Intro to Native Americans

Native/Early American Literature

(aka Myths, Tales, Folktales, Folklore)

There were hundreds of thriving unique nations
• Each had/has its own tradition of literature that was passed
down orally
– Families kept the tradition going;
– Ceremonies were another place where oral stories were retold
• Myths are an important part of Native American spiritual beliefs
– It is unknown where the stories originated
– They were written down only in the last 100 years
– These stories tell us how the world came to be
– Many rely heavily on a reverence of the natural world

Native Americans were on this Continent
CENTURIES before Europeans

http://www.westlake.k12.oh.us/whsteachers/millerla/Multicultural%20Lit_files/Native%20Amer/Native%20American%20Creation%20Myths%20Basic%20

Notes.pdf

​• Myth–an anonymous oral story
– Relies on the supernatural to explain a natural phenomenon, human
behavior, or mystery
• Purpose
– Explains why the world is the way it is/they help make sense of the
world

Main Types of Native American myths

•Creation Myth
– Explains how human lives came to exist
– Explains the workings of the natural world
– Supports and validates social customs
– Guides people through the trials of living
– Instills a sense of the mystery of the universe and attempts to explain that mystery
•Origin Myth
– Explains why phenomena like the stars, moon, and sky came to be and why certain animals have certain characteristics
•Trickster Myth
– A trickster is a crafty creature or being who uses cunning to get food, steal precious possessions, or simply cause mischief. He disrupts the order of things, often humiliating others and sometimes himself. In Native
American traditions, the trickster takes many forms.
•Heroic Journey Myth
– Tells about a commonplace hero who finds himself on a journey filled with supernatural experiences and challenges - which he wins – and returns home with the power to improve his fellow man’s lives.

Multiple Choice

Myths are important part of Native American _

• Religious belief

• History

• Spiritual Beliefs

• Culture

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the definition of “myth” as it was given in the previous slides?

• A story about a magical hero that changes the world

• A story about a main character who uses trickery

• An anonymous oral story passed on through several generations

• A story with historical context about Native Americans

​2. Open the Unit 1 textbook & go to page 4

1. Open another tab & go to Schoology

PAUSE!!

After reading, we’ll come back and answer a few questions.
DON’T CLOSE THIS TAB

Multiple Choice

What was North America like before the arrival of Europeans?

• It was an empty continent with abundant resources.

• It was a diverse land with more than 300 well-developed cultures with strongly differing customs.

• North America was a land recently settled by Native American groups that shared a single culture

• North America was a continent ravaged by disease and warfare.

Multiple Choice

Which statement is an accurate description of Native American literature?

• It was a rich oral tradition focusing on creation stories and a reverence for nature.

• It was written in pictographs similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics.

• It contained many of the same myths and folktales that appear in European cultures.

• There was no literature because Native Americans did not have a written language.

Multiple Choice

We get most of our information about pre-colonial America from —

• Modern-day scholars of the historical period

• Elaborate written records from ancient civilizations

• First-person accounts of early explorers, settlers, and colonists

• Native American creation myths