European Motifs Pandora’s Box
European motifs such as “Pandora’s Box” and others were hit upon by Indian storytellers long before European tales reached the New World. After the arrival of the white man, more than fifty European legends, folk tales, and fairy tales were added to the Indian repertoire of legends; some were told in their entirety, and portions of others were woven into the Indian tales.
The Greek influence predominates in many Indian legends, the Orpheus and Eurydice theme frequently occurring, as in “The White Stone Canoe;’ and the Achilles’ heel motif, as in “Kwasind” In “The Red Swan;’ the fate of the would-be lovers is reminiscent of that of Penelope’s suitors.
“The Magical Food, Belt, and Flute” appears to be partly of European origin, a combination of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Making the Princess Laugh” being easily seen in the ‘fabric of this tale. “Oochigeopch” is obviously a version of “Beauty and the Beast” “The Poor Turkey Girl” has been likened to a realistic version of “Cinderella:’ Wishes unintentionally or foolishly wasted are a recurrent theme in Indian legends as in European and Oriental tales.
Some tales of the Indians of the Southwest are of Spanish origin; and some legends of Negro origin were told in the Apache and other tribes, who believed they were entirely Indian.
“The Prince and the Peasant Girl;’ a Micmac legend, is based on a European tale. As to royalty among the American Indians, there were no “princesses” among the tribes of the Plains, Woodland, or Southwest, nor was the term ever used by them. Only the tribes of the North Pacific Coast had genuine princesses, also known as “noble girls;’ and their families, “noble families:’ When used in reference to women of other habitats the term “princess” is a misnomer, coined by newspaper men and press agents as a publicity stunt and for box-office appeal. In “The Princess and the Mouse” and “The Princess Who Rejected Her Cousin;’ however, since these are Tsimshian legends, the term is correct.
On the North Pacific Coast especially, many of the legends have a hint of Siberian folklore interwoven with other motifs. This is not surprising, considering the trek of the American Indian tribes across what is now Bering Strait to North America.
Fortunately, American myth and legend have become part of the living literature of the world and are being studied and compared by modern scientists with those of Europe and the Orient.
The many variants occurring in myths and legends have been well illustrated by an old Blackfoot who pulled up a ragweed, pointed to its stem and said, “All parts of this weed branch from the same stem. The branches go in different ways, but all have the same root. So it is with the different versions of myths and legends;’ Though there may be several variations of a legend, many will prove to be in substantial agreement. A number of Indian tribes, such as the San Carlos Apache, have many versions of the same legend. Or a legend may be composed of incidents common to several other stories. The Pueblo People regard some of their tales as being Mexican in origin.
“Brother Birch;’ a Blackfoot legend, is known in at least one other version in which the tree is scarred, not beautified, by Manabozho, because it interrupted his “playing with the wind;’
As told by the Tsimshian, “The Hunter and His Wooden Wife” has a happy ending; versions told by the Tlingit of Alaska, the Iroquois, and other tribes have sad endings. And “The Dog and the Stick,’ a Blackfoot legend, is a variant of “The Release of the Buffalo,’ a Comanche tale.