"Wonderley’s rich, layered book brings together Oneida oral traditions, the history of those traditions, elements of Oneida history, and the two Oneida women who were the principal sources of material that Hope Emily Allen, a non-Native independent scholar, collected and preserved in manuscript form."—Choice
Description
This is the first major book to explore uniquely Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), and specifically Oneida, components in the Native American oral narrative as it existed around 1900.
Even as Anthony Wonderley studies time-honored themes and such stories as the Haudenosaunee account of creation, he breaks new ground examining links between legend, history, and everyday life. Wonderley examines how oral traditions are born and develop. Uncovering tales told over the course of 400 years, Wonderley further defines and considers endurance and sequence in oral narratives and explores possible links between Oneida folklore and material culture. Arguably the most complete study of its kind, the book will appeal to a wide range of professional disciplines from anthropology, history, and folklore to religion and Native American studies.
Table of Contents
Contents
Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction xiii
1. A People Undone 1
2. Where the Earth Opened
SIDEBAR: The Oneida Longhouse
3. The Creation
SIDEBAR: Twins in Oneida Art
4. Old Ones of the Forest
SIDEBAR: Human Figures on Oneida Pottery
5. Thunders
SIDEBAR: Dan Webster’s Wampum String
6. Something New and Some Things Very Old
SIDEBAR: Reified Narrative?
7. The Fabric of Daily Life
SIDEBAR: Oneida Basket Making
8. A People Resurgent
Epilogue: Studying Iroquois Folklore
About the Author
Anthony Wonderley worked for the Oneida Indian Nation in its cultural management and preservation programs and for the Oneida Community Mansion House as Curator of Collections and Interpretation. He is the author of At the Font of the Marvelous: Exploring Oral Narrative and Mythic Imagery of the Iroquois and Their Neighbors and co-author of Origins of the Iroquois League: Narratives, Symbols, and Archaeology with Martha L. Sempowski.
Related Interest
July 2024