Twenty-five Paiute Indian legends. Grades 4-6.

No one knows how old the charming legends in this unusual book really are. By word of mouth they have been handed down from generation to generation among the Pahute Indians, one of the most ancient and primitive tribes on this continent, who settled centuries ago in what is now the state of Utah. In the main, the legends tell of the origin of all living things—which to the Indian includes the trees, the flowers and grass, the wind, the water, the moving clouds that suddenly darken into storm over the mountains, as well as man and the animals of this earth. They also tell why living things behave as they do. Here, for example, is the Pahute version of why the sun rises cautiously, why the coyote looks up when he howls, how the beaver lost the hair on his tail, how the flowers got their colors, and of many more interesting phenomena. In language of great beauty and simplicity the stories explain how the Pahute gods, Tobats and his younger brother Shinob, created the earth and ruled all its inhabitants. The author, William R. Palmer, who was taken into the tribe as a token of gratitude for his work in securing better living conditions for the dwindling number of Pahutes in Utah today, listened to the legends as they are still related around Pahute campfires. At last (and only after his Indian brothers were certain he would not misinterpret them) he obtained their permission to translate the stories into English and so to make a book of them. Here then is a rare collection in which young and old alike are sure to find hours of enjoyment. This book makes a significant contribution to that all-too-scant segment of our literature—the folk tales of the first Americans. For this and other historical contributions Dr. Palmer was given the highest recognition of an honorary doctorate degree by Utah State University.

Learn the history, geography, and life of different Native American tribes and use these tools to investigate religions and stories of the Native Americans. Check out maps, sidebars, and more!

Parowan Gap in Southwestern Utah is perhaps the most concentrated collection of ancient Native American petroglyphs in the west, with over 90 panels and 1500 figures. It is heavily visited and world famous for its many intriguing petroglyphs that until now have been an unsolved mystery. In 1993, noted archaeologist Garth Norman began the Parowan Gap Archaeology Project. His earth-shaking discoveries have challenged previously held ideas about the Fremont culture and way of life. Norman's breakthrough of how to read the code of the Gap rock art has enabled him to prove that the Fremont culture was far more sophisticated than was previously known and had distant trade contacts as far away as Mesoamerica. Among his most exciting discoveries is the sacred Mesoamerican calendar with in a Fremont lunar-solar calendar. Norman also discovered a massive world-class temple center and calendar observatory - and more! The book with its fascinating, cutting-edge study of the Parowan Gap is invaluable for anyone interested in North American archaeology.

This book is about the intersection of storytelling and science. Recognizing that humans are hard-wired for narrative, this collection of new essays integrates the two in a special way to teach science in the K-6 classroom. As science education changes its focus to concepts that bridge various disciplines, along with science and engineering practices, storytelling offers opportunities to enhance the science classroom. Lesson plans are provided, each presenting a story, its alignment with science (Next Generation Science Standards), language arts (Common Core State Standards) and theater arts standards (National Core Arts Standards). Instructional plans include a rationale, preparation, activities and assessment.

Exploring Ancient Skies brings together the methods of archaeology and the insights of modern astronomy to explore the science of astronomy as it was practiced in various cultures prior to the invention of the telescope. The book reviews an enormous and growing body of literature on the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, the Far East, and the New World (particularly Mesoamerica), putting the ancient astronomical materials into their archaeological and cultural contexts. The authors begin with an overview of the field and proceed to essential aspects of naked-eye astronomy, followed by an examination of specific cultures. The book concludes by taking into account the purposes of ancient astronomy: astrology, navigation, calendar regulation, and (not least) the understanding of our place and role in the universe. Skies are recreated to display critical events as they would have appeared to ancient observers--events such as the supernova of 1054 A.D., the "lion horoscope," and the Star of Bethlehem. Exploring Ancient Skies provides a comprehensive overview of the relationships between astronomy and other areas of human investigation. It will be useful as a reference for scholars and as a text for students in both astronomy and archaeology, and will be of compelling interest to readers who seek a broad understanding of our collective intellectual history.