This book features a series of short stories collected by renowned ethnologist Henry R. Schoolcraft. The stories are adapted from old Native American legends with the aim to protect their authenticity from future contamination. Schoolcraft made it his duty to learn the Native American folklore, after living among them in the Great Lakes region and experiencing their culture firsthand. The allegorical collection include tales of adventure, whilst offering exciting explanations for natural phenomena as perceived by members of the tribe and their ancestors, who have passed down the tales from one generation to the next.
The collection of stories begins with the introduction of wise and venerable Iagoo, whose respected position and function in the tribe is to preserve their history through the means of storytelling. It is his role as a storyteller to recount tales of the customs and traditions of their people to attentive young listeners. Consequently begin the tales of mythological and fascinating events, which take place in a time when animals could speak and the world was still new. Personification is therefore generously applied and embraced throughout the collection. The stories serve a purpose of endorsing morals, expressing the sweet rewards of good conduct, and ultimately act as cautionary tales to portray the consequences of certain traits. Celebrating interconnectedness between man and nature, the stories support the idea that every course of action has a consequence and that humans are not superior to nature, but equally valuable while sharing responsibility and purpose.
What makes the collection so fascinating is the fact that the stories have been passed down throughout generations by oral traditions, therefore signifying their cultural richness and identity. Depicting a close relationship between mankind, spirits, animals, and nature, the stories depict a cultural tradition successfully portrayed in the pages of the anthology. Furthermore the compilation allows readers to observe and learn more about a culture preserved in a most intriguing manner.
本书收录了著名民族学家 Henry R. Schoolcraft 收集的一系列短篇小说。这些故事改编自美洲原住民的古老传说，旨在保护其真实性免受未来的污染。在与北美原住民一起生活在五大湖地区并亲身体验他们的文化之后，Schoolcraft 将学习美洲原住民的民俗作为自己的职责。寓言集包括冒险故事，同时为部落成员及其祖先所感知的自然现象提供令人兴奋的解释，他们将这些故事代代相传。
故事集首先介绍了睿智而可敬的伊古，他在部落中受人尊敬的地位和作用是通过讲故事的方式来保存他们的历史。作为一名讲故事的人，他的职责是向细心的年轻听众讲述他们人民的习俗和传统故事。因此开始了神话和迷人事件的故事，这些故事发生在动物会说话并且世界还是新的时代。因此，拟人化在整个系列中得到了广泛的应用和拥抱。这些故事的目的是支持道德，表达良好行为的甜蜜回报，并最终作为警示故事来描绘某些特征的后果。这些故事庆祝人与自然之间的相互联系，支持这样一种观点，即每一个行动过程都会产生后果，并且人类并不优于自然，但在分担责任和目标的同时具有同等价值。
使该系列如此引人入胜的原因在于，这些故事通过口头传统代代相传，因此象征着他们的文化丰富性和身份。这些故事描绘了人类、精神、动物和自然之间的密切关系，描绘了在选集的页面中成功描绘的文化传统。此外，该汇编使读者能够观察和了解更多以最有趣的方式保存下来的文化。
