The Sun Came Down: The History of the World as My Blackfeet Elders Told It

"My name is Percy Bullchild. I'm sixty-seven years of age. I'm a Blackfeet Indian from Browning, Montana. With what little education I have, I have, I'm going to try to write the version of our true ways in our history and legends.....Some of these stories may sound a little foolish, but they are very true, and they have much influence over all of the people of this world, even as we all live now." THE SUN CAME DOWN is a legendary history of the world, told in the distinctive voice of one of the last Blackfeet Indians who remembers what the elders taught him. THE SUN CAME DOWN shares a major body of North American religious myths as handed down by such Blackfeet tribal elders as Yellow Kidney, Shoots First and Bullchild's own grandmother, Catches Last. With the same vividness that has kept these stories alive for centuries, Bullchild retells the legendary history of Creator Sun, who made the earth by spitting on a ball of dust; of Napi, a Coyote figure who is both humananity's bane and helper; and Ku-toeyis, the hero the Sun sent to undo Napi's mischief. In the final chapter, "Honoring Creator Sun," Bullchild recounts the origina and cultural importance of Plains Indian ceremonies, including the Sun Dance. These legends, some familiar, most unknown, capture the raw force of the original oral traditions. With robust energy, flashes of raucous humor, and lyricism, these legends expose a culture rich in spirituality and humor. This is a rare sampling of the spirituality, mythology, and psychology of the Native American.