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Native American Pourquoi Stories

Here is our collection of Native American pourquoi stories.

Pourquoi Tales

*How Daylight Came To Be:
    Salishan legend about how Ant Woman won daytime from the Creator.
Gluskabe Changes Maple Syrup:
    Abenaki myth about the origins of maple syrup.
Indian Summer:
    Abenaki pourquoi story about the origin of Indian summer.
*Rabbit and the Moon Man:
    Micmac legend about why the moon has dark marks on its face.
How The Crow Came To Be Black:
    Pourquoi story about a nosy crow punished for his interference with the people's hunting.
Chipmunk and Bear:
    An Iroquois legend about how Chipmunk became striped.
How The Deer Got His Horns:
    Cherokee legend explaining how Deer and Rabbit became as they are today.
Why Opossum's Tail is Bare:
    Cherokee legend about the origin of Opossum's scaly tail.
Why The Porcupine Has Quills:
    Chippewa Indian pourquoi legend about how Porcupine learned to defend himself.
*How the Turkey Buzzard Became As He Is:
    Lenape pourquoi story about the origins of buzzards, opossums, and foxes.
Why Buffalo Has A Hump:
    Chippewa story about Buffalo being punished for his recklessness.
*How the Beaver Got His Tail:
    Ojibwe legend about Beaver's flat tail.
*The Crane and the Otter:
    Assiniboine legend telling how otters got their thick fur.
*Mole and the Sun:
    Achumawi myth telling how Mole got his bent arms.

Recommended Books of Related Native American Legends
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Keepers of the Night:
    Excellent collection of Native pourquoi legends about the night sky, with teaching activities for classroom use.
*The Way to Make Perfect Mountains:
    Collection of Native American legends from many tribes about the origins of mountains.
How The Stars Fell Into The Sky:
    A lovely picture book illustrating the Navajo myth about the creation of the stars.
How Chipmunk Got His Stripes:
    Charming picture book illustrating a Woodlands Indian legend about Chipmunk.
Raccoon's Last Race:
    Another good children's book by a Native author about how Raccoon got his unusual shape.
Day and Night:
    Bilingual children's book illustrating a Navajo legend about how night and day began.
How Thunder and Lightning Came to Be:
    Picture book based on a Choctaw legend about the origin of thunder and lightning.
How Spirit Dog Made The Milky Way * The Story of the Milky Way:
    Picture books based on a Cherokee legend about a dog that spilled the stars.
Rainbow Crow:
    Picture book illustrating a Lenape legend about how Crow became black and began to caw.
The Opossum's Tale:
    Children's book telling a Cherokee legend about how the possum got his tail.
Soft Child:
    Children's book illustrating a Southwest Indian legend about how the rattlesnake got its fangs.



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