Texas Ghost Stories: Fifty Favorites for the Telling
(Some humorous, some haunting, and some just late-night te...)
Some humorous, some haunting, and some just late-night terrifying, these stories, gathered by two favorite Texas tellers, span a rich cultural heritage from the earliest Spanish explorers to the present, from La Llorona (the Weeping Woman) to the vanishing hitchhiker. The stories include tales adapted by European settlers to their new southwestern settings, more historically rooted legends about such early pioneers as Britt Bailey of the Gulf Coast prairie and Josiah Wilbarger of Austin and those notorious contemporary cautionary tales known as urban legends.
(Oklahoma, or Okla Homma, is a Choctaw word meaning Red Pe...)
Oklahoma, or Okla Homma, is a Choctaw word meaning Red People. In this collection, acclaimed storyteller Tim Tingle tells the stories of his people, the Choctaw People, the Okla Homma. For years, Tim has collected stories of the old folks, weaving traditional lore with stories from everyday life. Walking the Choctaw Road is a mixture of myth stories, historical accounts passed from generation to generation, and stories of Choctaw people living their lives in the here and now.
(A beady-eyed varmint crawls through the floor of a lonely...)
A beady-eyed varmint crawls through the floor of a lonely old man’s cabin. A boy spends the night in a haunted house, complete with a grinning skeleton in the chimney. A girl foolishly taunts a giant owl-woman. A young man’s prom date has a spooky secret. The Hairy Man will catch you - unless you can fool him three times. Graveyard ghosts and creatures from swamps and riverbanks slink through ten creepy tales presented by master storytellers Tim Tingle and Doc Moore.
Spirits Dark and Light: Supernatural Tales from the Five Civilized Tribes
(What happens in one has a direct and often reciprocal imp...)
What happens in one has a direct and often reciprocal impact on the other. In this collection, Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle draws from the rich heritage of the Five Civilized Tribes - the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole nations - and brings tales from the spirit world into our world. These spine-tingling stories not only entertain but provide a window into the native customs and beliefs of these still-vital communities.
Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom
(There is a river called Bok Chitto that cuts through Miss...)
There is a river called Bok Chitto that cuts through Mississippi. In the days before the War Between the States, in the days before the Trail of Tears, Bok Chitto was a boundary. On one side of the river lived the Choctaws. On the other side lived the plantation owners and their slaves. If a slave escaped and made his way across Bok Chitto, the slave was free. Thus begins Crossing Bok Chitto, told by award-winning Choctaw storyteller Tim Tingle and brought to life with the rich illustrations of Jeanne Rorex Bridges. Martha Tom, a young Choctaw girl, knows better than to cross Bok Chitto, but one day - in search of blackberries - she disobeys her mother and finds herself on the other side.
(In this Choctaw variant of Aesop's fable The Tortoise and...)
In this Choctaw variant of Aesop's fable The Tortoise and the Hare, master storyteller Tim Tingle reveals some unexpected twists and expands the cast of memorable characters to include a wild turkey, a colony of ants, and a cheering squad of Little Bitty Turtles. When Rabbit boastfully challenges Turtle to a race, he gets his comeuppance and Turtle gets a little assist from his winged friend, Turkey. In the process, we learn why Turtle's shell is cracked and why you never see the Rabbit racing Turtle today. The bold and vibrant illustrations capture not only the grasslands of the High Plains but also the demeanor of its animal inhabitants and the humor of the tale.
Saltypie: A Choctaw Journey from Darkness into Light
(Bee stings on the backside. That was just the beginning. ...)
Bee stings on the backside. That was just the beginning. Tim was about to enter a world of the past, with bullying boys, stones and Indian spirits of long ago. But they were real spirits, real stones, very real memories. In this powerful family saga, author Tim Tingle tells the story of his family’s move from Oklahoma Choctaw country to Pasadena, TX.
(The fearsome Chupacabra stalks the desert valley, while a...)
The fearsome Chupacabra stalks the desert valley, while a grandson wanders far from the ranch. The woman who’s just moved to the neighborhood wears strange sunglasses after dark. What could be behind them? A man picks up a hitchhiker - only to discover that his passenger is not human. Kids of all ages will find chills and thrills in these tales of the weird, the macabre, and the mysterious, all collected from the lore and legends of the Lone Star State.
(Danny Blackgoat is a teenager in the Navajo country when ...)
