Native Languages of the Americas: Wichita Indian Legends
This is our collection of links to Wichita folktales and traditional stories that can be read online.
We have indexed our Indian mythology 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 Wichitas, the traditional stories of
related tribes like the Caddo and
Pawnee tribes are very similar.
Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Wichita legend for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please contact us and let us know.
˜Kinnekasus (Man-Never-Known-On-Earth.)
This is the Wichita name for the Creator (God.) Sometimes he is also referred to by the Plains Indian term "Great Spirit."
Kinnekasus is a divine spirit and is not generally personified in Caddo folklore.
˜Kiarsidia (Man-With-The-Power-To-Carry-Light.)
The first man, created by Kinnekasus, who taught the Wichita men the secrets of hunting. He became the Morning Star.
˜Kashatskihakatidise (Bright-Shining-Woman.)
The first woman, created by Kinnekasus, who taught the Wichita women the secrets of agriculture. She became the Moon.
˜Handsome Boy and Afterbirth Boy (or Lodge Boy and Other Boy.).
These mythical twins whose mother was killed by a monster are common to the folklore of many Midwestern and Eastern tribes.
They are usually portrayed as heroic monster-slayers in Wichita legends.
˜Coyote (Ketox or Kitaks, in the Wichita language.)
Coyote is the trickster figure of the Wichita 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.) Wichita coyote stories range
from light-hearted tales of mischief and buffoonery, to more serious legends about the nature of the world, to ribald jokes.
˜Double-Face (Witschatska, in the Wichita language.)
A man-eating ogre with faces on both sides of his head.
American Indian nations
Wichita Indian Legends:
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