Warm-up: Answer the following questions on your own paper.

• 1. Native American literature shows a strong respect for what?

• 2. What is the term that means that stories are told and not written down?

• 3. True or False: All Native American myths, legends, and folk tales do not vary.

Native American Literature

ELAALRL3: The student deepens understanding of literary works by

relating them to their contemporary context or historical background, as

well as to works from other time periods.

a. The student relates a literary work to the seminal ideas of the time in which it

is set or the time of its composition.

General Facts

The dates for this period are very unclear because we have

absolutely no idea when they started. Much of the literature

of that period were myths (culturally significant stories),

and, of course, the Native Americans still write today. Most

of what our text calls Native American myths were written

long before Europeans settled in North America.

The foundation of American literature begins with the orally transmitted myths, legends, tales, and lyrics (always songs) of Indian cultures. Native American oral tradition (unwritten stories passed from

generation to generation) is quite diverse. NA stories glow with reverence

for nature as a spiritual, as well as physical, mother. Nature is alive and endowed with spiritual forces; main characters may be animals or plants, often totems associated with a tribe,

group, or individual. There was a belief in the after-life.

• For a long time, Native American literature was

viewed mainly as folklore (tales relevant only to one

culture and steeped in superstition), so it was only studied for content rather

than for its literary qualities.

• There were stories told that were never written down

(called oral tradition). This meant that the stories changed a lot from speaker to speaker as they were retold. No fixed versions of these tales exist.

• Even though the myths, legends, and folk tales vary greatly, there is one common characteristic that runs through all of it.

There is a deep respect for nature.

• Tales and chants celebrate the wonders of the natural world and its connection to the world of the spirit.

• Because Native Americans usually told

stories instead of writing them down,

being a good storyteller (or orator)

was very valued.• Logan and Red Jacket were two widely known

Native American orators.

Logan the Orator

(c. 1725?–1780) was a Native

American orator and war leader born in the Iroquois Confederacy.

Red Jacket (c. 1750–January 20,

1830) was a Native

American Seneca orator and chief of

the Wolf clan.(He is wearing a

peace medal given to him by George

Washington.)

A woman asked him once if he had any children. His answer demonstrates how well he could tell a story. He is telling why (in his thoughts)

all his children had died.

“Red Jacket was once a great man, and in favor with the Great Spirit. He was a lofty pine among the smaller trees of

the forest. But, after years of glory, he degraded himself by drinking the

firewater of the white man. The Great Spirit has looked upon him in anger,

and his lightning has stripped the pine of its branches.”

• There are cases where words of Native American lyrics or narratives were written down, and the language is often poetic and moving.

• Since there were many Native American cultures, the literature that was produced varied greatly.

Example of Native American Diary - Click on picture to start video clip (2:30).

See if you know the answer.

Question:

A text containing references to spirits who embody both animate and inanimate objects in nature would MOST likely be seen in ______________ .

Answer Choices:

A. Native American mythology

B. ColonialismC. NaturalismD. Realism

Answer:

A – Native American mythology

Something to Do…• Your teacher will pass out a

Native American story.• You will take turns reading the

story aloud.• See if you can pick out which

characteristic of Native American literature is found in this text.

See if you know the answer.

Question:

Which characteristic of Native American literature is found in this text?

Answer Choices:

A. The appearance of the archetypal Trickster hero

B. The belief that nature is all-knowing

C. The lack of a supreme being

D. The belief in an afterlife

Answer:

D – the belief in an afterlife

Warm-up: Answer the following questions on your own paper.

• 1. Native American literature shows a strong respect for what?

• 2. What is the term that means that stories are told and not written down?

• 3. True or False: All Native American myths, legends, and folk tales do not vary.

Answers• 1. Native American literature shows a

strong respect for what? (nature)

• 2. What is the term that means that stories are told and not written down? (oral tradition)

• 3. True or False: All Native American myths, legends, and folk tales do not vary. (False)