article
Some sources of variability in Klamath mythology
Journal of American folklore • Boston • Published In 1956 • Pages: 1-12, 135-146, 377-386
By: Stern, Theodore.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This three-part article is an examination of the principal sources of variability in the elements, episodes, plots and characters of Klamath myths. The author compares the myths recorded by the linguist, Albert S. Gatschet in 1877, with those he himself recorded in the 1950s and discovers variations among them both within and between the different periods. Traditionally, myths varied by setting: the multiple-family winter lodge where complete epochs were recounted, women work groups where more ribald and personally-spiced mythic episodes were exchanged, and children's bedtime where stories served to inculcate moral standards. Changes due to acculturation have also altered the cultural context in which myths found their meaning. For example, the more obscene and repetitive elements of myths have been dropped. Stern attributes some differences to the stylistic idiosyncracies of narrators based on their differences in sex, age and life experiences. While narrators were held by the audience to certain standards, they were also praised for their personal stylistic embellishments.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Personality traits
- Sociocultural trends
- Literature
- Mythology
- Spirits and gods
- Sexuality
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Klamath
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 1998
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- North America
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Plains and Plateau
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Ian Skoggard ; 1996
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1950-51
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1877-1951
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Klamath County, Oregon, United States
- NotesAdditional notes
- by Theodore Stern
- Includes bibliograhical references
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 17028737
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Klamath Indians