Danny Blackgoat is a teenager in the Navajo country when soldiers burn down his home, kill his sheep and capture his family. During the Long Walk of 1864, Danny is labeled a troublemaker and given the name Fire Eye. Refusing to accept captivity, he is sent to Fort Davis, Texas, a Civil War prisoner outpost. There he battles bullying fellow prisoners, rattlesnakes and abusive soldiers until he meets Jim Davis. Set in troubled times, Danny Blackgoat is the story of one boy's hunger to be free and be Navajo.
("The hour has come to speak of troubled times. It is time...)
"The hour has come to speak of troubled times. It is time we spoke of Skullyville." Thus begins Rose Goode's story of her growing up in Indian Territory in pre-statehood Oklahoma. Skullyville, a once-thriving Choctaw community, was destroyed by land-grabbers, culminating in the arson on New Year's Eve, 1896, of New Hope Academy for Girls. Twenty Choctaw girls died, but Rose escaped.
(How I Became a Ghost is a tale of innocence and resilienc...)
How I Became a Ghost is a tale of innocence and resilience in the face of tragedy. From the book's opening line, "Maybe you have never read a book written by a ghost before," the reader is put on notice that this is no normal book. Isaac leads a remarkable foursome of Choctaw comrades: a tough-minded teenage girl, a shape-shifting panther boy, a lovable five-year-old ghost who only wants her mom and dad to be happy, and Isaac stalking dog, Jumper.
(Danny Blackgoat, a Navajo teenager, was taken to a Civil ...)
Danny Blackgoat, a Navajo teenager, was taken to a Civil War prison camp during the Long Walk of 1864. He escaped in volume one, Danny Blackgoat, Navajo Prisoner, but in this second installment, he must still face many obstacles in order to rescue his family and find freedom. Whether it's the soldiers and bandits who are chasing him or the dangers of the harsh desert climate, Danny ricochets from one bad situation to the next, but his bravery doesn't falter and he never loses faith.
(Inspired by the traditional Choctaw story No Name, this m...)
Inspired by the traditional Choctaw story No Name, this modern adaptation features a present-day Choctaw teenager surviving tough family times - his mother left home and he is living with a mean-spirited, abusive father. The one place the teen can find peace is on the neighborhood basketball court. But after a violent confrontation with his father, the teen runs away, only to return home to find an unexpected hiding spot in his own backyard. His hiding spot becomes his home for weeks until the help and encouragement from a basketball coach, a Cherokee buddy and a quiet new next-door girlfriend help him face his father.
(During the Civil War, the United States Army imprisoned t...)
During the Civil War, the United States Army imprisoned thousands of Navajos in unsafe conditions at Fort Sumner. Through the eyes of teenager Danny Blackgoat, we experience their struggle to survive. In this third Danny Blackgoat novel, which completes the saga, the major characters appear in a final scene of reckoning. Jim Davis, a rebel Civil War prisoner and Danny's friend, is arrested for horse theft, and Danny must choose between helping his friend or remaining free. Only the word of a Navajo woman can save them both, but will she arrive at Fort Sumner before the bugles sound and the hanging begins?
(After Bobby Byington's unforgettable winning high-school ...)
After Bobby Byington's unforgettable winning high-school season, Coach Robison recruits Choctaw players from several communities to play in a summer league. Coach selects the Panther as the team's mascot. As the team gels and moves to the national tournament, they find out they are up against more than other basketball teams. They must deal with racist taunts and unfair sportsmanship on the court. The situation comes to a head when, on the eve of a key game against a bullying opponent, two Choctaw players are arrested for robbery. Never doubting their innocence, Coach Robison asks, "Who can we trust, and how can we find the truth?"
(As Book 2 in Tim Tingle's How I Became A Ghost Series beg...)
As Book 2 in Tim Tingle's How I Became A Ghost Series begins, his family continues the long walk to Indian Territory, and ten-year-old Isaac, our narrator and now a ghost, meets the famed Choctaw Chief and U.S. Army General Pushmataha. There have been surprises aplenty on the Trail thus far, but this one tops them all or so he thinks until Isaac and his three Choctaw comrades learn they can now also time travel. With Pushmataha as their guide, Isaac and friends head back in time to the Washington, D.C., of 1824 to bear witness for the Choctaw chief who has come to the nation s capital at the invitation of his dear friend Andrew Jackson.
(Martha Tom knows better than to cross the Bok Chitto Rive...)
