Heroes and Heroines - by Mary Giraudo Beck (Paperback)

About the Book

Over uncounted generations the Tlingits and Haidas of Southeast Alaska developed a spoken literature as robust and distinctive as their unique graphic art style, and passed it from the old to the young to ensure the continuity of their culture. Even today when the people gather, now under lamplight rather than the flickering glow from the central fire pit, the ancient myths and legends are told and retold, and they still reinforce the unity of the lineage, and clan and the culture. Mary Beck has selected nine of the ancient myths and legends from the oral literature that are authentic for one group or another from this region.

Book Synopsis

"Mary Beck's collection of legends from Tlingit and Haida folklore provides an excellent look at not only the mythology but the value and culture of these Southeast Alaska Natives." - Jan O'Meara Homer News

Over uncounted generations the Tlingits and Haidas of Southeast Alaska developed a spoken literature as robust and distinctive as their unique graphic art style, and passed it from the old to the young to ensure the continuity of their culture. Even today when the people gather, now under lamplight rather than the flickering glow from the central fire pit, the ancient myths and legends are told and retold, and they still reinforce the unity of the lineage, and clan and the culture.

"Mary Beck opens this collection of legends by setting the tradition scene: '...It will be a time of feasting, singing, and dancing, of honoring lineages and of telling ancestral stories.' In this small, beautifully produced volume, enhanced by the wonderful illustrations by Nancy DeWitt, Becks tells nine traditional ancient myths and legends from the oral literature that are authentic for one group or another from this region, including Fog Woman, Volcano Woman, Bear Mother and The Boy Who Fed Eagles." - Bill Hunt Anchorage Daily News

Review Quotes

"Another excellent book is Mary Beck's Heroes & Heroines in Tlingit-Haida Legend. Beck tells some of the classic stories very well in a book that is also worthy of recognition for its attractive design." ---Alaska magazine

"Mary Beck opens this collection of legends by setting the tradition scene: '...It will be a time of feasting, singing, and dancing, of honoring lineages and of telling ancestral stories.' In this small, beautifully produced volume, enhanced by the wonderful illustrations by Nancy DeWitt, Becks tells nine traditional tales, including Fog Woman, Volcano Woman, Bear Mother and The Boy Who Fed Eagles." ---Bill Hunt, Anchorage Daily News

About the Author

Mary G. Beck is a classical scholar (M.A. from Stanford) who has lived in Ketchikan, Alaska beginning in 1951 when she married a third-generation Alaskan. Besides rearing a family, she taught literature and writing courses for thirty years at Ketchikan Community College, a branch of the University of Alaska. Mary has an abiding interest in the Native culture of Southeast Alaska and a commitment to recording its oral literature. She is also the author of two other related titles, "Heroes and Heroines in Tlingit-Haida Legend," and "Potlatch: Native Ceremony and Myth on the Northwest Coast "as well as articles on Native mythology and on travel by small boat to towns and Native communities in Southeast Alaska. She and her husband currently reside in Bellevue, Washington.