1. English III: American Literature
Early American Literature
(Beginnings to 1800)
Part One: Native American Literature

2. Overview: Why come to America?
Ice Age travelers
Beringia Theory
Crossed the Bering land bridge (now submerged under the Bering Strait) Migrated south and developed in various places
Occurred more than 40 thousand years ago

3. Overview: Why come to America?
Adventurers looking for land – nobility
Feudal system restricted land ownership to the first born son
Wanted land of their own – wealth

4. Overview: Why come to America?
Religious freedom
Great move to simplify religion
Catholic Church - Pope
Anglican Church – king of England
Protestant Reformation begins in 1517

5. Overview: Why come to America?
Slaves and indentured servants.
Indigenous persons
Convicts
Bonded servants for payment of passage

6. Native American Literature
The Sacred Earth and the Power of Storytelling

7. How do stories motivate curiosity?
Essential Questions
How do stories motivate curiosity?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of oral literature?
How has the Native American legacy affected the development of American culture?

8. Native American Beliefs
The Earth is sacred.
Time flows in a circle.
Animals, plants, and natural forces are part of this sacred cycle and must be respected.
Spirits inhabit all living things.

9. Native American Beliefs
Dreams and visions connect people to the spirit world.
Land belongs to all (people, plants, animals) who inhabit it. There is no concept of private ownership.
Sacred stories are important in transmitting culture and in upholding religion and spiritual beliefs.

10. Native American Literary Elements
Stories were “created by no one author but by the people as a whole.” They serve to preserve beliefs.
Each tribe has its own language, culture, and mythology.

11. Native American Literary Elements
Stories are created and preserved in the oral tradition.
Later, stories were also preserved in pictures carved in clay or stone.
Contemporary authors now also preserve these stories in written form.

12. Native American Literary Elements
“When you write things down you don’t have to remember them. But for us it is different… [A]ll that we are, all that we have ever been , all the great names of our heroes and their songs and deeds are alive within each of us… living in our blood.” – Native American Holy Woman

13. Native American Literary Elements
Ancient hieroglyphic and pictographic writings

14. Native American Literary Elements
Extensive set of folktales, myths, and oral histories that were transmitted for centuries by storytellers
Myth: a traditional story, one that concerns the early history of a people, or explains a social or natural phenomenon, typically involving supernatural beings or events
There are many myths, including:
creation myths (stories about the beginnings of Earth and how humans came into existence)
origin myths (stories that explain natural phenomenon, such as earthquakes, mountains, caves, why dogs and cats don’t get along, etc.)

15. Native American Literary Elements
Archetypes (a symbol, story pattern or character type) are common and help us understand our world.
The Quest, the Journey, the Initiation, the Battle Between Good and Evil, Nature vs. Mechanical World (story patterns)
Light vs. Dark, Water vs. Desert, Heaven vs. Hell, etc. (symbols)
The Hero, the Damsel in Distress, the Earth Mother, the Mentor, the Devil Figure, the Scapegoat, the Evil Figure with a Good Heart (the Trickster), the Temptress, the Creature of Nightmare, etc. (characters)

16. Native American Literary Elements
Stories combine timeless myth and reality.
Themes include strong spiritual bond between Creator, humanity, and nature; humans’ responsibility to maintain that balance; and tribal ancestry.