Quileute Storytellers

Quileute Stories

Native American cultures spread out across the Great Plains of North America recite stories.  These stories are as old as humankind and are passed down generation to generation around camp fires.  They survive in our Contemporary living rooms during holidays and additional gatherings, when we take part in family customs and share family stories in very much the same way that the Quileute storytellers learned their stories by hearing the Quileute stories of their tribe.

Even though the stories of the Quileute might be published in books, they cannot be attributed to a specific author, nor can they be frozen in time, place, form, or content. They’re not the work of an single imagination; they’re folklore, anonymous, Ever changing, propagating the hearts, minds, and mouths of countless tellers.

Quileute Legend

It’s as well interesting to note the wide range of tales in Quileutes.com’s collection.   A myth, such as the “Quileute Creation Legend,” is a creation story,  fundamentally religious in its content, explaining the beginning of the earth and its creatures in a fashion similar to the book of Genesis.  Myths, such as “The Origin of Elks” or “The Beaver’s Tail” narrate deeds or outcomes, frequently stunning in nature, comparable to “The Legend of Johnny Appleseed.”   With plenty embellishment, stories could be regarded as a tall tale.

Occasionally these stories may look silly or childish.   Indeed, they’re frequently recited to children.   But scholars remind us that folklore can be a powerful influence on the way we see ourselves and interpret the world around us.    Joseph Campbell, the noted folklorist, explored religious mythologies of the world.   His books uncover the commonality of seemingly disparate opinions, all of them exhibiting the human being aspiring towards spirituality

Quileute Religion in Legend

Numerous Native American tales are of religious origin and satisfy a spiritual need.   It might be hard for non-Native readers to see religious belief in these Quileute tales as they’re immensely unlike the stories told in the Bible and other teachings of the Christian religion.   Readers may find a deeper appreciation of Quileute stories by comparing them with stories from their own spiritual background.

Preserving Quileute Tradition

Stories are crucial in instructing moral values and tribal history.   For each story had a genuine reason for it.   The Quileutes didn’t have schoolhouses, so they had to tell stories to teach their children.   Stories like “How the Deer Received Antlers” or “The Lazy Boy Who Became a Whaler ” warn the listener against boastfulness and arrogance.   In “Duskeah,” the sinner dies, burnt up in a camp fire.   This is a consequence of her causing harm to children, and the listener learns a Quileute version of the Hindu concept of karma- what goes around, comes back around.