The Legend Of The Buffalo Stone

A retelling of a traditional Blackfoot tale tells the story of Hanata, a twelve-year-old girl whose dream leads her on a journey into the mountains in order to find a magical stone that can bring back the buffalo, an animal that her people need in order to survive.

This authentic Blackfoot legend captures the culture and landscape of the Great Plains in the time before the arrival of settlers.

Sebastian, a twenty-first century boy, finds himself living amongst the Blackfoot people, in a time before any European had set foot in America. In this time, vast herds of buffalo roamed the plains, and the Blackfoot tribe's survival depended on the annual buffalo jump, when a herd of buffalo would be driven over a cliff for their meat and hides. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was such a cliff, and it is said that its name derives from the legend of a Blackfoot boy who foolishly watched from the base of the cliff as the buffalo fell. As the tribe prepares for the day of the buffalo jump, Sebastian's bond with his Blackfoot brother, Four Falcons, grows ever stronger, and through their adventures, Sebastian's life becomes entwined in the legend of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, until the legend and the boy become one.

"A long time ago, Our People came from the Northern Woodlands to the Great Plains looking for food," Grandfather said. "They saw that the Buffalo lived in harmony with Mother Earth the same as Our People did." Through the Creator, the buffalo gave themselves as a gift for the sustenance and survival of the Plains Cree people. The largest land animal in North America once thundered across the Great Plains in numbers of 30 to 50 million. They provided shelter, food, clothing, tools, hunting gear, ceremonial objects and many other necessities for those who lived on the Plains. But by 1889, just over a thousand buffalo remained, and the lives of the Plains Cree people changed. The buffalo is honoured to this day, a reminder of life in harmony with nature as it was once lived. This is the story of how the buffalo came to share themselves so freely.

Myths, personal narratives and historical traditions reveal beliefs and customs of twelve Indian tribes who once lived in the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming

The sixth tale in our Legend series, The Legend of the Petoskey Stone focuses on the naming of this unique fossil, found only on the shores of Lake Michigan. From the ancient, warm sea that covered most of the state, through Native American history and the history of the town named after a great chief, The Legend of the Petoskey Stone is a welcome addition to the fables so richly told and illustrated by this much-loved and honored children's book team.Author Kathy-jo Wargin has earned national acclaim through award-winning children's classics such as Michigan's official state book, The Legend of Sleeping Bear, Children's Choice Award winner The Legend of the Loon, The Edmund Fitzgerald: Song of the Bell, and many others. Kathy-jo enjoys writing about nature and its effect on all our lives, and is a frequent guest speaker throughout the country. She is also a faculty member of the Bear River Writers Workshop, sponsored by the University of Michigan. She lives in Petoskey, Michigan. Since the publication of The Legend of Sleeping Bear, artist Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen has been an established presence in the world of children's book illustration. His many other titles with Sleeping Bear Press include The Edmund Fitzgerald: Song of the Bell, Adopted by an Owl, Jam & Jelly by Holly & Nellie, and The Legend of Leelanau. Gijsbert and his family live in Bath, Michigan.

Stone by Stone takes readers on a fascinating journey across the short-grass prairie of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan in search of tangible evidence of the region's ancient past--a civilization dating back at least twelve thousand years. In this revised and updated edition of her one-of-a-kind guidebook, author Liz Bryan explores archaeological sites that are accessible to today's inquisitive travellers and provides enough detailed information, striking photographs, maps, and illustrations to satisfy any armchair archaeologist. With riveting insight and clarity, Bryan presents the stone effigies, cairns, medicine wheels, buffalo jumps, rock art, and remains of settlements scattered across this vast prairie, creating an invaluable resource for anyone who wishes to navigate these ancient sites and understand their significance.