Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

This is a fire creation story from the Salish natives in Montana. In the story, Coyote and Wren lead a party of animals to the mountaintops where some other, meaner animals are keeping fire. The animals work together to trick the animals at the top and bring back fire to the people below. Sometimes, the animals mess up or eat each other, but through the power of teamwork they succeed in their mission. This is a fun folktale for a lesson on Native American culture and storytelling elements. A preface specified that this book is only to be read aloud in the wintertime!… (mehr)

This story has a lot to offer the conversation on diversity. This is a Salish story, which begins with a note that it is not to be read in any season except Winter, since that is the only season that the story was told in the culture that it originated. This is a fun piece of history and culture. Similarly, it goes against common beliefs of how fire originated, and I think it is important to bring other folktales, myths, and creation stories to the table in order to include everybody and learn about other cultures.… (mehr)