1. Native American Literature: Origin and Creation Myths Powe English 11 2014-15

2. Anticipatory Discussion On a sheet of paper, respond to the following: 1.Explain oral tradition. What does that mean to you? 2.Name three things that you know about your family history. 3.What do you want the next generation of your family to know about you?

4. What are these people doing in the images? Could these images be seen in modern day? How so?

5. ORAL TRADITION Originate from a pre-literate world Stories passed down verbally Native American stories often include a performance aspect Finally written down a few hundred years ago

6. MYTH A traditional story, passed down through generations, that explains why the world is the way it is. Many cultures do not see their stories as myths, but as fact

7. CHARACTERISTICS OF NATIVE AMERICAN MYTHS 1.Supernatural elements 2.Animals – Give advice, help humans learn lessons, personify admirable characteristics 3.Creation – Tries to explain how we came to be 4.Justifies natural phenomenon – Tries to explain all the ins and outs of how the world works and nature’s wonders 5.Trickster – Role is to fool humans; typically an animal 6.Teach a moral or lesson

8. Native American Literature Groups Group One: “The World on the Turtle’s Back” Group Two: “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” Group Three: “The Fox, Coyote, and Whale” Group Four: Pima Creation Stories

9. Native American Literature Group Checklist In your groups: – Read your story – Assign roles: Discussion Note-Taker (1-2) Poster Scribe (1-2) Artist (1-2) Teacher (1-2) – Discuss after reading: Summary of myth How does the myth reflect the natural world in which the Native Americans lived? What is the moral lesson in the myth (if any)? List the characters in the myth. List two characteristics of each character. Is the myth a creation myth? How does it help make sense of the world? What role do animals have in the myth? Give an example of imagery or figurative language from the myth. – Create a poster that contains: A summary What the myth explains/justifies about the world Moral/lesson Two to three images symbolizing the myth Be creative and neat! These will be in the hallway! Each group will be handing in their discussion notes and will be teaching their myth to the class

10. Exit Slip/Post-Myth Activity 1.What did you learn about the Native American culture through our study of myths and storytelling? 2.What was your favorite myth and why? 3.What myth did your group study? What was your role in the group and how did you contribute to your group’s presentation?

11. Homework Thinking back to the three things you know about your family history, think of a story that you’ve heard since you were little about your family or a specific family member, a story related to a belief you and your family have, a story about you when you were little, etc. Using a minimum of one of the characteristics of myths, take your family story and create your own one- page myths. You will be asked to read your myth out loud, since the early myths were an important part of the Native American oral tradition. Have fun and use your imagination!