Beaver Steals Fire: A Salish Coyote Story. Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes. Illus. by Sam Sandoval. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2005. 64 pages. $14.95 (Hardcover). ISBN 0-8032-4323-5. Grades K-4.
“A long, long time ago, the only animals who had fire lived in the land above, up in the sky.” The animals on the earth decided that they must venture in to the sky and smuggle some of the flames back home. Together the Beaver, the Coyote, the Eagle, the Bull Snake, and the Prairie Chicken devised and implemented a plan to accomplish this goal. Their plan, cunning and clever, placed fire at their fingertips, but Curlew, the guardian of fire, put up a great fight. This easy to read Salish tale of teamwork and adventure is a great cultural tool as well as an interesting story. Readers are introduced to written Salish and traditional customs and beliefs. Part of a fire-education project sponsored by the Salish-Pen d’Oreille Culture Committee, Beaver Steals Fire: A Salish Coyote Story, introduces traditional beliefs of the Salish people as a method of emphasizing the importance of Native American fire use. While the tale itself shares the origin of fire for this culture, an extensive author’s note talks further about fire use and Salish history. Also included is a note about The Fire History Project and “A Brief Guide to Writing Salish and the International Phonetic Alphabet.” This unique tale will not only make a good story for children, but it is also a great cultural teaching tool. Recommended
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