For most of its history, Arapaho has been only an oral language, without a writing system. Since the early 1980's, when linguist Zdenek Salzmann developed an orthography for the tribe, a fair amount of material has been written -- mostly school curriculum. But before this, and even today, speakers of the language continue to pass on knowledge by telling stories, making speeches, and giving lectures to the younger people. This website gives an introduction to some of the stories of the Arapaho, primarily in English, but with some material in Arapaho with either subtitles or English translation. Several of the stories included here were told by Arapaho storytellers in Rocky Mountain National Park in August, 2005, to an audience of other Arapahos. On these stories, you will hear various sounds in the background -- distant cars, people making remarks, even a helicopter flying over at one point. We feel this is a true part of the stories, told in a natural, out-of-doors settting rather than staged in a language laboratory, so we hope you will appreciate the sounds not as a distraction, but as a marker of a certain kind of authenticity.
The first two stories following were told by Merle Haas, a noted Arapaho storyteller. The third anecdote is recounted by Gladys Moss.
Blood Clot Boy
Found In The Grass
Bull Lake
This story is told by elder William C'Hair in Arapaho. Listen to it and read the Arapaho transcription and English translation.
These three stories were told by elder Richard Moss, and converted to Flash animations by three students at the University of Colorado
Jumping the Canyon
The Telescope
The Two Bullets
Sherman Sage was an Arapaho man who visited Rocky Mountain National Park in 1914, and provided much of the information about the place names and plants of the park, in company with fellow elder Gun Griswold and interpreter Tom Crispin.
Wovoka
Thunderstorm
Man
Thunder Customs
Liz Brown talks about Rocky Mountain National Park and tells stories brought to mind by the setting of Upper Beaver Meadows.
Reflections
on Nature
Pony Story
Soldier Story
Trash Story
Coyote
Berries
Learn about the constellations and the heavens, as seen from an Arapaho perspective, and read brief versions of the stories connected with these features.
Learn how the Arapahos saw and still see the power in nature and the seasons. Learn about the Thunderbird, the White Owls, and the Water Monster.