NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE

CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS  Joseph Campbell tells us that the stories we read reveal to us three distinct pieces of information that revolve around the culture behind the story:  Who they are.  What they believe.  Where they come from.

4 WAYS THAT NATIVE AMERICANS USED LITERATURE:  1. As an oral tradition.  2. As a way of preserving the culture and history of their people.  3. To teach about relationships between people and nature.  4. As a form of entertainment and a source of amusement.

FUNCTIONS OF A MYTH  To explain the creation of the world and the universe.  To explain the human condition: how and why people were created, why they are flawed, why there is suffering in the world, why people must eventually die, and what happens to people after death.  To explain natural phenomena, such as the setting of the sun and the phases of the moon.  To explain the meanings behind religious rituals, customs, and beliefs.  To explain historical events.  To teach moral lessons.

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MYTHS AND FOLKTALES MythsFolktakes  Religious themes  Explains the existence of a natural phenomenon  Principle characters are often non-human (Gods)  Often considered to be true and sacred  Secular, non-religious  Created as much for their entertainment value, as for the teaching of social or moral values.  Not associated with religious rituals  “Once Upon a time” stories

Read Cheyenne Creation Myth

NATIVE AMERICAN GEOGRAPHIC LOCALE

SAY WHAT???  Why does Maheo need the animals’ help to complete the creation?  What is Grandmother Turtle’s role in the creation?  Why does Maheo decide to create a human being?  How are the first people created?  What is the last thing Maheo creates? Why does he create it?

MAKING INFERENCES  Myths and folktales represent a culture’s traditions, values, and attitudes. Although this myth does not directly tell you about the Cheyenne people, you can make inferences, or educated guesses, about their attitudes and basic values concerning nature.  How do you think the Cheyenne felt about nature and their relationship to it?

WHAT DO YOU THINK? How do you see the relationship between humans and animals portrayed in this myth? How does this view compare with contemporary attitudes toward the natural world?

 Myths and folktales remain vital to modern readers because they reveal common truths, patterns, and themes that are familiar to all ages and cultures.  Myths were created out of the human need to make sense of the universe and explain how the world and its human inhabitants came to be.  Folktales are entertaining stories about ordinary people who survive by luck, by using their wits, and by relying on their own natural goodness.