It’s true: Yakwawiak really did roam North America more than 10,000 years ago. We know them today as the American mastodon. These huge animals were actually relatives of the modern elephant. Adult mastodon stood approximately ten feet tall. They weighed as much as eight tons. Their tusks were more than eight feet long!

The story of the Yakwawiak warns us of what can happen to those who are disrespectful to the creatures of the Earth. The legend of the Yakwawiak is the Lenape Indians’ explanation for how the mastodon disappeared. Many Native American legends were told to explain the history of Earth and to glorify the extraordinary actions of the people who came before them.

Before disappearing, the mastodon roamed the U.S.

Bones have been found in the Midwest, including some in Chicago, Illinois.

Joseph and James Bruchac

Joseph Bruchac (1942– ) is a world-famous writer and Abenaki Indian storyteller. Bruchac travels the country to discuss Native American culture and tell stories. His son, James Bruchac, is a writer and storyteller, as well as a wilderness survival expert. Together, father and son have written several books of Native American tales for young adults.

Native Americans believed in showing respect to the animals they hunted by only killing what they needed for food or clothing. They asked for permission before killing an animal and for forgiveness once it had been killed.