Xiipúktan (First of All): Three Views of the Origins of the Quechan People - cover image

Book Series

Copyright

George Bryant; Amy Miller

Published On

2013-11-17

ISBN

Paperback978-1-909254-40-4
Hardback978-1-909254-64-0
PDF978-1-909254-41-1
HTML978-1-80064-464-9
EPUB978-1-909254-42-8
MOBI978-1-909254-43-5

Language

  • English

Print Length

220 pages (viii +212)

Dimensions

Paperback156 x 12 x 234 mm(6.14" x 0.46" x 9.21")
Hardback156 x 14 x 234 mm(6.14" x 0.56" x 9.21")

Weight

Paperback697g (24.59oz)
Hardback1076g (37.95oz)

Media

Illustrations2

OCLC Number

878145070

LCCN

2019467796

BIC

  • JHMC
  • JFHF
  • 2J

BISAC

  • SOC002010
  • FOR031000
  • LIT004060

LCC

  • E99.Y94

Keywords

  • George Bryant
  • Amy Miller
  • Quechan people
  • Quechan language
  • A Yuma Account of Origins
  • World Oral Literature Series

Xiipúktan (First of All)

Three Views of the Origins of the Quechan People

  • George Bryant (author)
  • Amy Miller (author)
The Quechan people live along the lower part of the Colorado River in the United States. According to tradition, the Quechan and other Yuman people were created at the beginning of time, and their Creation myth explains how they came into existence, the origin of their environment, and the significance of their oldest traditions. The Creation myth forms the backdrop against which much of the tribe’s extensive oral literature may be understood. At one time there were almost as many different versions of the Quechan creation story as there were Quechan families. Now few people remember them. This volume, presented in the Quechan language with facing-column translation, provides three views of the origins of the Quechan people. One synthesizes narrator George Bryant’s childhood memories and later research. The second is based upon J. P. Harrington’s A Yuma Account of Origins (1908). The third provides a modern view of the origins of the Quechan, beginning with the migration from Asia to the New World and ending with the settlement of the Yuman tribes at their present locations. Publication of this book is made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services Native American / Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program grant number MN-00-13-0025-13. This collection is for the Quechan people and will also interest linguists, anthropologists, oral literature specialists, and anyone curious about Native American culture.

Reviews

First of All is a remarkable collaborative work by George Bryant, a fluent native Quechan researcher, and Dr. Amy Miller, linguist, University of California, San Diego. Their combined expertise enables the reader to examine three traditional stories [...] All three views of the origin of the Quechan are printed in parallel Quechan and English formatted text. The meticulous transcript review process is evidenced by notes at the end of each retelling. This single volume is made complete by providing a practical orthography along with pronunciation tips and grammar. [...] Highly recommended for Native language and traditional story collections.

Naomi Caldwell, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Library Education Media Program, Alabama State University

"Book review of Xiipúktan (First of All)". American Indian Library Association,

Full Review

Additional Resources

[document]A Yuma Account of Origins

An early account of the Quechan creation, published in English by anthropologist John Peabody Harrington (The Journal of American Folklore, 21/82 (Oct.-Dec., 1908), pp. 324-48)

Contents

  • Amy Miller
  • George Byrant
  • Amy Miller
  • George Byrant
  • Amy Miller
  • George Byrant