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Origin Myths and Early Colonial Literature
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Colonial American Literature
Native American Literature Literature of Exploration - Virginia Northern Colonies Southern & Middle Colonies
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The first people… Native Americans immigrated over the land bridge from Asia in 35,000 BC The first Europeans enter North America in 1600’s. The last colonies were settled in 1732
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Native American Literature: Creation Myths
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Events usually result from the actions of supernatural beings.
Myth A traditional story, passed down through generations, that explains why the world is the way it is. Events usually result from the actions of supernatural beings.
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Myths Contain supernatural elements Often explain the unexplainable
Have also been told in order to teach a moral lesson. All cultures have myths, though often do not see their stories myth but as fact. What is supernatural? Give me an example. Why are myths important to a culture?
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Oral tradition Native American myths originated as oral tradition: stories passed down verbally
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Oral Tradition. . . Native American creation myths were not written down until just a few hundred years ago. It was passed down by storytelling and performances. Examples: lullabies, bedtime stories. Much of the flavor gets lost in the writing down, but writing helps to preserve the myths for future generations in ways that retelling cannot. To transition to the next slide, ask What is a myth?
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Four functions of myth:
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1. To awaken us to the mystery and wonder of creation
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2. To explain the workings of the natural world: every corner, every rock, hill, stone, and flower has its place and its meaning.
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3. To pass down the moral and ethical codes that support and validate social customs.
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to guide the people through the trials of living
4. To teach: to guide the people through the trials of living
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Creation myths Explain how the universe, the earth, and life on earth began.
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Quick Write What different accounts of creation- religious, scientific or cultural folk stories from family or any other cultures have you heard or read? Write a brief response to what you believe and how you came to know it…
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Essentials of Creation Myths
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Creation Myths… To instill awe
Explain the workings of the natural world 3. To support customs 4. Guide people through the trials of living
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Features (cont.) Ritualistic beginnings and endings
Progress and change are shown as cyclical Many of the stories have a “trickster” character (often a rabbit, raven or spider) Repetition of special elements, symbols, numbers, etc.
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Common themes Movement from a sky world to a water world
Fortunate fall –creation story Earth-diver myth usually involving an earth made from mud or a flood after the universe is created Theft of fire Emergence myth– movement of beings from under the surface to the surface of the earth
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More About Native American Literature
Oral Traditions Integration of the natural world with the human world No separation of spiritual and physical Importance of ancestors Trixter figure – often a coyote Rich literary tradition – developed mythology Extremely diverse Native American legacy today – Sherman Alexie
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The Age of Exploration and Discovery
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Why Explorers came to North America:
North America was found by mistake Were looking for the Northwest Passage See if there was land other than theirs Came because they wanted to find a route to Asia
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Desire to explore the unknown has been a driving force in history since the very beginning of time
Explored earth by sea Motivations Religious beliefs Desire for conquest The need to establish trade routes Hunger for gold
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Exploration commonly marked by 14th century, but evidence of earlier exploration has been found
Travel between Greece and India The Han Dynasty of China and the Roman Empire Though explorers searched for a specific land or route, they were often surprised at finding countries only heard of in rumors or legends
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Captains were not always experienced either
Captains needed rich benefactors to help them on their way and men to sail the ships Most voyages were made in the name of a ruler Many sailors who signed up were not very experienced, but had to suffice Captains were not always experienced either Desire for wealth or political favor were common motivations for the voyages Could be a merchant, soldier, adventurer, gentleman of the court
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Little cooking done at sea
Pickled or dried meat Ship’s biscuits (which were full of insects by the end of the voyage) Fruits, veggies, RUM! (which fought against scurvy, a disease from lack of vitamin C) Cheese Onions, dried beans Fresh fish or salted fish (salt cured and preserved fish for long periods of time) Water (a MUST! It was also the first thing sailors looked for when they found land)
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Captain John Smith: A Description of New England (1616)
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The Landing of the Pilgrims, 1620, relief by Enrico Causici on
doors of U.S.Capitol Rotunda (1825)
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By the 1400's, many wealthy Europeans wanted to buy exotic products that came from Asia:
jewels silk spices (cinnamon, pepper, and cloves) used to season and preserve food. Practical uses in other cultures, but seen as an in-vogue food revolution which as “trending” at this time Overland trade between Asia and Europe became increasingly dangerous and expensive as the Mongol Empire had begun to break down during the 1300's making sea-travel the better, safer option.
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Impact on Native People
For American Indians, their centuries-long way of life vanished in bloodshed and disease, while new activities, such as the fur-trading industry, became important to their survival. The shipping of Africans to the Americas to be used as slaves.
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Primary Sources Primary sources are first-hand, personal accounts of events that happened. Explorers, settlers, and conquerors of this era used this method to document their experiences However, many of these accounts contain inferences and generalizations of the peoples/cultures they encountered and their ways of life
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Inference: an educated guess based on surrounding evidence
Generalization: a broad blanket assumption applied to a wide range of people/events/things, etc. Are these inferences always true? What are we doing when we make a generalization about something/someone? Is that always true? When we make generalizations based on what we’ve heard others say are we allowing ourselves to find out the truth for ourselves?
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Do you believe everything you hear?
When we tell a personal account, do we always tell it objectively, the way it happened? Are personal accounts reliable sources? What are some details that could help us determine if a primary source account is reliable or not? Tone Exaggerations Figurative language
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How do these things help?
Think about how these things help us determine if what we are reading is entirely true and objective? What do we as readers need to read in order to differentiate between is real and what is someone’s personal perspective?
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