Lelooska

Echoes of the Elders is a collection of the stories collected by Chief Lelooska of the Kwakiutl tribe. It is beautifully illustrated with traditional paintings by Chief Lelooska himself, who was renowned as a master wood carver. There are five stories included in this collection, and each one is excellent. Chief Lelooska was obviously a skilled storyteller. The stories are woven using beautiful language and imagery, and each one illustrates the values of the Kwakiutl people. My personal show more favorite is the story of the Owl Witch, but that is an excellent example of why this book would only be appropriate for older readers. The themes and imagery would be a little sophisticated and scary for younger children. That said, I loved reading not only the tales, but also the story of Chief Lelooska himself. I have not had a chance to listen to the accompanying CDs but I suspect they add yet another rich layer to this already wealthy volume. show less

This is an amazing collection of stories from Chief Lelooska himself. With Native Americans, it's common for these tales to be shared orally, rather than them be written down and shared via book form, so it's an honor to be able to read these stories! I really liked "Young Raven and Old Raven." These two reside in a dark cave guarding a basket that holds life, the sun, the moon, and the stars. Young raven finally convinces Old Raven to let him guard these treasures on his own, but the moon, show more sun and stars escape. Young Raven tries to run off, away from his father, and he releases life, letting all creatures run off into the forest, but only the bravest stay there with Young Raven and Old Raven, and those brave ones become the ancestors of the Indian tribes. This is a story I loved reading now, at age 21, and I would have loved hearing when I was much, much younger as well! I would very much enjoy reading this to my future students! show less

Young Raven and Old Raven is a beautiful creation myth from the Kwakiutl people. This story is both told and illustrated by Chief Lelooska. At the beginning of time, the world is in darkness. Old Raven and his son live in a cave, where Old Raven guards a wooden chest which contains the sun, moon, stars and a bag which holds all of life. Young Raven disobeys his father, meaning only to look at these treasures, but he accidentally unleashes everything- the sun, moon, stars and first humans, show more which in turn become not only humans but all of the creatures of the world. The illustrations are breathtakingly beautiful. show less

Summary: This book is comprised of five tales from Chief Lelooska of the Northwest Coast Tribe he was in. He says that these were stories he would tell his people around a campfire as part of a old tradition. The one that I like d the most was about a raven with powers to heal. There was also and Owl that was a Witch and had the human-like powers. A lot of the animals told in the story are animals that these Native Americans cherish.
Genre: Mythology/ Traditional Literature
Review: I always show more enjoy myths about animals given supernatural powers, so I really enjoyed this book. I love how the Chief himself not only wrote, but also illustrated these myths. He is definitely a fantastic storyteller. This would be a great book to bring into the classroom when teaching students about Native Americans and their culture. show less