.

Northern Lights:
A powerful and beautiful picture book for children about the love between an Inuit child and her mother who has passed away.

The Polar Bear Son:
Charming picture book based on an Inuit legend about a woman who adopts a bear cub.

Mother Fox and Mr. Coyote:
Children's book illustrating a Mexican Indian legend about a fox mother using her wits to save her children.