The Inland Whale
Retellings of Indigenous American folklore with authorial commentary.
The Inland Whale is a 1959 book by Theodora Kroeber that retells nine pieces of Indigenous American folklore, accompanied by the author's commentary. The work is considered a piece of comparative literature, aiming to demonstrate the literary merit of indigenous oral traditions. Kroeber's prose received praise, though some reviewers noted she had taken liberties with the original narratives.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Theodora Kroeber
- Publisher
- Indiana University Press
- Published
- 1959
Facts from the source article.
Contents
The book contains nine pieces of Indigenous American folklore and a substantial commentary section. Sources include two unpublished legends from the Yurok and Karok peoples narrated to Theodora Kroeber and her husband Alfred, along with material from existing collections of the Wintu, Yana, Maidu, Yokuts, and Mohave. The pieces share a common theme of heroines; one is a poem, another an excerpt from a longer epic. Kroeber loosely translated and edited the stories for Western readers, occasionally merging versions from different groups. The commentary covers the history and distribution of each piece and includes references to their original publication.
Reception
David French, writing in The Journal of American Folklore, found the book useful for both scholars and laypeople, calling the editing conscientious and responsible. Butler Waugh in Midwest Folklore said it was excellent for folklorists despite being aimed at a popular audience, and that Kroeber's notes made it worth its price. Walter Goldschmidt in American Anthropologist praised her sensitive, almost lyrical prose but felt the stories had too much of herself and that she may have taken too many liberties. James Tidwell criticized Kroeber's modification of the narrative style in the story 'Dance Mad' but otherwise called the book excellent.
Analysis
The Inland Whale is a comparative literature study. Walter Goldschmidt linked it to retellings by Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and Joel Chandler Harris, but noted that Theodora Kroeber expanded this tradition by analyzing an oral one. Lawrence French observed that Indigenous American stories were often overlooked by academics due to their oral transmission, and Kroeber aimed to prove their literary worth. Butler Waugh argued the tales displayed genre variations within oral traditions. Charles S. Bryant believed the book’s main strength was showing a general audience the importance of oral traditions. Donald C. Cutter stated it revealed the significant cultural diversity among California’s indigenous peoples, offering a lesson to historians who viewed them as uniform.
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