Native Americans How Their History Has Shaped Their Literature

Forgotten Language  Never written down before the English arrived from Europe passed down verbally  Stories were passed down verbally  Generation to generation fallen from 20 million to 2 million  Population has fallen from 20 million to 2 million  Most have ceased to exist just spoken by older speakers  Some are just spoken by older speakers only

post-apocalyptic  A post-apocalyptic sense of life: after near extinction and destruction  Native American writers often convey a sense that the apocalypse, or end of the world, has already occurred  Tragic defeat  Cultural destruction  Survival and continuance  Adapting old stories and customs to new circumstances Literary Themes

caught between traditional and modern  Being caught between traditional tribal ways and modern, mainstream American society community  A sense of community power of language  The power of language and stories

 Interconnectedness animals, land, people, and language  Interconnectedness of all things, focusing on relationships between animals, land, people, and language loss of ancestral homelands  An acute awareness of the loss of ancestral homelands response to Euro-American stereotypes  A response to Euro-American stereotypes of savagery and primitivism Literary Themes

 Myths  Legends  Short Stories  Political Documents Prominent Types of Literature

Myths  Purpose: seek, explain, or rationalize one or more aspects of world  Characteristics  Religious or supernatural elements  Immortal characters  Main Type  Origin/Creation myth (how something began)

 Animals most important  Animals are most important creatures on Earth  If animals did not exist, humans would not exist  Creation Myth Video Creation Myth Video  What took place of the sun?  Which animal was able to get mud?  What did the animals spread the mud on?  Who created stars, the sun, and the moon?  The twins are born as representations of which two biblical figures? Creation Myths

 Imagery  Imagesrepresent the story  Images formed in reader’s mind that represent the story  Repetition  Repeating something significance in the story  Repeating something over and over to indicate significance in the story  Symbolism  Other meaning  Other meaning besides its literal meaning Literary Devices Used

 Exposition:begins  Exposition: how it all begins  Rising Action: problem  Rising Action: problem that leads to the conflict  Climax:addressing the conflict  Climax: addressing the conflict  Falling Action: against the conflict  Falling Action: action against the conflict  Resolution:afterwards  Resolution: what happens afterwards THERE MUST BE A CONFLICT TO HAVE A RESOLUTION The Five Elements

 Exposition:  Exposition: “Circle of Life” scene (setting and characters)  Rising Action:  Rising Action: Scar kills Mufasa (conflict: Simba needs to prove himself worthy of being King)  Climax:  Climax: Nala puts Simba in his place about what he needs to do to become King  Falling Action:  Falling Action: Simba fights Scar after learning that he was the one who killed his father  Resolution:  Resolution: Simba becomes King; he and Nala have a lion cub who will one day become King The Five Elements (Lion King Style)

 Write a creation myth about something was created  Clothing, food, school, Oklahoma, the world, etc.  Follow the characteristics of Native American Creation Myths  Animals are important  Symbolism, imagery, repetition  Must be 3 paragraphs (5-7 sentences per paragraph) Tuesday’s Assignment (3 rd Section)

Legends  Extendedmyths  Extended versions of myths humanscentral characters  Typically, humans are more central characters  Common themes explain the world  To explain the world support customs  To support customs guide people  To guide people

Legends: To Explain the World  Very similar to the idea of creation/origin  Not just how the world began  How concepts within the world began  Marriage  Childbirth  Workforce  Politics  Religion

Legends: To Support Customs  Customs:way of doing something  Customs: a widely accepted way of doing something evidence for their behavior/beliefs  Provide evidence for their behavior/beliefs  Tribes vary  Tribes vary in customs, rituals, values, overall lifestyle  Essentially: “We do this because…”

Legends: To Guide People lesson  A lesson to be told live a good life  How to live a good life  Advice  Advice for a particular situation First-Hand Experience First-Hand Experience Personal beliefs Personal beliefs

Political Documents varying political views  All tribes had varying political views  General Purpose: considered a member of the tribe  General Purpose: laws that must be followed in order to be considered a member of the tribe imagery and symbolism  Still use imagery and symbolism to emphasize significance

 Read “The Iroquois Constitution” from pages (silently).  Answer questions 1-5 on pg. 58 in the 3 rd section of your notebook. (1-2 sentences will work)  Choose 1 from questions 8-10 to answer as well. (At least 3 sentences) Due: Tomorrow (Will Have Class Time to Finish) YOU SHOULD HAVE #1-5 + EITHER #8, #9, OR #10 Monday’s Assignment

Short Stories five elements  The five elements are the backbone  Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution  Common characteristics: nature and/or animals  Centered on nature and/or animals  Historical  Historical connections  Imagery and symbolism  Metaphors  Metaphors (not using “like” or “as” to compare two or more things

 Historical Fiction: learning more about a historical event  Historical Fiction: stories to assist the reader in learning more about a historical event  Realistic Fiction: could happen to him/her  Realistic Fiction: stories to show the reader this (or a certain occasion from the story) could happen to him/her  Fable-like: valuable lesson  Fable-like: animals are central characters; goal is to teach the reader a valuable lesson Short Stories: Genres Within

Wednesday’s Assignment  You will work in groups “The Way to Rainy Mountain” 1. Read “The Way to Rainy Mountain” together (aloud or silently) Five Elements of Plot handout 2. Fill out the Five Elements of Plot handout (just one per group) 3. Summary Collaboration 3. Summary Collaboration (one sheet of paper per group)  Each member will summarize the story on his/her index card. (2-3 sentences).  The group will then use each member’s summary to form one complete summary based on common ideas from each member (3 sentences).