Native American Traditions

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Native American Traditions

• (2000 BC 1620 AD)

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In Harmony With Nature

• Native American Traditions
• Inhabited N. America for thousands of years
  before Europeans arrived.
• Original peoples-belonged to 200 distinct tribes
• Spoke over 500 languages
• Way of life-dictated by their natural
  surroundings which varied greatly
• Complex religious beliefs, political systems, and
  strong social values all reflected in their
  literature.

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Native American Literature

• Native American literature was primarily oral
• Passed down from generation to generation by
  storytelling and performances

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Native American Literature

• Purpose
• Emphasizes the importance of living in harmony
  with nature
• Belief that humans have a kinship with animals,
  plants, the land, heavenly bodies, the elements
• All seen as alive (Mother Earth and Father Sky)
• Human Non-human the Sacred Whole

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Types of Oral Tradition

• Myths
• Creation Myths
• Folktales
• Trickster Tales
• Ritual Songs Chants

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Myths

• Traditional stories passed down through the
  generations that explain why the world is the way
  it is.
• Events usually result from the actions of
  supernatural beings.

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Creation Myths

• Explains how the universe, earth, and life began.
• Instills a sense of awe toward the mystery of the
  universe.
• Explains the workings of the natural world.
• Supports and validates social customs.
• Guides people through the trials of living.
• Imaginative stories of cause and effect.

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Folktales

• Stories that tell how the world was transformed
  to its present state.
• Serve to teach social values or explain natural
  phenomena.
• Passed down orally
• Includes myths, fairy tales, legends, and fables

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Trickster Tales

• Folktales that feature an animal or human
  character who engages in deceit, violence, or
  magic.
• Cleverness, daring, magical powers used to get
  characters into out of trouble.
• Animal is often a coyote, but be can a raven,
  mink, hare, or blue jay.
• Three roles 1) The beneficent cultural hero, 2)
  The clever deceiver, or 3) The numskull

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Change

• Some cultures were lost due to diseases and
  violence of the Europeans.
• Some changed due to forced religious conversion,
  forced relocation, and forced education.

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Iroquois Indians

• Refers to six separate Native American groups
• Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onodaga, Mohawk, and
  Tuscarora
• All but the Tuscarora once resided in what is now
  New York State
• War with other tribes led to the formation of the
  Iroquois League in 1570
• For 200 years, Iroquois dominated other Native
  American groups and remained free from British
  and French rule.

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The World on a Turtles Back

• An Iroquois creation myth
• Contains the idea that there is a sky world above
  our world where supernatural beings exist
• A story of cause and effect
• The actions of supernatural beings cause the
  present features of the world to exist
• Explains how the land and other physical features
  were formed

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Cause and Effect

• Cause Effectone event that brings about the
  other
• Example from the story
• Cause Woman walked around in a circle on a
  turtles back
• Effect Earth

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Themes

• Theme central idea(s) a writer intends to
  share. Can be a lesson about life, people, or
  actions.
• Themes in A World on a Turtles Back
• an Iroquois myth which explains how the world was
  created
• expresses a Native American ideal of people
  living in harmony with nature
• the world is made up of forces that seem to be in
  opposition to one another
• these opposites are needed for balance and
  harmony

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Okanogan Indians

• Originally lived in what is now north central
  Washington State and southern British Columbia
• Told folktales in their native language, Salish.
• Stories belong to an oral tradition of Animal
  People.
• Mourning Dove (aka Christine Quintasket) was an
  Okanogan descendant who recorded the traditional
  Okanogan stories in the early 1900s.

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Animal People

• Race of supernatural beings believed to be the
  first inhabitants of the earth.
• Possessed magical powers could shape shift.
• Usually appeared in animal form, but could take
  human form.
• When human beings appeared on the earth, the
  Animal People were transformed into different
  species.

SOUND FAMILIAR?
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Coyote Stories

• Coyote and the Buffalo
• and
• Fox, Coyote, and Whale

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The Coyote

• One of the most important Animal People.
• A central figure in both stories we will read.
• Thought to have made the world inhabitable for
  humans by killing monsters and bringing fire
  salmon, among other deeds
• Coyote stories are told in many Native American
  tribes across the western United States.

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Coyote as Contradictory

• In the two stories we will read, Coyote
  demonstrates the tricksters three contradictory
  qualities
• Foolish yet clever
• Greedy yet helpful
• Immoral yet moral