Native American Literature

“When you write things down, you don’t have to remember them. But for us it is different…All that we are, all that we have ever been, all the great names of our heroes and their sons and deeds are alive within each of us…living in our world.”

Who owns the land?

• For thousands of years, Native Americans regarded themselves as caretakers, not owners of the land.

• Europeans who arrived in North America laid claim to the land and aggressively defended it from Native Americans – and from one another.

• What entitles people to claim land as their own?

The Oral Tradition

• Native North American cultures did not have a written language, so many did not recognize their literature until recently.

• History, legends, and myths were entrusted to memory and faithfully passed from generation to generation through oral tradition.

The Oral Tradition

• Uses stories to teach moral lessons and to convey practical info about the natural world

• Reflects an inclusive view of the natural world

• Universe not dominated by humans -animals and humans are interchangeable in myths and folk tales

• Shows a keen awareness of the power of metaphor – songs and chants can make things happen – bring rain, cure the sick, destroy an enemy

Native American Mythology

• Myth – a traditional story, usually involving supernatural beings or events, that explains how some aspect of human nature or the natural world came to be

Creation Myth

• Describes how the universe, the earth, and life began

• Explains the workings of the natural world

• Supports and validates social customs and values

• Guides people through the trials of living

Origin Myth

• Explains how natural phenomena came to be – stars, moon, mountains

• Explains why a society has certain beliefs and customs

Archetype

• A pattern in literature that is found in a variety of works from different cultures throughout the ages

• May be a plot, a character, an image, or a setting (Ex: association of death and rebirth with winter and spring)

Literature = Life

• Literature mirrors the culture that produces it.

• Because literature is an expression of emotion and thought, a writer cannot help but infuse his or her ideals within writings.

• In terms of reading strategies, we can infer aspects of a culture by analyzing the literature they produce.