Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection

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Trickster: Native American Tales, A Graphic Collection [1] is an anthology of Native American stories in the format of graphic novels. [2] [3] Published in 2010 and edited by Matt Dembicki, Trickster contains twenty-one short stories, all told by Indigenous storytellers from many different native nations. [2] [4] [5] The premise of each short story is to teach a moral lesson or explain how certain natural events happen. [2] [4] All stories contained within the anthology are tales that have been told orally for centuries within Native American tribes. [6] [7] As the title of the collection suggests, each story contains a character that is known and depicted as a Trickster. [2] This character is the main focus of the story and is typically depicted as an animal figure. Many of the tales such as, Coyote and the Pebbles and Rabbit and the Tug-of-War depict the trickster in a more well-known form of a coyote or rabbit. [6] Lesser known characters are depicted as the trickster throughout the remaining stories such as the raven in Raven the Trickster and the racoon in Espun and Grandfather. [6]

Contents

Although each story within the collection is a Native tale, most of the illustrations were done by a non-native artist. [6] The style of each graphic novel ranges from realistic to child-like illustrations, to detailed paintings. [2] [3] Due to these unique differences in illustration styles, Matt Dembicki worried about the cultural origins of some stories getting lost in the artwork. [5] [6] To prevent this ‘westernization’ of the Indigenous tales, illustrations were preapproved by the storytellers as to not have the overall motif distorted. [4] [5] [6]

Indigenous graphic novels

Starting in the 1800s, political cartoons were utilized to further dehumanize Indigenous peoples of North America. [7] The graphic novel format reclaims the art form while simultaneously challenging negative stereotypes depicted in media [7] and providing positive representation for native youth. [8] However, anthologies such as these struggle with the decontextualization of their stories through the isolation of the Tricksters from the culture in which their stories come from and aid in the creation of a single archetype of "the Trickster." [5] Background on the writers and illustrators are provided in the "Contributors" section at the end of the novel, but are not always noted within the content of the story. [5]

Other indigenous graphic novel anthologies include Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection , edited by Hope Nicholson, Stories of Our People: A Métis Graphic Novel Anthology , edited by Norman Fleury, Deer Woman: An Anthology , edited by Elizabeth LaPensée and Weshoyot Alvitre, Sovereign Traces, Volume 1: Not (Just) (An)Other , edited by Gordon D. Henry Jr. and Elizabeth LaPensée, and Tales of the Mighty Code Talkers , edited by Arigon Starr.

Short stories

Titles

(in order of appearance)

