Tsimshian Mythology

Alan Dundes defines myth as a sacred narrative that explains how the world and humanity came to be in their present form. This new volume brings together classic statements on the theory of myth by the authors. The twenty-two essays by leading experts on myth represent comparative, functionalist, myth-ritual, Jungian, Freudian, and structuralist approaches to studying the genre.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Ralph Maud delves into the mystery of Boas's alleged translations" of stories gathered by his chief Tsimshian informant, Henry Tate.

This volume examines Tsimshian culture from the prehistoric period to the recent past and includes contributions from such diverse perspectives as archaeology, linguistics, and social anthropology. The contributors demonstrate a balance between current fieldwork and careful archival analysis, as they build on the voluminous materials that are a legacy of the scholarship of such major figures as Boas, Barbeau, Tate, and Garfield. The book includes chapters on the crest system and participation of the Tsimshian in the 'non-Native' economy of the region and introduces much original material on shamanism, basket making, and feasting.