Steeped in indigenous cultures by her father and grandfather, Harriet Maxwell Converse had a longstanding interest in the natives of New York State, but her life and thought took a new direction when she met the Iroquois sachem Gen. Ely S. Parker, himself a Seneca Indian of the Wolf Clan. The experiences she had when he took her to his reservation fanned her interest into a passion. She admired their laws and customs and marveled at their wondrous national vitality and their endurance. Her untiring activity on behalf of the natives, both in Albany and Washington, D. C. won their esteem and confidence. In return one of the national Seneca sachems made arrangements to adopt her as a sister, receiving her into the Snipe Clan. This gave her access to hearing the myths and legends in various settings that are recounted in this volume.
