The World was made by the World's Heart; Tikado Hedache. He was Annikadel's grandfather. Annikadel was the greatest man; he knew everything. At first there was nothing but water; no land anywhere; and no light. The world was dark." So begins the creation myth of the Modesse (Madesiwi) Indians; an Achumawi people living along the Pit River in northern California. Their mythology embraces not only archetypal tales of primeval darkness and battles between good and evil; but also the doings of the First People—Animal People; who are neither animal nor human—who immediately before the appearance of Real People were transformed into animals; trees; and rocks. Stories told to Merriam by Istet Woiche; Speaker and Keeper of the Laws for his tribe. In them we meet Annikadel; who with his grandfather Tikado was a supreme deity existing before the world; and also such divinities as Coyote-man; Silver Fox-man; and Frog-woman; all magicians who existed before the ocean foam was condensed into earth. In tales of these gods and of the First People they created; we read of travels to the roundhouse of the sun and moon; the search for Another World; the coming of a Great Flood; and are introduced to a literature that reflects the sensibilities of a people whose lives were intertwined with nature for millennia; and who recognized in animals a kinship of activities; relationships; and powers. At the last meeting of the Animal People; before they were transformed into the creatures we know today; Coyote-man was asked how the people who were to come would know the history of the world. "If the Real People will dream;" he said; "I will tell them the history of my people; and how long we were in making the world."
#2266452 in Books Syracuse Univ Pr (Sd) 2000-02-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.95 x .59 x 6.01l; .80 #File Name: 0815628501200 pages
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. The Faith of FreedomBy A CustomerAnna M. Speicher has written a fine study of five female abolitionists-Angelina Grimke; Sarah Grimke; Lucretia Mott; Abby Kelley; and Sallie Holley. Her book is an important contribution to the history of antebellum nineteenth-century United States reform; women; and religion. First and foremost; Speicher places spirituality at the center of the women's lives. Intuitive rather than institutional; a deep and abiding faith guided their private and public character; so much so that their "political activity was an outgrowth of their religious conviction." According to the author; recent feminist scholarship has often elided this point.The book deftly weaves the biographies of each abolitionist with an exploration of political and social issues. Speicher provides a lively narrative of this group of like-minded females who all suffered from what she describes as a "double-marginalization." Their marginalization was a direct result of their dedication to black freedom as well as their daring desire to speak in public about the terrible sin of slavery. The resultant denunciations from many ministers and fellow reformers bound the women tightly in a web of faith; love; support; and community. This community gave them the courage to persist and succeed. In turn; all would serve as mentors for the next generation of women activists; such as the Civil War figure Anna Dickinson. The Religious World of Antislavery Women is an excellent exploration of the link between thought and action in an era when religion endowed women with the power to protest as well as to pray.Joan WaughUniversity of California at Los Angeles
