1. Native American Literature

3. Petroglyph: ancient rock carving
Newspaper Rock petroglyphs, Utah

4. Storytelling & Oral Tradition
Long before European explorers came to North America, Native Americans had a rich literary tradition of their own.
Their stories, histories, and legends were shared and preserved through oral tradition.
The Native American storyteller is one whose spirit is very important to the people.

6. The Native Americans spoke hundreds of languages and lived in incredibly diverse societies with varied mythological beliefs.
Despite their differences, their literary traditions had the following common elements:
No written language
They used the power of words and memory, rather than writing, to preserve their texts
Terse writing style – few words, abrupt
Theme: all beings are connected to the earth

7. Importance of a Circle
You have noticed that everything that an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the sacred hoop of the nation and so long as the hoop was unbroken, the people flourished. The flowering three was the living center of the hoop, and the circle of the four quarters nourished it. The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and mighty wind gave strength and endurance. This knowledge came to us from outer world with our religion. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle.

8. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Our teepees were round like the nests of birds,, and there were always set in a circle, the nation’s hoop, a nest of may nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to hatch our children.
Black Elk (Neihardt 1973)

9. These stories belong to the collective: all of the people/the tribe
The oral tradition was a performance for an audience
the relationship between the storyteller and the audience is established through:
voice emphasis, gestures, use of space, and eye contact.
there is no known original author

10. These oral stories were chanted, spoken, sung and repeated over and over until embedded into the memories of the next generations.
Oral tradition was the only way to pass on tribal history, heritage, and cultural practices.
The young must listen and remember the stories the elders tell and then pass them on.

12. These oral stories include the following types of texts:
cultural lessons (beliefs about social order and appropriate behavior)
historical accounts including migrations: how people moved to where they are
creation stories and the origins of societies (beliefs about how things came to be)

13. Recurring Themes relationships between humans and animals
respect and reverence for mother earth and nature
The land as the strength of the people
The community/tribe as powerful, not individuals
Cycles & patterns: destruction and renewal
Importance of tribal traditions and history

14. Recurring Themes The sacred four directions: North, South, East & West
Siblings, especially twins
Floods and other large waters
The community/tribe as powerful

16. Native American Myths
Myths: traditional stories passed down from generation to generation, which explain why the world is the way it is
Myths are tales believed as true, usually sacred, set in the distant past, and with supernatural, animal, or incredible heroic characters
Niitsitapi Chief

17. Characteristics of Myths
A story that explains the natural world (and how it came to be).
Characters – animals, gods, supernatural beings, first people.
Depicts events that bend or break natural laws.

18. Character Archetypes In Native American myths- - Heroes
Archetype: a typical character that represents universal patterns of human nature (similar characters found in many stories from different cultures)
In Native American myths-
- Heroes
- Tricksters
- Mother Earth

19. Character Archetypes -Heroes: protagonist who “saves the
day” with courage
-Tricksters: someone who tricks and deceives people, but is not always evil (coyote, rabbit, raven)
- Mother Earth: offers spiritual and emotional support to others

20. Native American Myth: The Bear & The Big Dipper

21. “Eight children were there at play, seven sisters and their brother
“Eight children were there at play, seven sisters and their brother. Suddenly the boy was struck dumb; he trembled and began to run upon his hands and feet. His fingers became claws, and his body was covered with fur. Directly there was a bear where the boy had been. The sisters were terrified; they ran, and the bear after them…

22. They came to the stump of a great tree, and the tree spoke to them
They came to the stump of a great tree, and the tree spoke to them. It bade them climb upon it, and as they did so it began to rise into the air. The bear came to kill them, but they were just beyond its reach. It reared against the tree and scored the bark all around with its claws. The seven sisters were borne into the sky, and they became the stars of the Big Dipper.”
From “The Way to Rainy Mountain” by N. Scott Momaday

23. Which common characteristics can we find in this myth?
Siblings
Animals
Mother earth/land as powerful (the tree)
Events that break natural laws
Explains something in nature (Big Dipper)

24. The World on the Turtle’s Back
(Iroquois creation myth)
Before reading:
The Iroquois consists of six Native American groups:
Seneca, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Mohawk, and Tuscarora
Lived in New York state
They formed a confederacy, allowing them to protect against Native Americans and foreigners – the Iroquois League
They lived mostly on “the three sisters” – corn, beans, and squash
They played lacrosse!

25. The World on the Turtle’s Back
Read independently & complete the reading guide as you read
When you are finished – raise your hand and I will bring you your next assignment…