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This is our collection of links to Tanana stories and folktales that can be read online. We have indexed our Native American tales section by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same story 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 Tanana, the traditional stories of related tribes like the Gwich'in and Tanacross tribes are very similar.
Raven:
Raven is the creator god of the Tanana and other Alaskan Athabaskan tribes.
He is a revered and benevolent figure who helps the people and shapes their world for them,
but at the same time, he is also a trickster character and many Tanana stories about Raven have to do with
his frivolous or poorly thought out behavior getting him into trouble.
The Traveler (variously known as Yobaghu-Talyonunh, Yamontashe, or Tsa-o-sha in Tanana):
Also known as the Traveling Man or Transformer, the Traveler is a heroic monster-slayer in Tanana folklore.
Frequently he uses his cleverness rather than his strength to defeat his enemies,
at which point he either kills them or transforms them into something harmless.
Athabascans of Interior Alaska: When People Meet Animals:
Our Voices: Native Stories of Alaska and the Yukon:
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