Martha Tom knows better than to cross the Bok Chitto River to pick blackberries. The Bok Chitto is the only border between her town in the Choctaw Nation and the slave-owning plantation in Mississippi territory. The slave owners could catch her, too. What was she thinking? But crossing the river brings a surprising friendship with Lil Mo, a boy who is enslaved on the other side. When Lil Mo discovers that his mother is about to be sold and the rest of his family left behind. But Martha Tom has the answer: cross the Bok Chitto and become free.
Tim Tingle is an American speaker, storyteller, and writer of young adult fiction. He is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma as well.
Background
Tim Tingle was born on November 24, 1948, in Houston, Texas, United States. He grew up on the Gulf Coast outside of Houston with a strong influence of Choctaw. His grandmother was full-blood Choctaw and his grandfather, John Carnes, walked the Trail of Tears. One of the family's ancestors survived the Trail of Tears and made claims to an Indian land grant in Oklahoma. In order to preserve the legacy of the Choctaw culture, Tim's family shared stories of their heritage and the struggles that Native Americans face.
Education
Tim Tingle studied at South Houston Elementary School. He began writing when he was in the second grade. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Texas at Austin. A Master of Arts degree in English literature with a focus in American Indian Studies he received from the University of Oklahoma in 2003.
Tim Tingle worked at New Canaan Farms, gourmet food manufacturer, in San Marcos, Texas as a co-owner and operator from 1979 till 1997. He also worked as a marketing workshop presenter for the Texas Department of Agriculture, as a touring storyteller in Germany for the U.S. Department of Defense, and as a performer at the Six Flags over Texas theme park.
Then he received his master's degree and became a storyteller at numerous festivals, including the National Storytelling Festival, Minnesota Storytelling Festival, Keepers of the Word at Amherst College, Texas Storytelling Festival, Pete Seeger's Clearwater Revival Festival, and the Mississippi Storytelling Festival.
Tingle also was a featured speaker at the Native American wing of the Smithsonian Institute in 2006 and 2007. At the 2008 American Library Association Conference in Anaheim, California, he performed on the multi-ethnic concert, Many Voices, One Nation.
In June of 2011, Tingle spoke at the Library of Congress and presented his first performance at the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C. From 2011 to 2016, he was featured at Choctaw Days, a celebration at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Tingle has also completed eleven speaking tours for the U.S. Department of Defense, performing for children and military personnel in Germany.
He wrote his first book Walking the Choctaw Road while teaching writing courses and completing his thesis. This book consists of twelve stories, ranging from accounts of his father's experiences on the infamous Trail of Tears to traditional Choctaw folk tales and personal accounts of Tingle's modern-day experiences. Stories from other books Other stories cover topics such as slave escapes, the morality of paying the price for one's own crimes, and Tingle's own experiences as an adolescent during the Vietnam War. Many of the stories provide lessons in traditional Choctaw culture, folk practices, and social values.
Tim has also co-authored three books with Doc Moore, Spooky Texas Tales, Texas Ghost Stories, and More Spooky Texas Tales.
(Bee stings on the backside. That was just the beginning. ...)
2010
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
"Tim Tingle has a way of capturing his audience's attention. From his soothing voice to the beat of his drum, he has a strong presence when telling a story. I hope to learn from Tingle how to captivate an audience and tell stories from the soul." - Kesley Knight, president of the Panhandle Storytelling Guild
"Tim Tingle is one of my favorite storytellers. He has a way of pulling you into the conversation, he invites you into his world and shows you what it is to be truly human. I also love that he is a man of great wisdom, who lets the narrative flow naturally, and this is what I hope to learn from him." - Favour Uwode, a graduate communication student.
Connections
Tim Tingle's son, Jacob Tingle, is a Director of Experiential Learning at Trinity University.
Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award,
United States
Tim Tingles received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
Tim Tingles received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
American Library Association Award,
United States
Tim Tingles received the American Library Association Award for Notable Children's Book in 2007 for Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom.
Tim Tingles received the American Library Association Award for Notable Children's Book in 2007 for Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom.
American Indian Youth Literature Award,
United States
Tim Tingles received the American Indian Youth Literature Award three times: in 2013 and in 2014 for How I Became a Ghost, and in 2016 for House of Purple Cedar.
Tim Tingles received the American Indian Youth Literature Award three times: in 2013 and in 2014 for How I Became a Ghost, and in 2016 for House of Purple Cedar.