Native American Literature

1. Native American Literature Oral Tradition, Archetypes, Mythology, Folklore, and Exemplum

2. Native American Literature • Sacred narratives • Oral Tradition • Important themes: • Creation, Nature, Morals • Common elements: • Great Spirit • Ancestry • Seasons • Weather • Plants • Animals • Earth, water, fire, sky

3. Oral Tradition • Cultural material and tradition transmitted orally from one generation to the next • Early Native American literature is almost entirely oral in nature due to a lack of written language • Examples: Folktales, myths, ballads, songs, chants

4. Oral Tradition • May employ one of several devices used to aid in memorization: • Which devices might a speaker use to make his/her story successful?

5. The Answer… • Repetition • Refrain • Onomatopoeia • Rhyme • Easy-to-memorize characters and elements • Use of common archetypes

6. Archetypes • A universally understood symbol, term, or pattern of behavior • A prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated

7. Some Universal Archetypes • The Hero • The Martyr • The Damsel in Distress • The Wise Old Man • The Devil • The Trickster

8. Shakespearean Archetypes • Falstaff – Fat, comic knight • Romeo and Juliet – Star-crossed lovers • Richard II – Hero who dies with honor

9. Archetypes – What’s the pattern?

10. Archetypes – What’s the pattern?

11. Archetypes – What’s the pattern?

12. Archetypes – What’s the pattern?

13. Archetypes – What’s the pattern?

14. Mythology • A story about why something is the way it is • Usually embrace gods, the supernatural, heroes, and humans • Usually regarded as a true account of the past • May be about customs, institutions, geography, natural landmarks, etc.

15. Creation Myth • Myths that detail the beginnings of earth or life • Usually take place in a world that has not yet achieved its modern form • Usually feature gods and heroes • Usually considered sacred or religious • Almost always begin through the transmission of oral literature

16. Folklore • Legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, fairy tales, stories, tall tales that express the traditions of a culture • May include artifacts, oral traditions, culture, and rituals • Do not confuse folklore with creation myths: • Creation myths are associated with fact, truth, and religion • Folklore is accepted as false, but fun http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB8_THAyd5o

17. Exemplum • A moral anecdote used to prove a point or teach a lesson • Aesop’s Fables • The Pardoner’s Tale in Canterbury Tales • "The Two City Dwellers and the Country Man,“ • Three traveling companions of the tale's title are on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Near their destination, their provisions are nearly depleted, and the two city dwellers attempt to cheat the country man by telling him that whoever of them dreams the most extraordinary dream shall get the last of their bread. As the city dwellers sleep, the country man, alert to their intended deception, eats the half-baked bread before retiring. The city dwellers relate their made-up dreams. One says he was taken to heaven and led before God by angels. The other says that angels escorted him to hell. The country man says he dreamed the same things that his companions dreamed and, believing them to be forever lost, one to heaven and the other to hell, ate the bread. • "As it says in the proverb, ‘He who wanted all, lost all.’"

18. Example • Look for examples of: • Oral Tradition • Archetypes • Mythology • Folklore • Exemplum In the following… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPs6_0g8RHA