Native American Folktales

1. Native American Folktales By Branson Leet

2. Interesting Facts • Iktomi is a spider trickster from multiple tribes’ mythology. • Many tales of sickness and death arose after the Europeans arrival in 1492. • Benjamin Franklin learned a lot about democracy by observing the Iroquois Indians.

3. Folktales • Iktomi and the Coyote • Iktomi and the Ducks • Iktomi and the Turtle • Iktomi’s Blanket

4. “Iktomi and the Coyote” Summary • Iktomi was wondering across plains when he encountered a coyote. At first glance, Iktomi assumed the coyote was dead and carried it back to his teepee. The coyote continued to play dead till he was thrown into a fire pit. The coyote ran away in flames and Iktomi believed he had seen a spirit. The coyote ran back and jumped on Iktomi and said "Another day, my friend, do not take too much for granted. Make sure the enemy is stone dead before you make a fire!"

5. “Iktomi’s Blanket” Summary • Iktomi was hungry and desperate for food. All he had to his name was his torn blanket. He prayed for the God, Inyan, to answer his prayers for food. Inyan appeared and took the blanket from Iktomi and took him to a brush patch where a newly slain deer was located. Iktomi hoped to cheat the God and “trade” the deer back for his blanket; however, he hoped to keep both. Inyan saw through his plan and returned Iktomi his worn blanket as the Sun reappeared and took the dear as well. The trickster had been tricked.

6. Commonalities and Interests • Iktomi was in majority of book’s stories. • All stories were life lessons. • I liked the use of animals as different traits.

7. Research Articles • “Animals Are People, Too: Ethical Lessons about Animals from Native American Sacred Stories.” by Dave Aftandilian • The article discusses the ethical lessons about animals from Native American sacred stories. It argues that indigenous people including the American Indians have ethical traditions that guide their actions toward the natural world for hundreds of years. • “Indian Education: Maintaining Tribal Sovereignty Through Native American Culture and Language Preservation.” by Nizhone Meza • The article focuses on the role of culture and language preservation in promoting the sovereignty of tribes of Native Americans in the U.S. Topics discussed include the destruction of this sovereignty through the Indian Education Policy, the necessity of culture and language preservation.

8. Original Folktale • The owl had the highest perch upon the tree canopy. She could see all the edges of the horizon. The wise owl believed since it could see all the forest than she must know all that’s within the forest. One day, Iktomi approached the owl and proposed a new concept. Iktomi spoke of huge, blue seas and wide open prairies that the Owl could learn about far over the horizon. The owl, curious for more knowledge, left her perch from the treetop and began flying. She flew and flew for miles. She passed many acres of trees, and river, and plains. But the seas and plains that the trickster has spoken of were nowhere to be seen. Exhausted from flying, the owl landed. Knowing she’d never reach the magical locations, the owl turned around and walked back to her home. When she arrived after days of walking, her nest had been removed and replaced with a web spun by Iktomi. The trickster now had the best view in the forest.

9. Bibliography • Aftandilian, Dave. "Animals Are People, Too: Ethical Lessons About Animals From Native American Sacred Stories." Interdisciplinary Humanities 27.1 (2010): 79-98. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. • Meza, Nizhone. "Indian Education: Maintaining Tribal Sovereignty Through Native American Culture And Language Preservation." Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal 1 (2015): 353-366. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Nov. 2015. • Zitkala-Sa. Old Indian Legends. Boston/London: Ginn, 1901. Print.