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North American culture
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This is our collection of links to Yurok folktales and traditional stories that can be read online. We have indexed our Native American legends 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 Yuroks, the traditional stories of related tribes like the Wiyot and Hupa tribes are very similar.
Wohpekumeu (also spelled Wah-pec-wah-mow, Wohpekuman,
or several other ways.) Wohpekumeu is the benevolent culture hero of the Yurok tribe (sometimes referred to as a "transformer" by folklorists.)
He shares some similarities with other Algonquian heroes such as the Wabanaki
Koluscap, Anishinabe
Nanabush, and Cree
Wesakaychak,
and some of the same stories are told in eastern Algonquian tribes with only the identity of the protagonist differing.
Pulekukwerek. Pulekukwerek is a mythical
hero who protected the Yurok people by slaying monsters.
The Foxes and the Sun:How Thunder and Earthquake Made Ocean:Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest:Mythology of the California Tribes:Surviving Through the Days: Translations of Native California Stories and Songs: The Deetkatoo:American Indian Trickster Tales:
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