Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part B

The Dog-Husband

• Quite odd story, just because I wasn't expecting a dog to turn into a human and get a young girl pregnant
• This reminds me of animagus from Harry Potter (where a wizard can learn to switch between animal form and human form)
• Sirius Black transformed into a dog whenever he wanted to escape a situation undetected
• I could incorporate this into my story if I decide to retell this one

The Girl and the Turkeys

• Valuable lessons about being kind; good karma
• I found it sad that she was kind of outcast from the rest of the group - it's like the story "The Ugly Duckling"
• It also reminds me of Cinderella, because she really wanted to go to the ball and never thought she would actually be able to go. The only reason she did is because of the fairy godmother. The turkeys are like the girl's fairy godmother since they provide her with all the clothes and fancy garments needed to go to the dance.

The True Bride

• I can't believe the stepmother threw down the wife's infants down a hole and replaced them with random animals to look like she is an odd person who gives birth to odd things
• I also can't believe that the husband believed the stepmother and actually went through with a plan to kill his wife 
• I wish the wife didn't go back to her husband after everything was over and after everybody knew the truth, because he tried to kill her and she still went back!
• I would have taken the two sons and left to go somewhere else. Maybe I'll write a story in which the woman doesn't go back and stays independent and true to herself.
  

Source: Native American Tales.

Bibliography: Native American Marriage Tales, Part B.

Reading Notes: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A

The Piqued Buffalo Wife

• I was really confused by this story and what actually was going on
• Did the father leave before the child was born? 
• Did the child ever know his father before he went out to find him?
• How were they able to switch forms?
• I might write a story about the part where the father had to identify his son with four distinct traits four different times, and just change it up to someone trying to overcome an obstacle

Bear Woman and Deer Woman

• I thought this one was really interesting because it showed conflict between two wives, and the children were really smart in figuring out that one of the wives killed the other one
• The children were also loyal to their mother, it seems, since they realized Grizzly was a monster who killed their mother and decided to run away

Splinter Foot Girl

• A child born from a leg??
• Reminds me of a child born from the blood clot of a buffalo (Kut-O-Yis stories)
• Was weird that a buffalo wanted to marry a girl, and that a rock wanted to marry a girl
• Had some origin stories in there:
• (about the buffalo); they will be overcome by human beings and they'll have horns, but will be afraid when anyone comes to hunt them)
• (about the rock); they should not trouble people ever again and be found where there are hills

Source: A killer whale sculpture from the story The Woman Stolen by Killer Whales.

Bibliography: Native American Marriage Tales, Part A.