1. Native American Literature Let us tell the old stories, Let us sing the sacred songs. -- N. Scott Momaday

2. Way back when… The Europeans arrived in the Western Hemisphere in the 1490s NA was inhabited by hundreds of different tribes that populated the area via the Bering land bridge and sea routes.

3. Native American Background Information In 1492 North America was sparsely populated by several hundred Native American tribes that differed greatly in many ways: –Language –Government –Social organization –Customs –Housing –Methods of survival

4. Native American Background Information Cont. Native Americans have been on the continent at least 30 times longer than the Europeans, but have no real known history. For the most part they were friends to the Europeans– in contrast– the Europeans overtook many of their territories driving out the tribes.

5. Native American Literature Native American Lit. is strong in content rather than literary qualities. Native American forms of oral tradition: –Song lyrics –Hero tales –Migration legends –Accounts of creation –Chants –Myths

6. Characteristics of Native American Literature 1. Showed interaction with nature and the land 2. Relate tribal knowledge, customs and rituals 3. Poetic language in contrast to the Early Settlers simple and direct style

7. Archetypes An archetype is a symbol, story pattern, or character type that is found in the literature of many cultures.

8. Tricksters or Trickster Figures Tricksters are rebels who defy authority and frequently cause trouble, but they are also clever and creative figures who can unexpectedly reveal wisdom.

9. Totem In many Native American Cultures, each family group, or clan believed it descended from a particular animal or other natural object, called the totem.

10. Literary Works We Will Cover The Walum Olum How the World Was Made From The Way to Rainy Mountain How the Leopard Got His Claws Prayer to the Pacific The Summer of Black Widows From The Iroquois Constitution