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Native Languages of the Americas:
Pawnee Legends and Traditional Stories

This is our collection of links to Pawnee folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have indexed our American Indian folklore 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 Pawnee tribe, the traditional stories of the the Arikara and other Plains Indian tribes are very similar.

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

Important Pawnee Mythological Figures

Tiriwa Atius (or Tirawa Atius, or just Atius or Atiuch.) This means "Father Above" in the Pawnee language, and is the Pawnee name for the Creator (God.) Sometimes the Plains Indian term "Great Spirit" is also used. Tiriwa Atius is a divine spirit who is not generally personified in Caddo folklore.

Handsome Boy and Afterbirth Boy (or Good Boy and Long Tooth Boy.) These mythical twins whose mother was killed by a monster are common to the folklore of many Midwestern and Eastern tribes. They are generally portrayed as heroic monster-slayers in Pawnee legends.

Coyote (Skiriki or Skidiki, in the Pawnee language.) Coyote is the trickster figure of the Pawnee tribe. As in other Plains Indian mythology, Coyote is sometimes anthropomorphized into human form and other times depicted in the shape of a coyote (sometimes both within a single story.) Pawnee coyote stories range from light-hearted tales of mischief and buffoonery, to more serious legends about the nature of the world, to ribald jokes.

Sharp-Elbows (or Two-Face.) Legendary man-eating ogres who kill people with sharp spikes on the ends of their elbows.

Scalped Man: A warrior who returned to life after being killed and scalped in battle and now roams the world as a fearsome spirit being.

Witch-Woman (Ctu'u in Pawnee): Stuwi is a woman of loose morals who features in many jokes and stories told among Pawnee men. We have not included any Witch Woman stories on our website because they feature too much adult humor, but you can find some of them on Google if you're so inclined!

Pawnee Indian Folklore

*The Girl Who Was The Ring:
    Pawnee legend of a girl kidnapped by the buffalo people.
*The Woman Who Became A Horse:
    Skidi Pawnee story about a woman transformed into a horse.
*Making The Sacred Bundle:
    Pawnee myth about a man who married a buffalo woman.
*The Prisoners of Court House Rock:
    Pawnee story about some warriors who escaped from a Sioux siege.
*The Cheyenne Blanket:
    Pawnee tale about a youth who outwitted a Cheyenne camp.
*Pawnee Creation Myth:
    Pawnee myth about the beginning of the world.
*Big Turtle's War Party:
    Humorous story about Turtle's bungling attempt to attack a Pawnee camp.
*A Pawnee Apocalyptic Myth:
    Pawnee beliefs about the end of the world.
*The Medicine Grizzly Bear:
    Pawnee legend about a boy who learned bear medicine.
*The Mud Pony:
    Pawnee legend of a boy and his magical horse.
*The Offended Rolling Stone:
    Coyote picks on the wrong stone and pays the price.

Recommended Books on Pawnee Mythology

Hold Up The Sky:
    Anthology of legends from the Pawnee and other Southern Plains tribes.

Additional Resources

 Pawnee religion and expressive traditions
 Books of Native American legends
 Native American religions
 Indian tribes of Kansas
 Plains Native American tribes
 Caddoan tribes
 Pawnee culture
 American Indians peoples



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