AuthorIllustrator
Coyote and the PebblesDayton EdmondsMicah Farritor
Dayton Edmonds, a member of the Caddo Nation, shares a story about the creation of stars and why coyotes howl.
Raven the TricksterJohn ActiveJason Copland
John Active, a Yup'ik Eskimo from Western Alaska, shares a story about the eventful day of devious Raven.
Azban and the CrayfishJames and Joseph BruchacMatt Dembicki
James and Joseph Bruchac of the Abenaki peoples share a story about crayfish—how they have eyes on stalks and why they are not prideful.
Trickster and the Great ChiefDavid SmithJerry Carr
David "Tim" Smith of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska shares a story about how owls became the guardians of the dead.
Horned Toad Lady and CoyoteEldrena DoumaRoy Boney Jr.
Eldrena Douma, a Pueblo Indian who grew up on the Laguna and Hopi reservations, shares a story about impatient Coyote and the singing Horned Toad Lady. Horned Toad Lady and Coyote is illustrated by Roy Boney Jr. of the Cherokee Nation.
Rabbit and the Tug-of-WarMichael ThompsonJacob Warrenfeltz
Michael Thompson of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation shares a story about how Rabbit bested two Buffalo in a tug-of-war.
Moshup's BridgeJonathan PerryChris Piers & Scott White
Jonathan Perry, a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head in Aquinnah, Massachusetts, shares a story which tells of the creation of Nomans Land off the coast of Martha's Vineyard Island and the stones jutting out of the ocean visible from the cliffs from Aquinnah.
Rabbit's Choctaw Tail TaleTim TinglePat Lewis
Tim Tingle of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma shares a story about how chatty Rabbit got his powder-puff tail.
The Wolf and the MinkElaine GrinnellMichelle Silva
Elaine Grinnell, a member of the Jamestown S'Kallam Tribe located on the North Olympic Peninsula of Washington, shares a story about hungry, prideful Mink and clever Wolf.
The Dangerous BeaverMary EyleyJim Coon (Jim8ball)
Mary Eyley of the Cowlitz tribe in southern Washington shares a story about five brothers who try to defeat the old man Beaver.
Giddy Up, WolfieGreg RodgersMike Short
Greg Rogers, a member of the Choctaw/Chickasaw Nations, shares a story about Chuckfi, a clever rascal rabbit, and how he wooed girl-wolf Nashoba-Tek.
How the Alligator Got His Brown, Scaly SkinJoyce BearMegan Baehr
Joyce Bear of the Muscogee Nation shares a story about how beautiful and smooth, selfish and proud Alligator got his scales.
The Yehasuri: The Little Wild IndiansBeckee GarrisAndrew Cohen
Beckee Garris of the Catawba Nation shares a story about Yehasuri, leprechaun-sized trickster beings.
Waynaboozhoo and the GeeseDan JonesMichael J. Auger
Dan Jones of the Ojibwe tribe shares a story that tells of why geese fly in V-shape patterns.
When the Coyote Decided to get MarriedEirik ThorsgardRand Arrington
Eirik Thorsgard, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, shares a story that details the events following Coyote's decision to get married and explains the creation of the rock pillars that run along the Columbia Gorge.
Puapualenalena, Wizard Dog of Waipi'o ValleyThomas C. Cummings Jr.Paul Zdepski
Thomas C. Cummings Jr., a Native Hawaiian, shares a story about Puapualenalena and how he outsmarted troublesome spirits to retrieve a sacred conch-shell trumpet.
Ishjinki and the BuzzardJimm GoodtracksDimi Macheras
Jimm Goodtracks of the Ioway/Otoe tribes shares a story that explains how Buzzard became the first vulture after a fateful encounter with Ishjinki. Ishjinki and the Buzzard is illustrated by Dimi Macheras, a Chickaloon Village tribal member.
The Bear Who Stole the ChinookJack GladstoneEvan Keeling
Jack Gladstone of the Blackfeet Indian Nation from Montana shares lyrics that explain why Bear hibernates during the winter.
How Wildcat Caught a TurkeyJoseph Stands With ManyJon Sperry
Joseph Stands With Many, a member of the Cherokee Nation, shares a story about how Rabbit helps Wildcat catch a turkey.
Espun and GrandfatherJohn Bear MitchellAndy Bennett
John Bear Mitchell of the Penobscot Nation located in Maine shares a story about Espun, a light-footed, curious creature whose questionable decisions led him to become the first raccoon.
Mai and the Cliff-Dwelling BirdsSunny DooleyJ. Chris Campbell
Sunny Dooley, a member of the Navajo tribe located in Chi Chil' Tah, New Mexico, shares a story about a coyote named Mai who was never satisfied with what he had and his journey in learning to fly.

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References

  1. Trickster. Matt Dembicki, Micah Farritor. Golden, Colorado. 2010. ISBN   978-1-55591-724-1. OCLC   456178418.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 TRICKSTER | Kirkus Reviews.
  3. 1 2 Dhruv, Groovy (2011-10-09). "Trickster: Native American Tales A Graphic collection - review". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  4. 1 2 3 "Fiction Book Review: Trickster: Native American Tales, a Graphic Collection by". www.publishersweekly.com. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Cline, Kayleigh (Fall 2012). The Trick Question: Finding a Home for Tricksters in Indigenous Literary Nationalism (Master of Arts in English thesis). University of Alberta.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Native American Folk Tales Take A Graphic Turn". NPR.org. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  7. 1 2 3 Summerlin, Coley Ray (April 2015). From Exclusion to Inclusion—A Shift in the Perception of Native and Asian Americans through Graphic Stories: A Comparison of Political Cartoons from the 1800s to Trickster, American Born Chinese, and Level Up (PDF) (English Thesis). East Carolina University.
  8. Alverson, Brigid. "Nine Native American Graphic Novels | Stellar Panels". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-06-08.