PUEBLO ANIMALS AND MYTHS [SOLD]

PUEBLO ANIMALS AND MYTHS by Hamilton A. Tyler

University of Oklahoma Press, Norman

Hardback with slip cover, first edition, 1975, 274 pages

CONTENTS

Preface

I. Badger

II. Pronghorn Antelope

III. Deer

IV. Bison, or American Buffalo

V. America Elk and Mountain Sheep

VI. Rabbits

VII. Coyote and Kin

VIII. Bears

IX. Mountain Lion and Related Gods

X. Animals Souls and Animal Gods

Bibliography

Notes

Index

Map of Pueblo Territory

The Pueblo World

From the Slip Cover

Though the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest were mainly an agricultural people, they were intensely interested in the animals who shared their domain.  They had a veritable pantheon of animal gods: badger, pronghorn deer, buffalo, elk, mountain sheep, rabbits, coyotes, bears, and mountain lions.  The animals had special ceremonial and ritualistic powers.  Bears and mountain lions, for example, provided powers that could be used for healing, for war, and for the hunt.  Deer provided rain for crops.  Other animals had special significance in ceremonial practices and official duties.

The author tells many animal tales, often in the style of the Indians themselves, reflecting their concepts of the animals.  He also relates the Pueblos’ view of animals and animal gods to the larger panorama of early religion.  It is a penetrating look at the way animals were viewed by a culture “unfettered” by scientific presuppositions.

Author’s Biography

Hamilton A. Tyler, a native of California, attended the University of California, Berkeley.  He has long had a deep interest in the Pueblo Indians, particularly in how they explained their place in their world.  He is also the author of Pueblo Gods and Myths.