Review: Myth and Culture
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2014
Combining anthropology, sociology and cultural history, Dennis Waller presents a compelling examination of the Kushtaka, a legend of the Tlingit Indians of Southeast Alaska.In addition to a close (and utterly fascinating) examination of the mores of  the Tlingit Indians, he pulls back the lens to examine the parallels between the Kushtaka and similar legends in other, vastly disparate cultures.One important point should also be noted. Waller does not rely only upon secondary sources. He's uncovered new primary sources, notably a 19th century journal of sailor working with the Russian-American Company in Alaska.The book is scholarly, without being academic, that is, it's very well written.Other historians, notably Joseph Campbell, have made important contributions to our understanding of the connection between myth and culture. Dennis Waller makes his own here.