Ghosts, Spirits, and the Afterlife in Native American Indian Mythology And Folklore

Book excerpt: Native American history is filled with stories about animals, creation of the Earth and man, life lessons and of course ghosts... Ghosts, spirits, and the “walking dead” were often known to pay visits to their family and those left behind. Many of these stories revolved around lost loves and attempts to reclaim the person taken from them. Other stories spun tales of revenge and payback for those who wronged them. In any case death was looked at as a doorway to the afterlife and not to be feared. In this book, you will be given many opportunities to relive the past cultures of many tribes and their beliefs in ghosts, spirits and the afterlife. You will be presented with stories of individuals who transcended the plane of death to interact with the living and other spirits who have remained earthbound and troubled who have to work through a life lesson to successfully move on. As is traditional, these stories are here for you to share and pass on to the next generation. Included in this collection are the stories: Ghost of the White Deer, The Story of a Poor Man, The Resuscitation of the only Daughter, The Spirit Bride, Heavy Collar and the Ghost Woman, Bluejay finds a Wife, Two Ghostly Lovers, Origin of the Medicine Man, The Medicine Grizzly Bear, A Little Brave and the Medicine Woman, The Man Who Was Afraid of Nothing, The Ghosts' Buffalo, The Land of the Dead, Blue Jay Visits Ghost Town, The Spirit Land, The Skin Shifting Old Woman, and many, more.