Serrano traditional narratives
Encyclopedia
Serrano traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by the Serrano
people of the San Bernardino Mountains
and southern Mojave Desert
of southern California
, originally in the Serrano language
.
Serrano oral literature is closely linked with the traditions of the Serrano's closest linguistic relatives, the Takic-speaking
groups to their south, as well as with the traditions of the Yuman–speaking groups. These relationships are particularly evident in the sharing of the distinctive Southern California Creation Myth.
Serrano (people)
The Serrano are a Native American tribe of present day California, United States. They use the autonyms of Taaqtam, meaning "people"; Maarenga'yam, "people from Morongo"; and Yuhaviatam, "people of the pines." The Serrano historically populated the San Bernardino Mountains and extended east into...
people of the San Bernardino Mountains
San Bernardino Mountains
The San Bernardino Mountains are a short transverse mountain range north and east of San Bernardino in Southern California in the United States. The mountains run for approximately 60 miles east-west on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert in southwestern San Bernardino County, north of the...
and southern Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
of southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, originally in the Serrano language
Serrano language
The Serrano language is a language in the Takic branch of the Uto-Aztecan family spoken by the Serrano people of Southern California. The language is closely related to Tongva and Kitanemuk....
.
Serrano oral literature is closely linked with the traditions of the Serrano's closest linguistic relatives, the Takic-speaking
Takic languages
The Takic languages are a group of Uto-Aztecan languages spoken by Californian Native Americans in southern California.-List of Takic languages:*Cahuilla language*Cupeño language*Luiseño language*Serrano language*Tongva language*?Tataviam language...
groups to their south, as well as with the traditions of the Yuman–speaking groups. These relationships are particularly evident in the sharing of the distinctive Southern California Creation Myth.
Sources for Serrano Narratives
- Benedict, Ruth. 1926. "Serrano Tales". Journal of American Folklore 39:1-17. (17 myths narrated by Rosa Morongo.)
- Erdoes, Richard, and Alfonso Ortiz. 1984. American Indian Myths and Legends. Pantheon Books, New York. (Retelling of a narrative from Benedict 1926, pp. 438–439.)
- Gifford, Edward Winslow. 1918. "Clans and Moieties in Southern California". University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 14:155-219. Berkeley. (Myths narrated by Benjamin Morongo in 1916-1917, pp. 182–186.)
- Gifford, Edward Winslow, and Gwendoline Harris Block. 1930. California Indian Nights. Arthur H. Clark, Glendale, California. (One previously published narrative, pp. 203–205.)
- Hill, Kenneth C. 1978. "Coyote and the Flood (Serrano)". In Coyote Stories, edited by William Bright, pp. 112–116. International Journal of American Linguistics Native American Texts Series No. 1. University of Chicago Press. (Narrated by Sarah Morongo Martin in 1963.)
- Hill, Kenneth C. 1980. "The Seven Sisters (Serrano)". In Coyote Stories II, edited by Martha B. Kendall, pp. 97–103. International Journal of American Linguistics Native American Texts Series No. 6. University of Chicago Press.
- Kroeber, A. L. 1925. Handbook of the Indians of California. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 78. Washington, D.C. (Creation myth, p. 619.)
- Luthin, Herbert W. 2002. Surviving through the Days: A California Indian Reader. University of California Press, Berkeley. (A version of the creation myth collected in 1963 from Sarah Martin by Kenneth C. Hill, pp. 401–410.)
- Margolin, Malcolm. 1993. The Way We Lived: California Indian Stories, Songs, and Reminiscences. First edition 1981. Heyday Books, Berkeley, California. (Orpheus myth, pp. 82–83, from Benedict 1926.)
- Mount, Guy. 1993. Serrano Songs and Stories. Sweetlight Books, Cottonwood, California.
See also
- Serrano languageSerrano languageThe Serrano language is a language in the Takic branch of the Uto-Aztecan family spoken by the Serrano people of Southern California. The language is closely related to Tongva and Kitanemuk....
- Native Californian Traditional Narratives