1. Native American Oral Traditions
The Sun Also Rises…The Sky Tree * The Earth Only * Coyote Finishes His Work.

2. Make the Connection – Quickwrite
Myths, which are almost always connected with religious rituals, explain the world the people live in and their traditions.
Take some notes on myths you are familiar with. What do they explain to people?
What comfort might they offer?

3. Literary Focus - Archtypes
An archetype is an old imaginative pattern that has appeared in literature throughout the ages.
Archetypes can be plots, characters, or images.
An archetype appears across cultures.

4. The Sun Still Rises in the Same Sky: Native American Literature by Joseph Bruchac
According to Bruchac, what is one important thing that Native American literature has in common with European classics?
Consider what Bruchac says about the authors whom he names. What have these writers done for Native American literature?
What do you think the title means?

5. The Sky Tree - A Creation Myth
Symbolism: What does the rooting of the tree represent?
The Earth Only
- a poem that celebrates the permanence of the natural world – and the wisdom of those who recognize the truth.

6. Coyote Finishes His Work
Archetype: The trickster often takes the form of an animal. What traits of Coyote help him to be a trickster?
Where does Old Man Above send Coyote?

7. Short Answers in Notebook
When did Western scholars begin to realize that Native Americans had an oral literature?
In “The Sky Tree,” which animals make a place where Aataentsic can land?
According to “The Earth Only,” which people speak the truth?