Wigwam wonder tales by William Thompson
"Wigwam wonder tales by William Thompson" is a collection of short folk tales written in the early 20th century. Rooted in northern Indigenous settings of forests, rivers, and lakes, it offers animal fables and wonder stories that double as origin myths, exploring humility, generosity, loyalty, vanity, and the living spirit of nature. Across its tales, people, animals, and spirits meet and change each other: Ayas snares the sun until a winged mouse
frees it; Wactu paints the birds and bequeaths vanity to the peacock; a beaver elder escapes giant raptors, explaining flightless birds; the vain Niona is whisked to the moon and returns committed to service; a shaman’s decree silences dogs but preserves their fidelity; an old widower rides a giant fish to the Fire of Youth; elemental Fire and Water Boys tend an isolated woman; a kindly spider shelters wingless Cupids; visitors discover an underwater village of strange transformations; and a taciturn wanderer tricks a city of birds to their doom. Together the stories blend adventure, gentle humor, and moral insight to explain the ways of animals and the world. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Thompson, William, 1865- |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Boog, Carle Michel, 1877-1968 |
| LoC No. | 19014898 |
| Title | Wigwam wonder tales |
| Original Publication | New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1919. |
| Contents | The giant butterfly and the mouse -- Wactu, the animal painter -- Alitoci and the giant birds -- Niona and the Moon Man -- Why dogs do not talk -- Mr. Fish and Yoni -- Fire Boy and Water Boy -- Old Spot and the Cupids -- The underwater people -- Watc' Agic kills the talking-birds. |
| Credits | Terry Jeffress and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | E011: History: America: America |
| Subject | Indians of North America -- Folklore |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 76997 |
| Release Date | Oct 6, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 261 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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