Author Description

Late at night around the campfires, Seminole children safely tucked into mosquito nets used to listen to the elders retelling the old stories and legends. Now these priceless legends of mischievious Rabbit, the Corn Lady, the Deer Girl, and all the creatures of the Florida Everglades are written down for the first time for all to enjoy. These rich tales impart valuable lessons about living in harmony with nature and about why the world is the way it is. Readers of all ages will delight in these images about the way of life and beliefs of the Seminoles of Florida, a nation with relatively few members but with a rich and vital heritage. What does lighting mean? Where did corn come from? Why do rabbits have cotton tails? The answers to life's mysteries have been explained through legend and myth all over the world in every culture. Only a few Seminole Indian communities exist in Florida today, but the rich tradition of Seminole stories and legends continues to be handed down from elders to children. In the days when long evenings were spent around campfires, children listened to their parents and grandparents tell tales about the many characters—human, animal, and spirit—who acted out important lessons about living in the natural world of the Florida Everglades and helped explain why the world is the way it is. The characters in these stories face tests and adventures that teach them—and their listeners—not only how to survive in a difficult world, but also how to live honorably and harmoniously in it.