Choctaw Tales by Tom Mould; Chief Phillip; Martin JacksonReview by: G. H. BennettFolklore, Vol. 117, No. 2 (Aug., 2006), pp. 229-230Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. on behalf of Folklore Enterprises, Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30035498 .

Accessed: 10/06/2014 22:13

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

Folklore Enterprises, Ltd. and Taylor & Francis, Ltd. are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve andextend access to Folklore.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.195 on Tue, 10 Jun 2014 22:13:35 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Book Reviews 229

Mughal Empire was at its peak in terms of wealth and glory, the instruments and their players became important members of the royal courts. It is a fascinating account that shows the power of musicians whose musical talents involved them in royal intrigues. Miner's account is full of interesting anecdotes and oral tales about kings, musicians, and the instruments.

During the transition from Mughal rule to British, the two instruments reached the houses of the courtesans and the dancing girls. With the establishment of the British rule after 1857, the former royal patrons disappeared and the instruments survived in regional centres and the courts of the small rajas. In 1871, the first western style music college was established in Calcutta by the English-educated Indian elite. The college became an important promoter of sitar and sarod in modern times. Through the course of the two centuries these instruments faced a variety of attitudes, descriptions, and evaluations that constantly changed their status and place in Indian society. The visual documents in Miner's book will not allow anyone to miss the presence of women musicians throughout the medieval and pre-British period. This contrasts sharply with the fact that sitar and sarod maestros today are male. Since its modem popularisation in the late nineteenth century, and under the influence of British social life, amateur players-mainly women- became common in social circles (p. 148).

Allyn Miner's book is an interesting, educational, and thought-provoking work that will be of interest to musicologists, folklorists, and cultural historians.

Sadhana Naithani, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

Choctaw Tales. Collected and annotated by Tom Mould with a Foreword by Chief Phillip Martin. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 2004. 256 pp. Illus. $20.00 (pbk), $50.00 (hbk). ISBN 1-57806-683-2 (pbk), ISBN 1-57806-682-4 (hbk)

The rich oral tradition of the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw people is fully reflected in this diverse collection that includes jokes, legends, prophecies, and supernatural tales told over the past 250 years or so. Some of their stories have been passed down across the generations, while others are more recent. Choctaw language versions of sixteen of the stories are given alongside their English translations. The tales were gathered by a professor of folklore and his research team. They were contributed by Choctaw elders, teachers, health professionals, and others, some of whom spoke only Choctaw.

Perhaps the most interesting tales are those that concern either the origins of the Choctaw people-and there are two creation stories-or those that prophesy disaster of various forms. Other tales are humorous exaggerations or instructive morality tales that have been directed at younger generation Choctaw for centuries. Considerable artistry is displayed by the storytellers in recounting tales that have been honed to perfection over decades. The collection is extremely varied, which is a great strength. The reader gains a genuine insight into the universe and thought-world of a people who understand the transient nature and fragility of life. One can also trace something of the recent history of the Choctaw people through the impact of events on Choctaw storytelling. The great challenges that the Choctaw people faced in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries provide rich material for the storytellers to adapt and build upon. The reader also gains an insight into the relationship between the Choctaw people and nature and their veneration of the land. The spirit world is constantly close at hand and the elders offer a valuable link between previous generations and the next. Thus the cohesiveness of traditional Choctaw society is also thrown into relief by this collection.

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.195 on Tue, 10 Jun 2014 22:13:35 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

230 Book Reviews

Beyond an extensive introduction, what is particularly nice is that mini-biographies with photographs are provided for all the modern storytellers. This provides a very valuable context for the featured tales. Attractively laid out, the structure of the book is logical and obvious. Detailed annotations and notes, together with a guide to sources and a full index, add substantially to the academic worth of the book. At the same time, the scholarly apparatus of the book does not take away from its appeal to the general reader. This is a good and intelligent collection of the tales of the Mississippi Band of the Choctaw people. It will be of value and interest to an academic audience and the general reader. It deserves a wide readership who will find the collection an engaging and thought- provoking read.

G.H. Bennett, University of Plymouth, UK

This content downloaded from 195.34.79.195 on Tue, 10 Jun 2014 22:13:35 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions