Early American Literature: Beginnings 1880s Native American
Literature
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Sources of American Literature The roots of American Literature
Oral tradition of the Native American peoples Myths, tales, songs,
and other lore European settlers Writings were records:
explorations and settlement Africans who were brought to the
Americas Wrote of the conditions of slavery As the 1800s come to a
close, writers played an important role in the struggle for
independence.
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Native American Literature Consider: How did Native Americans
view their relationship to the world around them? What elements or
characteristics would you expect to find in their literature?
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Historical, Social and Cultural Forces The Native Americans
Ancestors of Native Americans, from Asia, thousands of years before
Europeans Europeans in W Hemisphere, 1490s Native American peoples:
Social organization; local government; complex societies: great
cities, large-scale farming, and record keeping; hunters, portable
dwellings, and oral tradition
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Storytelling: Owning the Land No one person could own the land
Belongs in common to all people and other living things Contrast
with the Europeans settling in the early 1600s
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Walum Olum Walum Olum Full TextFull Text The Walam Olum: The
Creation of a Native American Video linkVideo link
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The Power of Storytelling Native American life is organized by
the cycles of nature. This great sacred cycle of must be treated
with deep respect. (gives life and death) These include: Animals
Plants Forces of nature
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Storytelling: The Cycle of Life Religious ceremonies organized
around the natural cycle NA sought contact with the spirits,
inhabit all living; dreams and visions Evidence is found in their
tales and songs
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Storyteller Profile Born in 1895, Te Ata, which means Bearer of
the Morning in Chickasaw, spent much of her 99 years telling the
stories and folklore of her people to local and worldwide
audiences.
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I Have Killed the Deer ~ Taos Pueblo Song I have killed the
deer. I have crushed the grasshopper And the plants he feeds upon.
I have cut through the heart Of trees growing old and straight. I
have taken fish from water And birds from the sky. In my life I
have needed death So that my life can be. When I die I must give
life To what has nourished me. The earth receives my body And gives
it to the plants And to the caterpillars To the birds And to the
coyotes Each in its own turn so that The circle of life is never
broken.
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A Legacy of Stories NA oral tradition began when peopled
crossed from Asia to Alaska Migration South, unique cultures and
languages developed, different environments
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A Legacy of Stories, continued Hunting stories, groups around
campfires Religious ceremonies, sacred stories As myth and reality
merged, rituals began to link the spirits of hunters and animals.
Stories have survived 100s of generations and still a living part
of NA traditions.
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Pocahontas Princess Matoaka--she was also called Amonutewas
born around 1596. Daughter of Chief Powhatan nicknamed Pocahontas,
or little capricious one, a tribute to her playful nature. She was
also striking. She much exceedeth any of the rest of his
[Powhatan's] people, wrote Smith, not only for feature, countenance
and proportion...but for wit and spirit, the only Nonpareil of his
country. ~Time Magazine
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Native American Mythology Myth anonymous, traditional story
explains a natural phenomenon explains an aspect of human behavior
explains a mystery of the universe Creation myths (world &
humans came to exist) Origin myths (natural phenomena, or reason a
society has certain beliefs and customs) Elements of both creation
and origin myths can appear in one story.
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Elements to Expect: Archetypes Archetype - symbol, story
pattern, or character type that is found in the literature of many
cultures Example: children with opposite qualities born from same
parent Example: tricksters, an animal (typically) that, speaks and
displays other human traits, has two sides to its personality.
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Elements to Expect: Archetypes - tricksters Tricksters: Rebels,
defy authority Cause trouble Clever and creative Can unexpectedly
reveal wisdom
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Other elements Supernatural (anything a normal person can not
do) Animals (personified, archetype) Helpers Tricksters Cycle Four
(represents seasons, natural elements, or cardinal directions)
Three (represents birth, life, death; creator, humans and
nature)
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Purpose of NA Mythology To Emphasize: 1.a strong spiritual bond
between the Creator, humanity, and the entire natural world 2.The
duty of human beings to maintain a balance in the natural
world
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Purpose of NA Mythology, continued To give people a sense of
order and identity To heal the sick To ensure a plentiful food
supply To teach moral lessons To initiate young people into
adulthood To maintain the wisdom of the tribal past
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How did Native Americans view the relationship to the world
around them? End
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Answer these questions on a sheet of paper. Provide all group
members names, and title the questions with the name of story or
tribe. How did Native Americans view the relationship to the world
around them? Which of the three types of the explanations exist in
your myth? What natural elements exist in your myth? What
supernatural event(s) occur in your myth? Who is the trickster?
What does he do? How is balance achieved? What is the function of
the myth? Provide evidence. What symbol(s) are in the myth?
