Native American Literature English III. Our American identity as we know it is a product of our...
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Transcript of Native American Literature English III. Our American identity as we know it is a product of our...
• Our American identity as we know it is a product of our past. Our class will focus on literature which reveals how we arrived at our society and culture today.
• We study Native American literature out of a respect for the indigenous cultures who were here before the European explorers as well as a respect for their cultural and literary influence throughout the years.
Historical & Cultural Context Historical & Cultural Context
• Indigenous Americans inhabited this continent before anyone else. They endured many invasions from the Spaniards for the following primary reasons:
1. land
2. gold
3. crops
(all of which were plentiful)
• Before the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century, The Americans were already home to thriving populations of American Indians– “Columbus did not discover a new world; he
established contact between two worlds, both already old” (J. H. Parry)
• Indian removal was legalized with the Removal Act of 1830, which stipulated:
1. the tribe “consent” to move
2. new land was to replace the old
• Initially, American Indians vastly outnumbered the colonists; however, the settlers exposed the native population to diseases to which they had no immunity, such as small pox
•
Some Dominant Themes & Motifs:Some Dominant Themes & Motifs:
• relationships between humans and animals
• respect and reverence for mother earth and nature
• land as the strength of the people
• village/community/tribe as sovereign
• cyclical patterns: renewal and continuance
• importance of tribal traditions and history
Oral TraditionOral Tradition
• The languages of Native American tribes were never written down before the English arrived from Europe.
• Their stories were passed verbally from generation to generation.
• The Oral Tradition– These stories were reliant upon repetition– Used in ceremonial situations– Repetition aided in memorization– Provided narrative cohesion– Participatory– Powerful and unifying
Imagery & RepetitionImagery & Repetition• Imagery- images formed in the reader’s
mind relating to a story– Example: tree, water world, turtle
• Repetition- repeating something over and over– Shows importance and meaning; also helps
listeners since they were oral stories
• Symbolism- items representing something else; hold great value
MythsMyths
• The purpose of myths is to seek to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society.
• Myths usually have religious or supernatural elements and have a character that is immoral.
• Origin myth-a myth that explains how something bega
Trickster TalesTrickster Tales• One form of creation story• Vary from tribe to tribe, but contain the• same basic qualities:• – Trickster are more than deceivers who make
us laugh• By crossing social boundaries, they both break
rules and show how important rules are
– Tricksters are creators in their own rights
Creation StoriesCreation Stories• Similar to the account in The Bible• Similar from tribe to tribe• Used to explain how the world/universe was• created• Explained the origin of man
– Sometimes had animal characteristics
• Sometimes non-gender, or only one gender– (usually female—mother earth)
• In every case, there is a sense of birth—both of the world and humans
Code Talkers in WWIICode Talkers in WWII
• During WWII, bilingual Native Americans, mainly Navajo, transmitted messages through codes for the United States Army.
• The codes were never broken by the enemy.
Native American WisdomNative American Wisdom
• “The earth was created by the assistance of the sun, and it should be left as was…The earth and myself are of one mind.” --Chief Joseph, Nez Perce
• “All things are connected…Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth…This we know. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself.” --Chief Seattle