Indian Myths &
Legends from the North Pacific Coast of America is the English translation of Franz Boas'' Indianische
Sagen von der Nord-Pacifischen Küste Amerikas. This book details various myths and legends
recorded by the Father of North American Anthropology during his field investigations of twenty-six native groups along the Northwest Coast. Dietrich Bertz painstakingly translated Boas'' original text and field notes. Bouchard and Kennedy then compiled these translations, conferred with native storytellers and academic researchers, and then attempted to replicate these original myths and legends. Countless footnotes riddle the book explaining the sources, potential variations, and limitations of these various accounts. The editors have also added a lengthy
section about Boas and his theoretical background to instruct the reader on the Boasian theory and methods and give the reader background on where and when he conducted his field investigations. Moreover, this section aims to prevent criticism about the incomplete stories. This attempt is significant as Boas'' work shows an obvious bias towards using myths and legends as a way of discovering cultural affinity and diffusion. In this way, the reader will soon find a number of the accounts only contain a paragraph or two stating that the story is the same as previous except for a few omissions or additions. These revisions are then listed or the differing portion of the story related. For researchers looking for precise details, a smooth read, or culture-specific symbolic ideology, this aspect of Boas'' original work may be extremely bothersome. This book also contains a summary of Boas'' findings. This section is a comparison of various individual events found within common myths and legends. Boas used the frequency of these common components to establish cultural links. Nonetheless, the comparison of these variations might be useful as a starting point for a Lévi-Straussian analysis of myth and legend variations. Furthermore, this section acts as a summary for an extensive and somewhat overwhelming amount of material. The majority of this book, however, is composed of myths and legends from the twenty-six native groups that Boas studied. The number of myths and legend in each section varies substantially. For instance, there is only one Klahoose legend, while twenty-five stories of the Bella Coola are recorded. This is a reflection of knowledgeable native storytellers willing to share their traditions within the confines of Boas'' hectic fieldwork schedule. Each of these sections contains an introduction that outlines when and where Boas completed his field studies as well as any comments he recorded about his informants. This orients the reader any to potential bias due to lack of time and the qualifications of the native storytellers. Moreover, black and white photographs taken by Boas accompany each introduction. These regularly depict native informants, their villages, and local activities. These activities include not only daily activities useful as potential clues in site and activity area reconstruction but also rarely recorded special events such as the potlatch ceremony. Many of the sections contain myths and legends common to the Pacific Northwest. The most common reoccurring themes surround Raven and Mink. Other common stories include tales about illegitimate and rejected children becoming rich and powerful as well as cautionary tales about sexually active girls. Despite Boas'' research bias towards shared themes, he did an exemplary job in recording such a wide variety. Many of these are origin myths and legends explaining nature and the universe. Others relate the history of the group and the invention of technology such as the salmon weir. Still others valiantly illustrate cultural mores, taboos, and gender roles. Thus, despite some acknowledged research bias, this book is a wealth of knowledge. Many of these myths and legends are the onlmnants of otherwise lost traditions. Furthermore, this compilation is the most complete collection from the Pacific Northwest created to date. These aspects make this book invaluable to the avid myth and legend collector or scholar.