Outlines of Zuñi Creation Myths Thirteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1891-1892, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1896, pages 321-448

Step into the world of an ancient Pueblo people as a nineteenth‑century ethnographer shares the core stories the Zuni have told for generations. Living among the Zuni of western‑central New Mexico between 1879 and 1881, the observer recorded their creation narratives before the arrival of railroads and missionaries could alter them. The collection presents the myths in their original flow, accompanied by notes on language, variant spellings, and the careful way they were transcribed. Readers hear the voices of the “master priests” and the communal sense that binds each tale to the landscape.

Beyond the stories themselves, the work illuminates how the Zuni’s tightly knit council system and priestly hierarchy shape their cosmology. By linking each creation episode to specific hills, rivers, and sacred sites, the myths become a living map of the tribe’s identity. The text offers a rare glimpse into a worldview that has weathered Spanish incursions yet retained striking continuity of belief. Listeners are invited to explore this vibrant, reverent tradition and feel the depth of an indigenous mythic heritage.