Wisconsin Chippewa Myths Tales: And Their Relation to Chippewa Life

Wisconsin Chippewa Myths & Tales, originally published in 1977, was the first collection of Chippewa folklore to provide a comparative and sociological context for the tales. These myths and tales were recorded between 1941 and 1944 by four young field workers who later became prominent anthropologists: Joseph B. Casagrande, Ernestine Friedl, Robert E. Ritzenthaler, and Victor Barnouw himself. The tales—which include stories of tricksters, animals, magical powers, and cannibal ice-giants—were told primarily by five members of the Lac Court Oreilles and Lac du Flambeau bands of Chippewa: John Mink, Prosper Guibord, Delia Oshogay, Tom Badger, and Julia Badger. Wisconsin Chippewa Myths & Tales is read as much for its fascinating stories as for its scholarship.