Native American Literature

1. Native American Literature Unit 1 English 10

2. The Sacred Earth and the Power of Storytelling • Feeling for the natural earth • Entire earth and all living things inhabiting it were sacred • Reference passed down orally from one generation to another • Speakers and storytellers valued

3. The Cycle of Life • Animals, plants, forces of nature part of a sacred cycle of life humans must treat with deep respect.

4. Land Ownership • No one person could own; it belonged to all (not the same belief as the Europeans, which led to conflict)

5. Stories • Unique cultures and languages developed. • Thousands of very different languages • Own, unique stories and mythology

6. Conflict • Europeans arrived in the early 1500s. • Brutal wars often occurred. • Europeans had superior weapons • Disease • Few Native Americans survived beyond the end of the 1600s.

7. Mythology • Thousands of thriving nations • Each had unique culture, heritage, and oral literature – stories passed downs from one generation to the next.

8. Creation Myths • Myth-anonymous, traditional story that relies on the supernatural to explain a natural phenomenon, an aspect of human behavior, or a mystery of the universe. • Try to explain the world and why it is as it is • Making sense of one’s world • Creation Myths • Tell how the world and humans came to exist • Origin Myths • How natural phenomena (moon, stars,) came to be

9. Archetypes • Symbol, story pattern, character type found in literature of many cultures • Children with opposite qualities (good and evil, light and dark)

10. Tricksters • Usually an animal • Displays human qualities • Rebels • Reveal wisdom

11. Function of myths • Emphasis on spiritual bond between creator, humanity, and world • Humans’ duty to maintain balance • In many cultures each group felt it descended from an animal or object called a totem • Bear clan-bear as ancestor, guardian spirit. • They must preserve the myths of the bear • Sense of order and identity • Heal sick • Ensure supply of food • Teach morals • Initiation into adulthood • Wisdom of past

12. Huron • Earth=Island on back of turtle • Southern Canada

13. Main Ideas • The chief learns to cure his sickness in a dream. • The Sky Tree travels to Earth with Aataentsic. • Turtle asks advice from all of the animals. • The main idea is to tell us how people left Sky Land to populate the earth.