Traditional Stories of the Northwest Coast Nations
NATIVE AMERICAN ORAL HISTORIES TRADITIONAL STORIES OF THE NORTHWEST COAST NATIONS BY ANITA YASUDA CONTENT CONSULTANT Roger Fernandes Storyteller Lower Elwha Band of the S’Klallam Indians Cover image A dancer in a raven mask performs at a potlatch Core Library An Imprint of Abdo Publishing abdopublishing com
CHAPTER ONE 4
NORTHWEST COAST STORYTELLERS It is November in the village The canoe paddles have been put away Now the people in the big cedar house by the shore are coming together Children aunts uncles and grandparents gather under the house’s roof It is a time for sharing Friends catch up on the news As the sun rises an elder signals a story is about to begin Children lean forward Will there be a journey to the sky Will Raven play a trick The story begins The longhouse has historically been an important meeting place for many Native American nations including the Haida of the Northwest Coast 5
