Some of the stories contained in this collection have their origins in oral folklore, ancient myths and legends of the various nations who first populated North America. There is a long list of people who have heard and collected and recorded these stories, all the way from Lewis and Clark, to David Thompson to Ella Elizabeth Clark, and many in between whose diligent and dedicated work has served to preserve small snippets and smatterings of the remarkable richness these complex and sophisticated cultures offered up. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who had the foresight and took the time to pluck these stories from the realm of oral traditions so that they would not be lost to future generations who might not otherwise have the means to hear the fundamental wisdom embedded in them. These stories are presented to pay homage to the ancient ones whose understanding of the world around them often far exceeded that of our sophisticated modern day civilizations. With deep respect to the tribes and nations whose ancestors these ancient ones were, I have tried to present them in a language universally understood in today’s world while staying true to the meaning behind the stories, to the best of my own understanding.
